Evans ready to break the mould in a ‘man’s world’
The world’s best female player reveals to Jeremy Wilson why she refused to let the naysayers win
Aquiz question. Name the modern-day snooker player who has been world champion as often as Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’sullivan put together? That so few people will know the answer provides the first clue as to the size of a gender gap in professional snooker which remains shamefully wide.
An hour in conversation with Reanne Evans, the reigning 12-times champion, who will today get the rare chance to appear on terrestrial television in a main tour event against the men, and you also begin to appreciate both the everyday sexism and the vast practical obstacles that she has overcome in pursuit of her dream.
There was the time that she was asked to leave a snooker club for the crime of being female and wanting to watch her brothers play in a local league match. There was the referee in New Zealand, who was officiating at a women’s tournament, but still openly saying that they should not be playing.
Aged 34, Evans will not be discouraged but she does worry about the impact these attitudes could have on other girls and women who aspire to follow her.
“Growing up, playing in clubs with my brothers, I have been hardened to the comments – it just goes over my head,” she says. “It’s rare now but there are still a few [snooker] places who don’t allow women. I just think, ‘Shame on you, let me play, I’ll beat you and then I’ll leave’.
“It can be intimidating being a female, walking into a place and picking up a cue. You do get stares, looks and comments. Social media you are going to get it. That’s why I do feel sorry for some of the girls. My advice? Do what you want. If you want to play then play. Let them get on with their sad lives and we will carry on.”
It is an outlook that Evans has lived by with limited reward. When Hendry last played in the World Championships in 2012, he lost in the quarter-final but still pocketed £74,050 after also recording the highest break.
O’sullivan collected £250,000 as the winner. Evans became the most successful player in women’s snooker history in 2012 surpassing Allison Fisher’s tally of seven world titles. Her prize money? £450.
It had improved to £6,000 for this year’s World Championship victory against Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai.
Evans has a 13-year-old daughter and, with none of the National Lottery funding that an elite Olympic athlete in, say skateboarding or climbing would enjoy, she has already been considering part-time jobs.
“All our expenses come out of our prize money – so you are barely earning a living,” says Evans. “It’s Catch-22. I’m not saying we should be millionaires but I think you should be earning a living if you are at the top of your sport. It’s frustrating but then I think that if I pack it in that will discourage others and we will never get anywhere.”
Evans will face world No8 Shaun Murphy today in the Champion of Champions event at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Following previous invitations, Evans has