Dene O'Kane

Dene O'Kane ( born February 23, 1963 in Christchurch ) is a New Zealand snooker player.

Life / career

The largest city in New Zealand - In 1970 O'Kanes family of Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island to Auckland on the North Island, attracted. There he attended Northcote College.

The age of eleven he was pulled from the data transmitted in color Pot Black tournament in spell and decided even once a World Champion snooker player to be. To prove the family the seriousness of his intentions, Dene practiced at home on a covered with a tablecloth, table tennis table with table tennis balls and a broomstick as a queue replacement.

To expand his skills, he borrowed in a local library the book " Spencer on Snooker " by the English snooker pros John Spencer. He borrowed this book from so often that the library wanted to give him already.

His first cue he bought for NZ $ 12. At the age of 17 years, Denmark in 1980 the youngest snooker champion New Zealand. Since he had no serious competition in the Snooker found more in New Zealand, he went in 1980 to the mother country snookers, to England to improve his skills.

Still playing as an amateur, he won the 1981/82 some tournaments. In 1983 he returned to New Zealand before 1984 Snooker professional. In the same year he reached the quarterfinals of the British Open and the finals of the World Snooker Championship.

The next two seasons ran it then not so good, until the end of the 1986/87 season when he beat Cliff Thorburn and Doug Mountjoy and the last eight came in the World Cup. 1987/88 he again reached the quarter-finals of the British Open and the second round of the UK Championship. This was enough to put him at the end of the season at No. 23 of the snooker world rankings.

The following season, he could not quite match his success and slipped five places. The following season, however, he was in good shape and peaked at the Hong Kong Open in the final. In the deciding frame against Mike Hallett he lost, but was able to play later in the season again in the last eight at the European Open. This helped him to get his best players ranking at number 18 of the 1991/92 season.

The following season, he was the second time quarter-finalist at the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre, just as he could reach the last eight at the Asian Open. O'Kane was able to defend his 18th place ranking on the following three seasons, but never actually managed, in the top 16 Nevertheless, he held a position between the 18th and 22nd place in 1995 and reached the semifinals of the Thailand Classic. This was his last good performance and throughout the following seasons, he lost more and more rank positions. At the end of the season 2000/ 01 he fell completely out of the rankings.

In the following years he played on several smaller tournaments and as the IBSF 2004, the Senior Event brought to life O'Kane was the first winner. He repeated this feat the following year and brought thus 2006/ 07 again for a year back to the main tour. At the end of the season but he had to say goodbye again.

During World Seniors Championship 2011 tournament, he could indeed prevail in the first round with a 2-1 win over Neal Foulds, but lost in the quarterfinals clear 2-0 Steve Davis.

Achievements

Ranking Tournaments

Invitation Tournaments

Others

Dene O'Kane still lives in Auckland and works there, among other things as a Master Coach of NZ Billiard Confederation. As a master coach, he coached there, the coaches of the Billiard Association, New Zealand.