The Queen’s Birthday Honours were announced on Friday with the English snooker star among those listed.
Reanne Evans has been awarded with an MBE – Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – for her services to women’s snooker.
The Englishwoman is a 12-time world champion and has dominated the women’s game for more than a decade.
Evans has generally been ranked as the world number one in that time, and along with Hong Kong rival Ng On Yee she has helped to enhance the global image of women’s snooker.
The 34 year-old competed on the Main Tour during the 2010/11 campaign, and in 2017 she beat Robin Hull in the World Championship qualifiers.
That triumph catipulted her into the public limelight, and since then she has frequently been regarded as the face of women’s snooker while it attempts to expand its worldwide reach.
Yet, the majority of her greatest success has of course come on the World Women’s Snooker Tour, where Evans boasts 57 ranking tournaments wins.
“Being honoured will hopefully help give the women’s game a bigger platform,” Reanne Evans MBE was quoted as saying.
“It’s been getting more and more popular, with bigger sponsors and we’re playing around the world now, so hopefully this will be a stepping stone to move forward.
“People always ask, ‘did you expect to get something like this’, but I’d say ‘no way'”.
Mandy Fisher, WWS President told World Women’s Snooker: “I am absolutely thrilled to see that Reanne’s unparalleled achievements on the World Women’s Snooker Tour are to be recognised in this way.
“During the past 40 years we have seen many great players compete on our circuit, but few can argue that Reanne’s incredible record puts her at the very top of the list of women players to have ever played our sport.
“Still only 34, I am sure that – even with 12 world titles under her belt already – the best is still to come from Reanne, and she will have many years of success ahead of her.
“I am looking forward to see her continue to compete both on the women’s circuit and of course being a trailblazer for female snooker players everywhere by competing with the very best male players in the world on the professional World Snooker Tour.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Mark Williams, John Higgins, and Clive Everton are other notable snooker names who have been recognised in the past for their services to snooker.
It’s good to see a female snooker player getting an MBE.
Well done its great when sports like snooker get recognised for their efforts,ll the best for the future.,