John Spencer (snooker player)
Encyclopedia
John Spencer was an English
professional snooker
player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre
, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition. Spencer was born in Radcliffe
(now part of Greater Manchester
, formerly districted in Lancashire
).
in 1969 after being loaned £100 by his bank to raise the entry fee. Spencer defeated reigning world champion John Pulman
25-18 in his opening match before going on to defeat Rex Williams
37-12 and Gary Owen 37-24 in the final. Spencer thus became the only player to win the World Championship at his first attempt since Joe Davis
won the inaugural championship in 1927. (Alex Higgins
in 1972 and Terry Griffiths
in 1979 would emulate this feat).
In the April 1970 World Championship, Spencer beat veteran Irish Professional Champion Jackie Rea
31-15, but lost his semi-final on a poor quality table to Ray Reardon
37-33 who went on to claim his first title. Oddly, the defacto 1971 championship was held in November 1970 and played in Australia
. Following an incomplete round-robin
Spencer thrashed Reardon 34-15 in the semi-final before defeating Warren Simpson
in the final 37-29. During the final Spencer made three centuries in four frames (105, 126 and 107), the first time this had been achieved in the championship.
Spencer gained important TV exposure by winning BBC
TV's Pot Black
series in 1970 (reversing his defeat to Ray Reardon in the 1969 final) and again in 1971 when he beat Fred Davis in the final. Spencer would also claim the highest break prize in 1972, be runner up in 1974 and win the event again in 1976, beating Dennis Taylor
in the final. Spencer thus became the first three time winner.
In 1971 and 1972 four events sponsored by Park Drive were held where each of the four players involved played nine matches, the top two placed professionals playing a final match. Spencer won three of these events and lost the fourth only 4-3 in the final to Ray Reardon with whom he battled for supremacy throughout the 1970s (soon joined by Alex Higgins
) as snooker emerged from a phase of obscurity to become one of Britain’s most popular sports. Spencer went on to win one further world title, which was the historic inaugural event at the Crucible Theatre
in Sheffield
in 1977. He never reached the top of the world rankings, however, always being eclipsed by his rival, Reardon. Spencer played down talk of a friendship between himself and Reardon and stated that they never socialised together. However, it should be noted that Spencer and Reardon paired up for the first two World Doubles events. In 1983 they lost 6-2 to Jimmy White
and Tony Knowles
in the quarter-finals. and in 1984 lost 5-0 to Cliff Thorburn
and John Virgo
, also in the quarter-finals. The partnership only ended when Spencer thought he would be too ill to play in the 1985 event. Late in his life Spencer joined Reardon for a special Crucible feature.
In 1973 and 1974 Norwich Union sponsored a snooker event which unusually contained both professionals and amateur players. Spencer won the event both times it was held beating Alex Higgins 8-2 (in the semi-final) and John Pulman 8-7 (in the final) to win the 1973 event and beating Cliff Thorburn 9-7 (in the semi-finals) and Ray Reardon 10-9 (in the final) to win the 1974 event. This latter victory was even more notable given that his cue had been broken into four pieces ten days before the 1974 event and he had to have it pieced back together. Spencer was runner up in both inaugural Pontins events, first held in 1974. He lost the Open (conceding 25) to Doug Mountjoy 7-4 and the Professional event 10-9 to Ray Reardon (after Spencer had trailed 9-4).. Spencer also won a minor tournament at the end of 1974, the Jackpot Automatics tournament, beating Alex Higgins 5-0 in the final.
Spencer's good form was not be translated into positive results at the 1973 and 1974 World Championships. Arguably Spencer's most disappointing career loss was his 23-22 defeat to Ray Reardon in the 1973 World Championship semi-final, after leading 16-9 and 19-12. Prior to this Spencer had shown decisive form in defeating David Taylor
16-5 and Rex Williams 16-7. In the final Reardon defeated Eddie Charlton, a player Spencer would not lose to in a major match until 1979.
In 1974 he lost 15-13 to Perrie Mans
in the second round. Spencer, refused to blame a dose of flu of which he had been suffering for the defeat (and indeed Mans would defeat Spencer again in the 1978 event). Spencer's only consolation was a plate competition for first and second round losers where he easily crushed his opponents, notching up six centuries in defeating David Greaves 5-1, Dennis Taylor
9-4, Jim Meadowcroft
9-3 and John Pulman 15-5 in the final.
In 1975 Spencer won the inaugural Masters event held at Fulham's West Centre Hotel. Spencer defeated John Pulman (5-3), Eddie Charlton
(5-2) and overcame Ray Reardon 9-8 on the final black in the final. In the Spring Spencer won the Ashton Court Country Club event (and took the highest break prize) by defeating Alex Higgins 5-1 in front of a sell out crowd in the final.
