Meet Barry Hawkins AKA The Hawk: Bio & Wife

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Barry Hawkins is an English snooker player born in the village of Ditton. He is often praised for his persistence and effort, even when he had not won a single ranking title for 16 years of his professional career.

He currently holds a few ranking titles, but it’s not too impressive compared to someone who has been in the game for as long as he.

Bary Hawkins focsed on the ball, chalking his cue stick
Bary Hawkins focused on the ball, chalking his cue stick (Facebook)

Despite having fewer titles, considering that he has been playing professional snooker since 1996, he has led a successful career nonetheless. He has stayed consistent throughout his career, no matter how many times he got knocked down.

Barry seems like an unshakeable guy and always in his best form, fully determined, but something happened in April 2017 that destroyed his mentality.

Stick with us until the end to find out what happened and how he overcame it.

Let’s get started with some quick facts.

Barry Hawkins | Quick Facts

Full Name Barry Hawkins
Birth Date 23rd April 1979
Birth Place Ditton, Tonbridge, and Malling, Kent
Current Residence Ditton, Kent, England
Nick Name The Hawk
Religion Christianity
Nationality English
Famous for being Snooker player
Ethnicity Caucasian
Education N/A
Horoscope Taurus
Father’s Name N/A
Mother’s Name N/A
Siblings A sister
Age 44 years old
Height 5 feet 5 inches
Weight 165 lbs
Hair Color None
Eye Color Brown
Build Plus-size
Hobbies N/A
Favorite Destination N/A
Profession Pro snooker player
Marital Status Married to Tara Hawkins
Kids A son (Harrison)
Net Worth $500,000
Merch  Snooker Cue Stick, Snooker Balls
Last Updated March, 2024

Barry Hawkins | Early Life & Education

On 23rd April 1979, Hawkins was born in Ditton, a village in Kent, England. He was taken to his parents, whose names are unknown.

As stated in a post-match interview, he has a sister and two twins nephews. Not much is known about The Hawk. He is the only snooker player in the European leagues to live a secretive life.

As for his education, there is no info on it as well. But keep visiting the page as we will update the information as soon as possible.

Barry Hawkins Wife and Kids

After more than a decade of dating, Hawkins married Tara on 6th June 2012. Barry and Tara had been dating each other since 2001.

Her Twitter account reveals that she is a snooker fan as well. She is a supportive wife and shows her never-ending support to her husband by reassuring him from the audience section.

The couple exchanged the sacred vows at the Rowhill Grange Hotel located in Wilmington.

At the time, Tara used to work at the M&S cafe Hall at Aylesford, having completed her high school education at Oxted County School.

Barry Harris enjoying a day out with his wife and son
Barry Harris enjoying a day out with his wife and son (Facebook)

The two got married after Barry won the 2011 Shoot-Out.

Regarding the prize money, Barry commented, “A little bit will be going on at the wedding. I’ve been trying to pay it off bit by bit, so it couldn’t have come at a better time for me.”

Barry seems to enjoy much family time and has posted about it, but he has held back from releasing any information about his son or wife.

Barry’s only child/son was born in the first month of 2009.

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Barry Hawkins Career

Early Career

Barry Hawkins started playing professional snooker in 2005. Hawkins’s early career began with a bang as he reached the top 16 of three tournaments and the semi-final of the Welsh Open.

He was ranked 32nd in the world rankings for his impressive performance as a teen.

In the 2005/06 season, he reached the semi-final of the Welsh Open (once again) and the Grand Prix tournament. Moreover, he also defeated Ding Junhui, a much higher-ranked opponent, to qualify for the World Championship.

Hawkins went on to face Ken Doherty, which turned out disastrous as he lost the match following a massive gap of 1-10.

He was placed in the top 16 of the world snooker leader board for his incredible performance. Not too bad for a 16-year-old.

Later, he stated that he could not perform well for unknown reasons. Maybe he was nervous about facing the previous champion of the tournament. “I’m gutted after such a good season to have performed like that,” stated Barry Hawkins.

