Doug Mountjoy
Encyclopedia
Doug Mountjoy is a retired Welsh
snooker
player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.
. A well known player in the valleys as a youth and young man, he won many amateur tournaments including two Welsh Amateur titles and the World Amateur title in 1976, beating Malta's Paul Mifsud 11–1. After the World Amateur victory, he turned professional.
Mountjoy's first success was in the 1977
Masters
at the New London Theatre
as a late replacement, and his first professional tournament. He beat former world champions Fred Davis, Alex Higgins
and the then current champion Ray Reardon
7–6 to win the title.
At the world championship a couple of months later, he beat Higgins again in the first round but lost to Dennis Taylor
in the quarter-final 11–13. At the end of 1977, he made the final of the first ever 1977
UK Snooker Championship
losing to Patsy Fagan
9–12.
He did win the title a year later
beating David Taylor
15–9, and in the same season he beat Ray Reardon
to win the Irish Masters 6–5.
After winning the first two World Cups for Wales in 1979 and 1980, he suffered an illness which partially paralyzed his face.
With the problem cleared, he reached the final of the World Snooker Championship
in 1981. He beat Eddie Charlton
, Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon in the semi-final (in which he made 145 break, a championship record at the time). He then played Steve Davis
in the final but lost 12–18.
After that run at the World Championship, he only had a short run of titles and he won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1982 and 1984 to go with his 1980 title. He was back in the final of a major again in the 1985 Masters tournament
, losing to Cliff Thorburn
. Mountjoy also reclaimed the Pot Black
title in March that year, having previously won it in 1978.
He won another Welsh title in 1987, but his career struggled including a 1–9 defeat to Steve Longworth in the 1986 UK Snooker Championship
. By 1988, he was out of the top 16 in the World Rankings.
, meeting the young pretender Stephen Hendry
in the final. He won 16–12, knocking in three consecutive centuries at one stage, giving him his first major ranking tournament victory, and after the match he praised Hendry as a future talent.
In January, he won the Classic
, beating fellow Welshman Wayne Jones
in the final, to win back-to-back ranking titles. All in two months, that gave him his second ranking title during his twelve years as a professional. He then won his fifth Welsh Professional title the following month. He was back in the Top 16 the season later, and, by 1990, he was No. 5 in the world. He stayed in the Top 16 until 1993. That year, he made his final world championship appearance at the age of 50; for fifteen years he was the last player over 50 to appear in the final stages.
In 1993, not long after dropping out of the top 16, Mountjoy was diagnosed with lung cancer
after being a smoker for many years, but later beat it and continued to play snooker until 1997.
After 1997 he concentrated on snooker coaching but did compete in the world championships again in 2000 and 2002.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.
Early life
Originally a coal miner, Mountjoy was brought up just outside Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
. A well known player in the valleys as a youth and young man, he won many amateur tournaments including two Welsh Amateur titles and the World Amateur title in 1976, beating Malta's Paul Mifsud 11–1. After the World Amateur victory, he turned professional.
Turning professional
He turned professional at the age of 34.Mountjoy's first success was in the 1977
1977 Masters Snooker
The 1977 Benson and Hedges Masters took place between 7 and 11th February 1977 and was held in the New London Theatre. 10 players who were invited took part. Doug Mountjoy who was brought into his first major professional tournament only as a late replacement, duly won it as the 33/1 outsider....
Masters
Masters (snooker)
The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...
at the New London Theatre
New London Theatre
The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden...
as a late replacement, and his first professional tournament. He beat former world champions Fred Davis, Alex Higgins
Alex Higgins
Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...
and the then current champion Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
7–6 to win the title.
At the world championship a couple of months later, he beat Higgins again in the first round but lost to Dennis Taylor
Dennis Taylor
Dennis Taylor is a retired snooker player, and current BBC snooker commentator. Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Championship, beating World number one Steve Davis on the final black in one of the sport's most memorable finals...
in the quarter-final 11–13. At the end of 1977, he made the final of the first ever 1977
1977 UK Snooker Championship
The 1977 Super Crystalate UK Championship professional snooker tournament took place at the Tower Circus, Blackpool between 26 November and 3 December 1977....
UK Snooker Championship
UK Snooker Championship
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
losing to Patsy Fagan
Patsy Fagan
Patsy Fagan is a retired Irish professional snooker player.A talented snooker player who won the first UK championship in 1977 , Fagan seemed destined for a long and successful professional career in the game, but he became affected by a reluctance, possibly psychological, to play shots with the...
9–12.