Spencer would again fail at the 1975 World Championship, in a somewhat controversial manner. With the tournament being staged in Australia and organised by Eddie Charlton, Spencer found himself in a half of the draw which featured both Ray Reardon and Alex Higgins, meaning that all the champions since 1969 were in the same half of the draw. Worse still, the organisational seedings placed Spencer at 8, meaning that he met Reardon in the quarter-final. Despite opening up with two centuries in the first four frames and leading 17-16, with the scars of their epic 1973 semi-final still fresh, the match slipped away from Spencer 19-17. At the time Reardon and Spencer stated boldly that it was the greatest match yet played.
The following year Spencer won the Canadian Open Championship, defeating John Virgo
9-4 in the semi-final and Alex Higgins 17-9 in the final to claim the $5000 prize.
Spencer reached the final of the Canadian Open again in 1977, where he lost to Higgins 17-14. This event was played in a circus tent, with a traditional circus situated next to the event. Conditions were so hot that Spencer's chalk snapped in half upon using it due to accumulated dampness in his pocket.
In the Spring of 1978 Spencer won the very first Irish Masters by beating Doug Mountjoy
5-3 in the final at Goffs Sales Room. Spencer took £1000, but the event was so successful it brought in around £3300 in gate receipts
. Prior to this, Spencer had won a precursor to this event in Ireland, held at the National Boxing Stadium. In 1975 he beat Alex Higgins in a one off match and then beat Higgins again in the final of a four man event held in 1976. Spencer's good form continued when he beat Tony Knowles
7-4 in the final of the 1978 Warners Open, despite conceding 21 points per frame. Spencer would be undefeated in the group stages of the Pontins Professional Tournament that year, winning all his five matches, but he lost 7-2 to Ray Reardon in the final.
Spencer lost his opening match in the 1978 World Championship to Perrie Mans by 13-8, a result which had looked unlikely when a break of 118 had given him a 3-1 lead. Spencer began the final session with a 138 break, which would prove to be the highest of the championship, but did not win another frame. The break at least doubled his prize money to £1000.
In January 1979 at the Holsten Lager International, Spencer compiled the first ever 147 maximum break in tournament play. Spencer was playing Cliff Thorburn in the quarter-final and won the first three frames of their encounter 106-1, 147-0 and 119-0. Spencer could not resist giving the excited spectators a shock by lunging forward and hitting over the cue ball in his initial address, before potting the final black.Thames Television
were resting their TV crew at the time following the previous match between Alex Higgins and David Taylor
and so missed the historic moment. Spencer went on to win the tournament beating Rex Williams 6-2 in the semi-final and Graham Miles
11-7 in the final. The sponsors awarded Spencer an extra £500 for the break in addition to his £3500 first prize. Three years later on 11 January 1982, Spencer was Steve Davis
's opponent when Davis made the first televised 147 at the Lada Classic
tournament at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham
. This occurred in the fifth frame of their quarter-final match when the scores had been poised at two frames each.
Two months after Spencer's 147 he won the biggest tournament that India had yet staged when he won the Garware Paints Invitational event in Bombay. Spencer beat India's Arvind Savur 6-1, Patsy Fagan
6-4, Graham Miles 6-5 and Cliff Thorburn 6-3 to take the £2000 first prize and another £200 for the highest break (108) and also claimed the 'Man of the Series' award. In the same event the following year, Spencer remained undefeated in his group games, before his semi-final loss to John Virgo. These matches included a 6-4 victory over Steve Davis (who would win the UK title that year). Although Spencer would run Davis close in future years, it would be Spencer's only victory over Davis in a recognised event.
In January 1980 Spencer won £3000 (a record for a two-day event) at the Wilson's Classic. Broadcast by Granada TV, the final contained another notious push-shot incident adjudged against Spencer's opponent Alex Higgins. Higgins reaction to Jim Thorpe's controversial decision would cost him a £200 fine. Spencer would also win the Winfield Australian Masters in 1980, beating Dennis Taylor in the final. For Spencer (who was runner up in the 1981 event) this would be his last professional solo tournament victory.
In 1981 Spencer joined Steve Davis
and David Taylor to become the first English team to win the World Team Classic. Spencer crucially defeated Terry Griffiths
with the aid of a hard-fought 103 break (he was unable to pot the black during the entire break) in the final, Griffiths having not lost a match in the tournament up to that stage. Davis then secured victory against Ray Reardon in the tie-break to secure the title and £12,000.
