Meet Stuart Bingham, the famous Ball-Run: Bio & Net Worth

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Stuart Bingham has proved himself as a worthy snooker player. He is ranked top 12 in the world rankings and has been as high as the top 2.

Most snooker players and fans would not consider him a serious threat as Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan, or Kyren Wilson, but they are wrong; he has defeated the likes of Stephen Hendry and Ding Junhui, Ronnie, etc.

Stuart Bingham in a waist coat, probably getting ready for a match
Stuart Bingham in a waistcoat, probably getting ready for a match (Instagram)

He has stood victorious against top-ranked players; he even defeated the World Champion, Stephen Hendry, when he was ranked 97th the world leader.

Moreover, he never gave up hope, even after winning no-ranking titles for 16 years of his professional snooker career. He has proved that consistent effort can lead to success even though it may take a while.

Let’s learn more about the interesting fellow, starting with some quick facts.

Stuart Bingham | Quick Facts

Full Name Stuart Bingham
Birth Date May 21, 1976
Birth Place Basildon, United Kingdom
Current Residence Basildon, United Kingdom
Nick Name Ball-Run
Religion Christianity
Nationality English
Famous for being Pro snooker player
Ethnicity Caucasian
Education
  • Swan Mead Junior
  • Barstable School
Horoscope Taurus
Father’s Name Eddie Bingham
Mother’s Name Maureen Bingham
Siblings Older brother (Lee Bingham)
Age 47 years old
Height 5’7″/170 cm
Weight 180 lb/82 kg
Hair Color None
Eye Color Brown
Build Plus-size
Hobbies Golf
Favorite Destination Thailand
Profession Snooker player
Marital Status Married to Michelle Shabi Bingham
Kids A son and a daughter plus an adopted daughter
Net Worth $6,000,000
Merch  Snooker Balls, Snooker Cue Stick
Last Updated March, 2024

Stuart Bingham | Early Days

Ball-run was born on May 21, 1976, in Basildon Hospital, Basildon, United Kingdom. He was born the youngest son to his father, Eddie Bingham, and his mother, Maureen Bingham.

He grew up in Basildon alongside his older brother Lee Bingham, enrolling in Swan Mead Junior. Later, he joined the Barstable School, where he finished his high school education.

Unfortunately, Bingham has refrained from sharing much information about his childhood days.

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Stuart Bingham Career

Early Career

The Englishman joined the world of snooker in 1990 as an amateur. But it wasn’t until 1996 that he made a name for himself.

After six years of effort, he finally won a notable title, the 1996 IBSF World Snooker Championship. He faced Stan Gorski in the finals and dominated the game, winning with an 11-5 score.

The same year, he also won the English Amateur and the World Amateur Championship. He reached the World Amateur Championship finals again the following year but lost to Marco Fu.

Stuart Bingham played the 1999 Welsh Open and reached the semi-finals, defeating then-world champion John Higgins.

Later, Bingham defeated Stephen Hendry, the defending champion, in the 2000 World Championship in the first round. He did so when he was ranked 97th in the world rankings. Jimmy White defeated him in the second round.

Furthermore, Bingham did not make it to the World Championship in 2001, but he qualified in 2002, winning over Nigel Bond in the final qualifying round.

Bingham faced kenDoherty in the first round, where he attempted a maximum break of 147 but missed the last pink ball. That single miss cost him the match; he lost against Ken (10-8).

Moving on to 2007, he reached the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters that year but was defeated by Mark Selby (0-5).

Similarly, he reached the top 16 of the UK Championship that year before losing to Shaun Murphy (3-9).

Moving on to World Championship, he qualified for the 2008 World Championship following the win in the final qualifying round against Adrian Gunnell. He won the first round against Steve Davis but lost in the second against Joe Perry.

First ranking title win and more

Bingham won the opening round of the 2011 Australian Goldfield Open against Ding Junhui. Moving one, he defeated Tom Ford with a complete whitewash.

Moreover, he won against Mark Allen in the quarter-finals and Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals to secure his finals against Mark Williams.

Bingham was more than ready to perform the best he could, and so did he; Bingham won over Mark, winning four frames in a row. He changed the score from 5-8 to 9-8, bagging his first ranking title.

The 2011 Australian Goldfield Open marked his first ranking title win after 16 years of professional snooker.

Bingham celebrating his win
Bingham celebrating his win (Instagram)

Considering his achievement, he was placed in the top 11 of the world ranking, the highest he had ever been ranked till then. The Australian title also secured him a place at the 2012 invitational Masters.

But his winning streak ended before it started as he lost to Judd Trump in the first round of the Masters.

Bingham could not even get past the second round in the seven ranking events.

Moreover, in the 2012 World Championship, he lost against Stephen Hendry in the first round, ending the 2012 season.

Despite his poor performance that year, he finished the season being placed in the 16th spot in the world ranking.

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World Championship

Stuart Bingham reached the semi-finals of the 2015 World Championship, defeating Robbie Williams (10-7), Graeme Dott (13-5), and Ronnie O’Sullivan (13-9).

Stuart faced one of the best snooker players in the semi-finals, Judd Trump; honestly speaking, Judd Trump was far better than Bingham, but Ball-Run won the match (17-16).

Finally, he reached the finals of the World Championship for the first time in his career. He was set to face Shaun Murphy in the finals. Murphy dominated the early game, leading the scoreboard 3-0 and 8-4.