He did win the title a year later
1978 UK Snooker Championship
The 1978 Coral UK Championship took place at the Guildhall, Preston between November 22 and December 1, 1978.1978 would be the first of 20 UK Championship competitions to be played in Preston's Guildhall...
beating David Taylor
David Taylor (snooker player)
David Taylor is a semi-retired English professional snooker player. He won the World and English Amateur Championships in 1968, before the success of those wins encouraged him to turn professional. Although an excellent player, Taylor never quite reached the very top of the game...
15–9, and in the same season he beat Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
to win the Irish Masters 6–5.
After winning the first two World Cups for Wales in 1979 and 1980, he suffered an illness which partially paralyzed his face.
With the problem cleared, he reached the final of the World Snooker Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
in 1981. He beat Eddie Charlton
Eddie Charlton
Edward Francis Charlton AM was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title...
, Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon in the semi-final (in which he made 145 break, a championship record at the time). He then played Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
in the final but lost 12–18.
After that run at the World Championship, he only had a short run of titles and he won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1982 and 1984 to go with his 1980 title. He was back in the final of a major again in the 1985 Masters tournament
1985 Masters Snooker
The 1985 Benson and Hedges Masters took place between January 27 and February 3, 1985 at the Wembley Conference Centre. The highest break of the tournament was 103 made by Cliff Thorburn....
, losing to Cliff Thorburn
Cliff Thorburn
Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn CM, known as Cliff Thorburn is a retired professional Canadian snooker player...
. Mountjoy also reclaimed the Pot Black
Pot Black
Pot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
title in March that year, having previously won it in 1978.
He won another Welsh title in 1987, but his career struggled including a 1–9 defeat to Steve Longworth in the 1986 UK Snooker Championship
1986 UK Snooker Championship
The 1986 Tennents UK Championship took place at the Guildhall, Preston in November and TV stages shown on BBC TV took place between 22 and 30 November 1986....
. By 1988, he was out of the top 16 in the World Rankings.
Turning point
After suffering many losses, the 1988/89 season was to be a turning point for Mountjoy: while being coached by Frank Callan, he made it to the final of the 1988 UK Snooker Championship1988 UK Snooker Championship
The 1988 Tennents UK Championship took place at the Guildhall, Preston in November and TV stages shown on BBC TV took place between 19 and 27 November 1988. This was the last UK Championship to be sponsored by Tennents, The following year and the year after that, the championship would be...
, meeting the young pretender Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
in the final. He won 16–12, knocking in three consecutive centuries at one stage, giving him his first major ranking tournament victory, and after the match he praised Hendry as a future talent.
In January, he won the Classic
Classic (snooker)
The Classic was a professional snooker tournament, which began in 1980 and ended in 1992. It was originally a non-ranking event, but became ranking in 1984. Steve Davis has won the event six times and was the last champion.-History:...
, beating fellow Welshman Wayne Jones
Wayne Jones (snooker player)
Wayne Jones is a former Welsh professional snooker player. Despite never breaking into the top 16, he reached the last 16 and quarter-finals of many ranking events. His most notable run was to the final of the Mercantile Credit Classic in 1989 with victories over the likes of Jimmy White, where he...
in the final, to win back-to-back ranking titles. All in two months, that gave him his second ranking title during his twelve years as a professional. He then won his fifth Welsh Professional title the following month. He was back in the Top 16 the season later, and, by 1990, he was No. 5 in the world. He stayed in the Top 16 until 1993. That year, he made his final world championship appearance at the age of 50; for fifteen years he was the last player over 50 to appear in the final stages.
In 1993, not long after dropping out of the top 16, Mountjoy was diagnosed with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
after being a smoker for many years, but later beat it and continued to play snooker until 1997.
After 1997 he concentrated on snooker coaching but did compete in the world championships again in 2000 and 2002.
Ranking tournaments
- UK ChampionshipUK Championship (snooker)The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
(1988) - Mercantile Credit Classic (1989)
Other tournaments
- UK ChampionshipUK Championship (snooker)The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
(1978) - Benson & Hedges MastersMasters (snooker)The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...
(1977) - Irish MastersIrish Masters (snooker)The Irish Masters was a professional snooker tournament. It was founded in 1978, following on from the successful Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament .-History:...
(1979) - Pot BlackPot BlackPot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
(1978, 1985) - Welsh Professional ChampionshipWelsh Professional ChampionshipThe Welsh Professional Championship was a professional snooker tournament which was open only for Welsh players. It was the first of the four home countries to revive its national professional championship on a regular basis.- History :...
(1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1989)