Sam Craigie

Sam Craigie was born on December 29, 1993, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He began his professional snooker career in 2011, having earned his professional status by winning the World Under-21 Championship in 2010. In this competition, he defeated his older brother Stephen 7-6 in the semi-finals and went on to beat Li Hang 9-8 in the final. This early success established his presence in the professional snooker circuit.

Throughout his career, Craigie has achieved several notable milestones. He reached the last 16 of the Northern Ireland Open in 2017 and later the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time at the China Open in Beijing in 2019, where he earned a career-best prize of £27,000. During this event, he defeated players such as Sunny Akani, Ryan Day, Ali Carter, and Liang Wenbo before losing to Neil Robertson. In 2021, he qualified for the World Snooker Championship for the first time at the Crucible stages, overcoming Zhao Xintong 10-9 in a challenging match, though he subsequently lost to Mark Williams. His career progression continued with a run to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship in 2022, where he was defeated by Mark Allen 6-4.

Craigie reached his first ranking event semi-final at the German Masters in Berlin in 2024, beating Ali Carter 5-1 in the quarter-finals before losing to Judd Trump. After taking time away from the tour due to a neck injury, he was awarded a new two-year tour card on medical grounds, allowing him to return for the 2025/26 season. His resilience and consistent performance have allowed him to maintain his professional standing in the sport.