Snooker World champion PETER EBDON getting retired due to his chronic neck injury

The 49-year-old won the globe title in 2002 - beating Stephen Hendry 18-17 inside the last - and won eight other positioning occasions, including the 2006 UK Title.

He has made the choice to retire so as to avoid spinal surgery.

"Having gauged everything up that is the decision I have come to," Ebdon told Betfred.

"I had an X-ray check around seven weeks back, which got huge mileage in my neck.

there's a heavy deterioration in a number of the vertebrae and that I am in pain since Christmas.

"Two of the vertebrae must get supplanted, which isn't an activity I might want to possess in such a case that it turned out badly I might be in a

The teacher disclosed to me that it wouldn't be a fix.

It could work, yet it could compound the situation and that I would likely have it again in 10 years.

"The one thing I can not do in the event that I don't have the activity is playing snooker once more, because of the pressure in my neck.

So, as sad because it is on behalf of me, that is the end.

"At the moment, I can walk and talk, and accordingly the agony has better."

Ebdon, nicknamed 'The Power', twice accomplished a profession high world positioning of number three while his last triumph at a positioning occasion came at the 2012 China Open.

His last match was at December's German Master's qualifiers, after which he subsequently pulled out of several ranking events due to injury.