Martin O’Donnell has spent years on and off the World Snooker Tour (WST), but he hopes that reaching his first ranking final is a sign of more to come.
Having grown up in Harrow, Greater London, to parents who encouraged his early love for the game, Martin has twice had to win back his place on tour after first coming through Q School in 2012.
Despite breaking into the top 32 in the world in October 2020, the former UK Championship quarter-finalist dropped off the WST in 2022. He soon regained his tour card through the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) Q Tour in 2023, and a run to this year’s Welsh Open final sparks hopes that ‘The Minister of Defence’ can launch an attack on snooker’s elite.
A Breakthrough
Before reaching the Welsh Open final, Martin’s furthest run in a ranking event came at the 2018 Shoot Out, reaching the semi-finals. The 38-year-old defeated a series of notable names in Llandudno, including a 5-3 win over then-reigning world champion Luca Brecel in the quarter-finals.
“It was a big tournament [for me],” he told Fen Regis Trophies. “It was a bit of a breakthrough.
“I’ve reached a lot of quarter-finals over the years but never progressed any further…I never really put in any [good] performances in quarter-finals previously.
“Beating Luca gave me a lot of confidence, and I took that into the semi-finals the next day.”
Elliot Slessor who, like Martin, was vying for his first ranking final was his semi-final opponent. ‘The Minister of Defence’, earning the nickname through his initials MoD, held his nerve to win a deciding frame to claim a 6-5 win, setting up a final clash with former World Championship semi-finalist Gary Wilson.
Though it would be the experienced Scotsman who would go on to claim a third ranking title, there were still a lot of positives for Martin to take from a “long, hard week” in Wales.
“The final was a situation that I’ve never been in before…I was feeling a bit fatigued on the Sunday.
“I wasn’t quite at it, but it was a long, hard week up to that point. I ran out of steam a little bit in the final.”
Strong Start to the New Season
At the 2024 Championship League of Snooker, the first ranking event of the 2024/25 season, Martin enjoyed a run to the third group stage of the tournament. Unlike most other events, the Championship League features three stages with players competing in round-robin group games.
Martin advanced as winner of his opening stage group, consisting of Umut Dikme, Rory Thor and Ricky Walden, and his second stage group, alongside Ma Hailong, Matthew Stevens and Jak Jones. Martin finished bottom of the group, consisting of Mark Williams, Scott Donaldson and Ali Carter in stage three.
“It’s a different event,” said Martin. “Because it is played behind closed doors.
“It’s always nicer when people are watching but, to be fair, when we play qualifier – even though people can come in and watch – you don’t get many people watching, so it is quite like playing qualifiers.”
Playing the Elite
To reach more finals and winning them comes the challenge of playing – and defeating – snooker’s elite. When playing against the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Selby, you are likely to find yourself watching from your seat for a prolonged time.
For Martin, it is all about taking the opportunity when it presents itself, saying: “You just want to be able to get on the table and make an impact.”
“It’s hard to just sit there and watch them pot all the balls,” he added. “It is good to see them live and see how they are handling it.”
Ironically, there is no better seat in the house to watch elite snooker live, even if Martin would his seat vacant, but he’s not one for wasting a valuable learning opportunity.
“I like how they strike the ball,” he said. “I watch them quite a lot…when it comes to Ronnie, you’ve got the best seat in the house when you play Ronnie.”
As well as the quest for winning a first ranking trophy, Martin’s other goal is to qualify for the World Championship, with hopes of playing at The Crucible in Sheffield.
“I would certainly like to play at The Crucible before it does go…if it does go. Ideally, it becomes a bigger venue – that would be the most ideal thing.”
Tournaments will continue to come thick and fast for Martin as he continues his quest to move up the rankings, providing plenty of opportunity to claim that elusive first ranking title…and a place at the World Snooker Championship next year.
By Aaron Gratton
