Who is Stan Moody? 'Luke Littler of snooker' tipped for big things by Ronnie O'Sullivan

Stan Moody, a rising star in the world of snooker, defeated more big names at the British Open after receiving praise from legends Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White

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Snooker’s answer to Luke Littler continued his breakthrough season by reaching the quarter-finals at the British Open. The sport has been crying out for a young hotshot akin to darts superstar Littler, and Stan Moody might just be that man.

The 19-year-old has lived up to his promise this season by going deep in high-profile tournaments. In August, he defeated Ding Junhui and Barry Hawkins - the latter 5-0 - as he made the last eight at the Wuhan Open in China, only losing to eventual winner Xiao Guodong.

This week, he has been swatting more big names aside at the British Open in Cheltenham, beating 2024 world champion and world No. 2 Kyren Wilson and former Crucible finalist Ali Carter en route to the last eight, where his run was ended by Anthony McGill. His youth and classiness around the table have led to comparisons with reigning PDC world champion Littler, 18. Here’s everything you need to know about the youngster…

Getting into snooker

Despite his tender age, the Yorkshireman has been regarded as a snooker star of the future for some time. Having first picked up a cue at the age of nine while on a family holiday in Spain, when he had a go at pool, Moody earned a World Snooker Tour card at just 16 after winning the World Junior Championship in Australia.

While that seems incredibly young, it was all part of the focused youngster’s plan. Speaking in 2023, as he prepared to join the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump on the Tour, he said: “I’ve got no GCSEs, nothing. I only went to school because I had to, I never enjoyed one bit of it. I just wanted to be at the club hitting balls, it’s my dream. Working in an office isn’t, it just isn’t my thing.”

Playing idol O’Sullivan

In early 2023, Moody played his idol, O’Sullivan, at the Six Reds World Championship in Thailand in front of a crowd of thousands. Moody was beaten but didn’t disgrace himself, taking a couple of frames off the Rocket.

“It was a great experience playing on TV against the best person ever to pick a cue up,” recalled Moody. “I know it was only six reds and people say it’s not a proper game, but you’ve still got the pot all the balls.”

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Praise from greats

O’Sullivan was full of praise for Moody after that match, predicting big things for him in the game. The Rocket said: “Stan is going to be good. He has composure and that's always a sign. If they look a little bit vulnerable out there, then you think, can they handle the pressure?

“But he certainly looked really comfortable out there. He just needs some experience. He will win tournaments, I’d imagine, for sure.”

Meanwhile, as he took his place on the tour, Jimmy White called him a “fantastic talent” and a “really serious player.”

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Breaking curse

In addition to making the quarter-finals in Wuhan, Moody also broke a long-running curse involving Ding. Over the previous 18 months, a run of 22 matches, the player who had knocked out Ding went on to lose the very next match.

However, Moody bucked that trend by seeing off another Chinese star, Zhou Yuelong, 5-3. His victory over Ding underlined his ability to cope with pressure, given Ding’s legendary status in China.

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Moody said: “As the match went on I got better and better. I knew I needed to get over the line, but I felt very nervous. I'm very happy with the win.

“It was a fantastic experience. I knew what it would be like, with the crowd clapping every shot. When he got flukes they were cheering. I tried to enjoy it, view myself as the underdog and take the pressure off. I really enjoyed it.”

Moody returns to action in Sheffield on Tuesday when he faces former world champion Ken Doherty in the qualifying event for the International Championship, which will be held in Nanjing, China in November.