Such a victory only partially made up for Spencer's great disappointment at the 1981 Masters event. Having dispatched Dennis Taylor 5-2 and Ray Reardon 5-1. Spencer led Terry Griffiths 5-2and had Griffiths needing two snookers in the next frame. Despite this, Griffiths would end up the victor by 6-5 after almost six hours of play. Spencer thus missed out on a major final with old rival Alex Higgins.
Remarkably, Spencer's 10-9 first round victory over Ray Edmonds
at the 1981 World Championship was his first victory in the Championship since his title victory in 1977. Hopes that Spencer would progress further were dashed by an even older adversary, Ray Reardon, who recovered from 3-0 and 7-5 behind to win the match 13-11. It would be the last time the two would meet in the World Championship.
Prior to the 1982 World Championship Spencer beat Alex Higgins (who would win the world title a few weeks later) 6-0 in the semi-final of the Highland Masters in Inverness
. Spencer lost 11-4 to Ray Reardon in the final, despite taking the highest break prize with an effort of 119. The 1982 World Championship itself produced a great many upsets and the loss of the top three seeds in round one. Despite this, and a strong performance in beating John Dunning
10-4 in round one, Spencer could not take advantage of the more open draw and his form fell away badly after holding Willie Thorne
to 3-3 in round two. He would lose the match 13-5.
The 1983 World Championship would also end disappointingly. After seeing off the challenge of 24 year old Mike Hallett
in round one by 10-7, Spencer faced old foe Eddie Charlton in round two. Spencer moved into a 4-0 lead, but lost his intensity and despite a break of 106 allowed Charlton to move 12-7 ahead. Spencer fought back, but went in-off on the verge of levelling at 12-12 and lost the match 13-11.
(with symptoms including double vision
). Spencer first noticed something was amiss when he felt unwell at the Pontin's professional tournament in 1984. When the news broke in the press of Spencer's condition, he noted that only two players directly sent messages to him. One was Cliff Thorburn, the other was Alex Higgins, who turned up at his house, complete with bottle of Bacardi which Higgins drank as Spencer was not allowed alcohol at this point.
Whilst the illness impacted Spencer late in his career, it robbed him of the modest upturn in his playing career which had seen him rise to 13th in the 1984/5 rankings. He had also only narrowly failed to capture the Pontins Professional title that summer when he lost 9-7 to Willie Thorne in the final. During the 1984 World Championship he had defeated Graham Miles 10-3 in the first round and held top seed Steve Davis to 6-4 in round two, before Davis pulled away to win 13-5. The Miles match was Spencer's last victory at the Crucible.
Although Spencer was able to compete in the 84/85 season, it was clear that the illness was impacting on his form. He won only one ranking match during the season when he defeated Canadian Frank Jonik 6-0 in the Dulux British Open. There was some cheer when Spencer partnered Tony Knowles to the semi-finals of the World Doubles in December 1984 which gave them a cheque for £11,250. Spencer also marked his final appearance in the Masters with a 5-3 win over Eddie Charlton. Although he lost 5-2 to Jimmy White in the quarter finals, he would pick up one of his highest pay cheques of £8250. Spencer would also be part of the England 'B' team in the World Cup (with Jimmy White and Willie Thorne) which reached the semi-finals. Such outings allowed Spencer to finish within the top 15 money earners for the season. Another small consolation came when he narrowly lost in the 1984 final of Pot Black
to Terry Griffiths.
A major side effect of Spencer's condition was that his eyes would become very strained under TV lighting. When he competed in the 1985 Pontins Professional event under ordinary shaded lighting he once again reached the final, losing only 9-7 to Terry Griffiths, who Spencer would never defeat in a major singles event. It would also prove to be his last ever tournament final.
Spencer's illness caused him to fall out of the top 32 within two years, although he did regain his top 32 place for the 1987/8 season. This was very much down to efforts to practice as hard as he ever had. He journeyed to Scotland
ahead of the 1986 World Championship to get in concentrated practice. This paid off when he qualified for the Crucible to play old foe Alex Higgins in what was to prove their last World Championship meeting. Higgins led 8-2, but was eventually relieved to win 10-7. It was to be Spencer's last playing visit to the Crucible. Gordon Burn relates that part of Spencer's Scottish practice was against a young Stephen Hendry
. Spencer, after two money-match defeats, suggested to Hendry that they play next time in casual clothes. This occurred, with the impact that Spencer won their third encounter 6-4.
