Matthew Stevens (Wales)
World ranking: 4
Last five seasons: 6-9-8-6-6
Date of birth: 11-09-77
Lives: Carmarthen, Dyfed
Turned professional: 1994
Ranking tournament victories: one – Travis Perkins UK Championship 2003
Last season's prize money: £180,500
Career prize money (up to start of 2005/06 season): £1,606,725
Highest tournament break: 145 - Grand Prix 1996, Embassy World Championship 2002
Matthew Stevens once again saved his best form for the Embassy World Championship – but he remains one of the Crucible's 'nearly men'.
The Welshman has reached the last four at Sheffield on five occasions since 2000 but has yet to get his hands on snooker's biggest prize.
In 2005, he scored impressive wins over Andy Hicks, Jimmy White, Stephen Hendry and Ian McCulloch to reach the final. Stevens was rated bookmakers favourite against qualifier Shaun Murphy and looked to be in control when he led 10-6 overnight.
But brilliant potter Murphy stormed back to win 18-16 in a thrilling concluding session to leave Stevens with another runners-up prize. It was an unhappy case of history repeating itself for the Carmarthen potter as he had led Mark Williams 10-6 in 2000 but lost 18-16.
Stevens made the slowest of starts to last season as he failed to win a match in the first four rankings tournaments. He broke his duck at the Malta Cup with a 5-4 win over…Shaun Murphy.
His upturn in form helped him to reach the final of the Failte Ireland Irish Masters in Dublin where he recovered from 6-1 down to 6-6 against Ronnie O'Sullivan but lost 10-8.
He has started this season impressively, winning two invitation events: the Northern Ireland Trophy and the Pot Black Cup.
One of snooker's most naturally talented players, Stevens has won the two biggest tournaments outside the World Championship.
He achieved a landmark triumph at the 2003 Travis Perkins UK Championship when he scored his first ranking event title.
In 2000 he won the Masters at Wembley, beating Ken Doherty 10-8 in the final of snooker's most famous invitational event.
Stevens and his partner Claire have one son – Freddie Morrell who was born in 2004.
A fluent Welsh speaker, Stevens' other hobbies include playing golf and supporting Tottenham Hotspur.
Paul Hunter (England)
World ranking: 5
Last five seasons: 4-8-9-9-14
Date of birth: 14-10-78
Lives: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Turned professional: 1995
Ranking tournament victories: 3 – Regal Welsh 1998,2002; British Open 2002
Last season's prize money: £80,850
Career prize money (up to start of 2005/06 season): £1,482,700
Highest tournament break: 146 – Premier League 2005
Paul Hunter made a strong start to the 2004/05 season with a run to the semi-finals of the totesport Grand Prix at the Guild Hall in Preston.
He beat Darren Morgan, Ali Carter, Steve Davis and James Wattana to reach that stage before losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Hunter's form was patchy for the remainder of the campaign and he reached just one more quarter-final; at the China Open where he lost to Ken Doherty.
The Leeds potter suffered a 10-8 defeat to Michael Holt in the first round of the Embassy World Championship and dropped out of the top four of the world rankings.
Shortly before the World Championship, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer after six cysts were found in his abdomen. The news shocked the snooker world. Fans and fellow players alike sent hundreds of messages of support to the popular Yorkshireman.
He ensured his supporters that he would be "tenacious and positive" in his battle against the disease and started a course of treatment in April.
Hunter's favourite event is the Masters and he has won the invitation event at Wembley three times since 2001. On each occasion he has completed a spectacular fight back in the final.
Known as the 'Beckham of the Baize' for his likeness to the England footballer, Hunter admitted resorting to his famous 'Plan B' – cavorting with fiancé Lindsey Fell in their hotel room before the final session. Paul and Lindsey tied the knot in Jamaica in 2004, with Hello magazine winning the exclusive rights to the wedding pictures for snooker's most glamorous couple.
Hunter took his first ranking title at the 1998 Regal Welsh, beating John Higgins in the final.
He won the same tournament in 2002, defeating Ken Doherty, then added the British Open in Telford later the same year by seeing off Ian McCulloch.