But Bingham wasn’t one to put his morale down because of initial dominance. He turned the score 18-15, sealing his victory in the 2015 World Championship.

After 20 years of professional snooker, consistent effort, blood, sweat, and tears, Bingham won his first World Championship, which upgraded his ranking to no.2 in the world rankings. That was the highest ranking he had ever reached in his career.

Following that, he reached the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters but lost to Judd Trump (6-3).

The following year, he defeated Ding Junhui (6-4) and John Higgins (6-3) to reach the semi-finals of the 2016 Masters. Bingham faced Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals and sadly lost the match (6-3).

Furthermore, Bingham also reached the semi-finals of the 2016 World Grand Prix. He faced Joe Perry in the semi-finals and won the match 6-5 after recovering from a 3-0 deficit. This marked his first final appearance of the year.

Ban and return

In the 2017 Welsh Open, Bingham faced Judd Trump in the finals. He won the first four frames, but Judd picked himself up, changing the score 8-7.

The Ball-Run wasn’t one to give up either; he won the title after winning two frames he needed to snatch the title from Judd’s reach. It was the first title he had won since his 2015 World Championship.

Following that, he faced Kyren in the second round of the World Championship and lost the match 13-10.

Bingham then stated that he would be playing with a new cue and working with Terry Griffiths for the next season, but he did not get to play the following season as he was found guilty of betting.

He violated the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association rules on betting and received a six-month ban for betting, and was ordered to pay 20,000 pounds. The ban expired in early 2018.

He started the season with a bang upon his return, winning the English Open against Mark Davis with a 9-7 score. Moreover, he reached the semi-finals of the 2018 UK Championship; he lost the match against Mark Allen in the deciding frame.

Moving on, he won the 2019 Gibraltar Open against the defending champion, Ryan Ray. This title marked his second ranking title of the 2018/19 season.

Stuart Bingham Ranking Titles

  • 2011 Australian Goldfields Open against Mark Williams (9-8).
  • 2014 Shanghai Masters against Mark Allen (10-3).
  • 2015 World Snooker Championship against Shaun Murphy (18-15).
  • 2017 Welsh Open against Judd Trump (9-8).
  • 2018 English Open against Mark Davis (9-7).
  • 2019 Gibraltar Open against Ryan Day (4-1).

Stuart Bingham | Net Worth

Bingham has earned approximately £3,450,000 from prize money alone. Our experts estimate his net worth to be around $6 million, considering the inflation.

Bingham seems pretty intelligent; he has made some investments since he has to look after three children.

Stuart Bingham | Wife and Kids

Bingham married Michelle Shabi in 2013. The wedding ceremony was held in Cyprus after being postponed to fit Bingham’s snooker tournament schedule.

He even postponed his bachelor’s party to ensure he wouldn’t miss the tournaments. Now that’s another level of dedication.

The couple spent their honeymoon in Koh Samui, Thailand. Stuart and Michelle have been living happily ever since.

Stuart Bingham with his wife and three children
Stuart Bingham with his wife and three children (Instagram)

The sweet couple was blessed with their firstborn in 2011; they had a son and named him Shae. Later, on January 15, 2017, they had a daughter together, called Marnie Rose.

Stuart even has a tattoo of one of Marnie’s photos on one of his forearms. That shows just how much he loves his kids. He even held an ice cream for his son while he was sick in the hospital and watching TV.

Besides that, Michelle had a daughter already, from a past relationship, her first child/daughter, Tegan, was born in 2003.

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Stuart Bingham Trivia

Stuart Bingham has made over 500-century breaks, ranking him in the 10th position in the list of most century breaks. He also holds the 4th position in the list of most maximum breaks in professional competition, making eight 147 breaks.

Bingham is also one of the two players to win the amateur world championship and the World Championship. The other player to do it is Ken Doherty.

Bingham had not even reached the top 32 of the world snooker rankings until the 2006/07 season despite playing professional since 1995.

Stuart Bingham won the 2015 World Championship at 38, making him the oldest first-time World Championship winner and the third overall oldest to win the title.

Bingham's selfie with his wife
Bingham’s selfie with his wife (Instagram)

Bingham’s nickname, Ball-Run, has been around from his amateur days of playing snooker. The idea behind the name comes from his luck. He has a reputation for having luck or getting the ball run on his side in the amateur days.

Ball-Run is also the last Premier League Snooker crown winner following a 7-2 victory over Judd Trump in 2012 in the finals. After that, the tournament was replaced by the Champion of Champions.

Bingham is coached by Gary Filtness and has worked closely with Gary Purkiss, an Essex-based businessman, throughout his career.

Besides snooker, Stuart also enjoys playing golf. Moreover, he also donates and supports Motor Neurone Disease Association. The association provided support for his later father-in-law.

Social Media Links

Twitter: 56.4k followers

Instagram: 19.5k followers

FAQs

Is Stuart Bingham a Triple Crown?

Yes, Stuart Bingham is a Triple Crown winner, not once but twice. After defeating Shaun Murphy in the 2015 World Championship finals, he made his first triple crown.

After defeating Ali Carter in the 2020 Masters finals, he recently made his second triple crown.

Who sponsors Stuart Bingham?

Swiss Watches Direct sponsors the 2015 World Champion, Bingham.

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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