After having two good seasons consecutively, the following 2006/07 season would mark his first lousy season. Except for the China Open, he could not even make it to the top 16 of every other ranking event he participated in.

Hawkins defeated Ding Junhui once again to reach the semi-finals of the China Open but lost to Jamie Cope shortly after.

As for the World Championship that season, Hawkins was defeated by Fergal O’Brien in the first round. The defeat cost him his top 16 rankings, dragging him out of the top 32nd rankings.

Gradual improvement

The following season (2007/08), Hawkins qualified for the 2008 SAGA Insurance Masters and defeated the top 32 players of the tournament. Moreover, he reached the top 16 of the UK Championship, China Open, and Grand Prix.

There do not seem to be any ranking titles in his name.

Hawkins appeared in the quarter-final of the 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy, defeating the likes of Jimmy White (5-3), Ryan Day (5-3), and Marco Fu (5-2). He faced Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals, and needless to say, he lost against the king of snooker.

He did not qualify for the China Open and Welsh Open, but he qualified for the World Championship, defeating Daniel Wells. Hawkins could not make it past the first round of the World Championship that season.

Barry Hawkins first ranking title

Fast forward to 2012, Hawkins played the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open, defeating the likes of Matthew Stevens, Mark Davis, Matthew Selt, and Xiao Guodong to reach the first finals of this career.

Hawkins faced a talented and well-praised opponent in the finals, Peter Ebdon. Many speculated that Ebdon had the edge over Hawkins, but he proved them wrong.

He led the first session of the match with a 5-3 victory. The final score read 9-3, in favor of Hawkins. Barry Hawkins won his first ranking title after 16 years as a professional snooker player.

World Championship Finals

The following year, at the 2013 World Championship, Hawkins defeated Jack Lisowski in the first round (10-3). Later, he faced Mark Selby in the second round; the initial game was dominated by his opponent with a 7-9 score.

Hawkins channeled his inner winner changing the score to 13-7, defeating the mark, and heading for the quarter-finals against Ding Junhui. It seems that wherever Hawkins dominates, Ding is there to challenge him.

Ding, once again, lost to Hawkins (13-10), and Hawkins proceeded to the semi-finals, facing Ricky Walden. The semi-final was quite a battle.

Walden took the lead with a 6-8 score; the points raised to 12-8 in Walden’s favor, but that was the end of his dominance.

Barry Harris smiling at his win
Barry Harris smiling at his win (Facebook)

Hawkings won 8 frames in a row, taking the lead and winning the match with the final score of 17-14. It was time for the main event, the last game against the most significant opponent he has faced to date, Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Barry Hawkins performed his best at the final, making a 133 and 127 break, his highest break ever at the Crucible (the venue of the World Snooker Championship finals).

No matter how hard he tried to win the game, Ronnie was on another level; he was just untouchable. Ronnie made 6-century breaks during the game and ten holidays worth 50 points.

Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Hawking with an 18-12 score, bagging the World Championship title and the 125,000 pounds prize money (approx. 170k USD).

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His recent seasons

In 2019, Hawkins won the Paul Hunter Classic, defeating Kyren Wilson, Joe Perry, Mark King, and Gary Wilson. Following that, he made his third and latest maximum break (147) of his career at the UK Championship, playing against Gerard Greene.

But his dominance did not last very long; he lost the next round to Alan McManus despite leading the scoreboard with a 4-1 score at one point.

In 2020, Hawkins participated in the Masters but lost to John Higgins in the first round (6-1).

Later in the same year, Hawkins faced Alexander Ursenbacher in the first round of the 2020 World Championship, which was an easy victory.

However, Hawkins lost the 2nd round to Neil Robertson (13-9).

Similarly, Hawkins lost the 2020 UK Championship top 16 against Mark Selby (6-3). Moreover, Hawkins did not participate in the Masters the following year, but he made it to the semi-finals of the German Masters, facing Judd Trump.

Likewise, Hawkins reached another semi-final, facing Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2021 Cazoo Players Championship. Ronnie dominated the game from the beginning, leading the scoreboard with a 3-0 score.

