Career
Burden originally had his eyes set on making a career as a professional footballer, but a badly broken leg curtailed this ambition. He spent a couple of seasons at Arsenal F.C. as a schoolboy apprentice, but was with Swindon Town F.C. at the time of the injury. Burden soon showed he was well above average at snooker and qualified for the World Championship in 1998. He gave Tony Drago a run for his money before losing 8–10.
In the 2006/2007 season, Burden qualified for the China Open. He defeated Shokat Ali, Rod Lawler and former top-16 player David Gray to qualify for the tournament. Unfortunately for Burden, he lost his opening Wild Card game to local player Mei Xiwen, 2–5.
On 25 November 2009 he won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Hyderabad, India. He won in the final 10–8 against Brazilian Igor Figueiredo. With this he earned a place on the 2010/2011 professional main tour. He started the 2010/2011 season well, by winning 3 qualifying matches, beating Reanne Evans 5-1,Matthew Selt 5-4,Marcus Campbell 5-3 before losing narrowly against Andrew Higginson 4-5.
In the 2011/2012 season, Burden reached the final qualifying round in the ranking event tournaments twice (at the World Open and the World Championship). He lost to Marcus Campbell 3–5 and Peter Ebdon 0–10 respectively. Burden finished the season ranked world number 60, inside the top 64 who retain their places for the 2012/2012 season.
Read more about this topic: Alfred Burden
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“He was at a starting point which makes many a man’s career a fine subject for betting, if there were any gentlemen given to that amusement who could appreciate the complicated probabilities of an arduous purpose, with all the possible thwartings and furtherings of circumstance, all the niceties of inward balance, by which a man swings and makes his point or else is carried headlong.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“It is a great many years since at the outset of my career I had to think seriously what life had to offer that was worth having. I came to the conclusion that the chief good for me was freedom to learn, think, and say what I pleased, when I pleased. I have acted on that conviction... and though strongly, and perhaps wisely, warned that I should probably come to grief, I am entirely satisfied with the results of the line of action I have adopted.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)