Welcome to my sixth Q&A with stars of the Snooker world.

Up and coming star Martin Gould is the latest player to be interviewed by ryan147.com. Martin ended last season ranked 46th in the world rankings and starts the 2009/10 season ranked 37th on the one year list. Unfortuanetly he didnt get off to the best of starts this season losing 5-3 to Gerard Greene in the final round of qualifying for the Shanghai Masters despite beating Peter Lines 5-0 in the round before.

Martin Gould really made a break through last season. It was Martin’s first season back on the tour which he had qualified for by winning the English Amatuer Championship and he qualified for 3 final stages of events. His first appearance in the final stages came in the UK Championship in which he met eventual champion Shaun Murphy in the first round and lost 9-7.

His biggest win came at the Welsh Open final stages where Martin beat 7 times world champion Stephen Hendry 5-3 to reach the last 16. Despite losing to Joe Swail in round 2, this was a real confidence boost for Martin who went on to qualify for the World Championship at Sheffield by beating Rodney Goggins, David Gilbert and Matthew Stevens.

Sadly Martin’s debut at the Crucible turned out to be a disappointing one losing in the first round to Mark Allen 10-6. However Martin had a great season and looks like a great prospect for the future.

Please click below to read the interview

When did you start playing snooker?

I started playing snooker when I was about 10 years old in a Riley’s in Watford

What made you become a professional snooker player?

I think every snooker player’s dream is to become a professional and it beats doing a 9 to 5 job!

Who were your favourite players from your childhood?

Jimmy White was my favourite player as a kid

What is your personal career highlight?

I have had quite a few highlights so far so its difficult to pick out just one.

Outside of Snooker do you have any sporting hero’s?

Tiger Woods, Phil Taylor and Roger Federer are my sporting heroes outside of snooker.

What is your favourite Snooker Tournament?

I think my favourite tournament has to be the World Championship.

What is your favourite Snooker Venue?

The Crucible Theatre is a lovely venue along with Telford and Newport.

What was your highlight last season?

Besides from beating Stephen Hendry in the Welsh Open I think it’s qualifying for the World Championship.

What are your goals for the coming season?

My goals this season are to break into the top 32, or even maybe the top 16, and qualify for more TV stages of tournaments.

When you are not playing or have lost in a tournament do you still watch the games on TV?

I tend not to watch a tournament if I am not in it, it’s just a personal preference.

It was obviously disappointing for you to lose in the recent Shanghai Masters qualifying, what do you feel went wrong for you there and how do you hope to improve for the next qualifying events?

Yes losing to Gerard was disappointing but he played well. I just need a little good fortune at the right time so I will bounce back.

How old were you when you made your first century break?

I was 16 if I remember rightly and my first century was exactly 100.

How old were you when you made you first maximum break?

I was 18/19 when I made my first maximum. It was against a guy called Steve Downing who was a high quality player.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time in the terms of ranking position, titles etc?

In 5 years time my ambitions are to be in the top 8 in the world rankings and to have won a few ranking titles.

What’s your favourite practise routine?

I dont really have a favourite practice routine. I just do a bit of everything really.

Most embarrassing moment since turning professional?

I dont think I have a most embarrassing moment in snooker yet!

If you were not a Snooker player what do you think you would be doing for a living instead?

I would probably be a professional Darts player or work on a cruise as a Poker dealer as I got no qualifications because I never went to school,lol.

What are your earliest snooker memories?

Watching Jimmy White in all the world finals in the nineties and how he got so close many times. I was gutted for him on many occasions.