Hawkins fought back but to no avail as Ronnie won the title with a 6-4 score.

Barry Hawkins Titles

Ranking Titles

  • 2012 Australian Goldfields Open against Peter Ebdon (9-3).
  • 2014 Players Tour Championship against Gerard Greene (4-0).
  • 2017 World Grand Prix against Ryan Day (10-7).

Minor-ranking Titles

  • 2015 Riga Open against Tom Ford (4-1).

Non-ranking Titles

  • 2000 UK Tour – Event 4 against Craig Butler (6-1).
  • 2007 Masters Qualifying Tournament against Kurt Maflin (6-4).
  • 2010 Pro Challenge Series – Event 5 against Michael Holt (5-1).
  • 2012 Snooker Shoot Out against Graeme Dott (1-0).
  • 2019 Paul Hunter Classic against Kyren Wilson (4-3).

Barry Hawkins | Net Worth

Barry Hawkins has earned approx. $370k from tournament prizes. The English-born has a net worth estimated to be around $500,000.

He is a 44 years old man, he must have done some high yield investments considering that he is getting old and retiring soon.

Barry Hawkins with his wife
Barry Hawkins with his wife (Facebook)

Moreover, Barry has also won some money from finishing in the top 8 or the top 3, and let’s not forget the minor and non-ranking titles he has won.

But truth be told, minor leagues don’t pay much; the same goes for non-ranking titles.

Barry Hawkins | Family Tragedy

In 2018, Barry Hawkins revealed how his family and personal problems affected his form as a snooker player.

Apparently, Hawkin’s brother-in-law died unexpectedly in 2017, which caused the loss of his sports spirit.

In April 2017, he celebrated his belated birthday party with his family after the World Championship.

Barry’s brother-in-law (sister’s husband) had been suffering from depression for six months; the whole family thought he was slowly getting better but little did they know, he was putting on a fake smile.

Barry’s dad dropped off his daughter and son-in-law later that night, only to discover that his son-in-law had taken his own life.

“Sadly, he took his own life. He felt like there was no way out for him. We didn’t see it coming,” commented Barry Hawkins.

It was a devastating experience for Hawkins, so much so that his snooker career had to take a back seat.

You might also want to read about Greg Anthony, his family, and how he cheated on his wife >>

Social Media Links

As we already stated, Barry Hawkins likes to keep his personal life as private as possible. Unsurprisingly, he prefers not to use any social media apps.

On the other hand, his better half has a Twitter handle to see wholesome family photos full of love.

Tara mostly posts about her husband; she retweets his achievements, his highlight interviews, and a couple of birthday posts. She is like the no.1 fan of Barry.

Moreover, she also tweets about Walk All Over Cancer, her fundraising page specializing in funding cancer research in the United Kingdom.

Tara Hawkins

Twitter: 255 followers

FAQs

Who are Barry Hawkins’s parents?

Barry has yet to speak to his parents, but there is another Barry Hawkins who is often confused with the snooker player Barry Hawkins.

The other Barry’s parents are George and Jeanine Hawkins; people often mistake it for snooker player Barry Hawkins’s parents.

Who did Barry Hawkins beat to win his first ranking title?

Barry Hawkins defeated Peter Ebdon (9-3) in the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo to win his first ranking title. Ebdon later praised Hawkins for his performance.

What ranking is Barry Hawkins?

Currently, Barry Hawkins is ranked 14th in the world snooker rankings. It’s not always about the no. of titles, the events owned that year, and so on; it’s about the effort and the performance a player puts in.

Moreover, the highest ranking he has ever reached is the 4th position. He was ranked 4th from March to July of the year 2014.

Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah is an engineer and content writer passionate about sports and athletics. With a background in engineering and a love for all things active, Sanjib brings a unique perspective to the world of sports writing. Whether he is covering the latest trends in sports technology or sharing tips on improving your game, Sanjib's words are always rooted in a deep appreciation for players' hard work and dedication everywhere. In his free time, you can find him hitting the courts or hitting the trails, always looking for new ways to challenge himself and improve his skills.

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