Players Under the Spotlight / Ralph Ellis / 18 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Ralph Ellis outlines the case to oppose 'Captain' Carter as the UK Championships reach the business end.

There's an old saying about sport being played 20 per cent on the field and 80 per cent between the ears. There's no shortage of people with supreme talent - but the number who also have the mental edge to use that ability when the pressure is on is very much smaller. Look at any sport and the great champions are at their best when the situation is toughest. Match point down in a Wimbledon semi-final? Count on Pete Sampras to have hit a 130 mph ace. Penalty in a Cup final? Count on Eric Cantona to hit the net.

So it's always worth looking at the record of any player under pressure before parting with your hard earned to back them to win something. And that's why you need to be careful before following the money and supporting Ali Carter as [3.95] favourite this morning to win the UK Snooker Championships at Telford.

Carter has had a notorious reputation down the years for choking at big moments in matches. He's 29 now, so really ought to be getting over that - but there's still a big question mark over him, and the longer he goes without winning a ranking tournament the more that question will stay.

How does a player get to be number seven in the world yet still have only two minor tournament wins to his name? It's because he's good, but not when he wants it most. He's been snooker's answer to Colin Montgomerie, supremely talented and cleaning up the minor games from day to day but unable to get it all together for a major.

At first glance, his quarter-final win over Mark Williams yesterday might suggest he's beaten those finishing nerves at last. He won 9-8, which sounds as if he had the bottle to win a final frame. The reality was different.

He could have closed the match out at 8-7 but lost the next, and was on his way to defeat in the final frame before Williams got an unkind kick that stopped him potting an easy red. Okay so Carter still had to clear the table then, but it was anything but a confident win. Carter had fouled on the pink to hand Williams the lead before his bit of luck gave him a reprieve. This is the man who also, of course, threw away an 8-3 lead in the first round of this tournament last year against Barry Hawkins and those memories are bound still to haunt him. He also led Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-4 in the Northern Ireland Trophy earlier this year before losing 6-5.

There's little doubt that when the supremely gifted Carter does finally win a big tournament he'll go on and win plenty more. The clouds of doubt will be lifted and once he's learned how to finish first he'll do it over and over again. In the meantime, just like Monty, the nearer he gets to winning a major the more the nerves will kick in.

Five things you might not know about Allister Carter

1. Born in Essex in 1979, he was named the WPBSA's Young Player of Distinction just before turning pro aged 17

2. In 2003 he was diagnosed with the digestive disorder Crohns Disease, but now has the condition under control

3. He has a long term girlfriend, Sarah, and owns and runs a snooker centre in Chelmsford, Essex.

4. He shared a £157,000 prize with Ronnie O'Sullivan in last year's World Championships when both made 147 breaks. Carter bought a Ford Focus convertible with his winnings.

5. He has a keen interest in flying, is a qualified pilot, and is training to qualify as a commercial pilot.