Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and surprise player named as most outstanding junior stars

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump were, unsurprisingly, standout performers as children and former world number three Neal Foulds remembers one other as a stunningly good junior player. David Gray was the other player Foulds was blown away by when he watched junior events, saying he was ‘completely above the standard for the age.’.

Gray certainly stood out as a teenager, becoming the youngest ever winner of the English amateur title in 1995 at just 16 years old. He turned professional in 1996 and played at the Crucible for the first time in 1998 at 19 years old. In 2000 he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in round one at the World Championship and by 2003 he was a ranking event winner after landing the Scottish Open title.

The Londoner reached the final of the UK Championship in 2004, but that was the last real highlight of his career as all the early promise fell away quite spectacularly. He was off the professional tour in 2010 and other than the odd appearance in amateur events since, has not been involved in the game.

Foulds recalls watching Trump absolutely shine as a youngster, with only Gray and seven-time world champion O’Sullivan catching his eye as much as junior players. ‘I saw him [Trump] play at the age of eight,’ Foulds said on Eurosport. ‘I’d read about him and heard about him, then saw him at a festival in north Wales where there was professional, senior events, Pro-ams, junior events, everything really.

‘He was outstanding at that age. Absolutely outstanding. You used to get a real chance to see the home grown talent in those festivals. ‘I can think of three players who were completely outstanding at that age group: Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan and a lad called David Gray who did win a ranking event and did reach a UK final.

‘He was another one who was completely above the standard for the age. Unfortunately David Gray doesn’t play anymore, disappeared from the scene. ‘You see real young players, Gary Wilson was another one who was very good, but Judd has gone on to become the finished article now.’.

Gray first dropping off the professional tour in 2009 was documented by the late great Clive Everton, who wrote in The Guardian: ‘David Gray’s 5–1 defeat by Tian Pengfei, a Chinese wildcard, on the opening day of the China Open in Beijing sees him relegated from the world-ranking circuit at the age of 30, a dire fate for the 2003 Scottish Open champion and the 2004 UK Championship runner-up.

‘There was never a doubt about Gray’s natural ability. At 16 years and two months, Gray superseded Jimmy White as the youngest ever English amateur champion, defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Crucible in 2000 and reached the quarter-finals there in 2004. But without the self-disciplined lifestyle a professional sportsman needs, such high promise was unfulfilled.’.

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