In the 1987 Dulux British Open he defeated then World Champion Joe Johnson
5-3 on route to the quarter-final. This last eight match against old friend Jimmy White
saw Spencer compile a century and capture the sixth frame after needing six snookers (in a frame which took just 18 minutes to play). Spencer would lose the match 5-3 but gained his highest ever snooker payday with a cheque for £9000. Another late career highlight came when Spencer defeated old friend Fred Davis 5-0 in the 1988 British Open and followed this with a 5-0 televised win over Dennis Taylor on the 27th February. Spencer would lose just 5-4 in the fifth round to Rex Williams, who thus recorded his first ever tournament victory over Spencer.
. Wattana won the final two frames on the final black and pink respectively to notch a 10-8 victory in the fourth qualifying round. Spencer's victory over Owers was his last ever victory in a recognised ranking competition. In the 1991 World Championship Spencer lost his first match to Ray Edmonds 10-4, finally giving Edmonds a victory over Spencer in a rivalry that stretched back to Spencer's victory over him in the 1965 English Amateur Championships. At the time Spencer indicated a strong desire to carry on playing and stated he would play in all the events the following season. This decision seemed especially poignant given that his old rival Ray Reardon had announced his retirement following his defeat in the 1991 World Championship Qualifying.
Despite his best hopes, Spencer was simply too ill to play in six of the ten events the following season due a flair up of his condition in June. So many steriods were now required that they caused Spencer's hands to shake. Spencer kept his playing hopes alive by joining the management group of Six Colours Promotions in February 1992. He hoped this would provide a much needed 'morale boost' and the stable included then World Champion John Parrott
, whom Spencer had advised ahead of his 1991 World Championship win. Sadly when Spencer did play in the four remaining events he was only able to win a single frame (in the Pearl Assurance British Open against Euan Henderson
). Spencer's final World Championship appearance could hardly have been sadder, he scored just 207 points against Norweigian Bjorn L'Orange and lost this second round qualifying match 10-0.
Spencer did continue to do some exhibitions and was grateful to Stephen Hendry
's manager Ian Doyle for arranging some exhibitions after he stepped down as chairman of the WPBSA. Spencer was also pleased to have the assistance at these events of Len Ganley
. Soon after this, Spencer began having trouble with veins in his legs, making mobility an issue.
His last TV appearance as a player came in 1997 when he took part in Seniors Pot Black. Spencer later admitted that he was suffering from severe depression caused by his illness when he played this match. Despite this he still generated applause with some shots during his frame with Dennis Taylor which he lost 74 points to 47. Despite matches only being a single frame, Spencer did not play in the Senior Masters Competition in June 2000, leaving a field of 15. This event would be won by Willie Thorne
.
Poor health led to Spencer's departure from the role of commentator in 1998. In his memoirs he wrote movingly of struggling through his role before retiring back to his hotel room. He was deeply moved by the kindness of fellow commentators Ted Lowe
and Ray Edmonds.
On January 28, 2003 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer
but he later refused treatment for it in order to enjoy the rest of his life free from the effects of chemotherapy
. Spencer emotionally paid a last visit to the Crucible for the 2005 Champions Parade. He had for many years been a dedicated charity fundraiser and, despite his illness, he took part in a sponsored parachute jump
in August 2005. His biography was published that same year, entitled Out Of The Blue And Into The Black. Spencer's battle with cancer ended on 11 July 2006 when he died in a hospice in Radcliffe at the age of 70.
His cue action included an unusually long backswing which gave him immense cue power, and allowed him to develop shots using deep-screw from long-distance and maximum side spin which aided the progression to modern break-building.
in the 1980s, when snooker was at its peak popularity. Following his defeat by Perrie Mans in the 1978 World Championship Spencer was invited by producer Nick Hunter to try his hand at commentating on snooker for BBC
television, a task he enjoyed for the next 19 years. He was also chairman of the WPBSA
for six years from 1990, despite periods of extreme ill-health. When he resigned from his position in November 1996, he has been a member of the governing board for 25 years.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
professional 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 who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition. Spencer was born in Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
(now part of Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, formerly districted in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
).
Early years
Spencer started his snooker career at the age of 15. Snooker was in decline during his youth, and he did not turn professional until his early 30s, when interest in the game started to revive. He first won the World ChampionshipWorld 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 1969 after being loaned £100 by his bank to raise the entry fee. Spencer defeated reigning world champion John Pulman
John Pulman
John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....
25-18 in his opening match before going on to defeat Rex Williams
Rex Williams
Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...
37-12 and Gary Owen 37-24 in the final. Spencer thus became the only player to win the World Championship at his first attempt since Joe Davis
Joe Davis
Joe Davis, OBE was a British professional player of snooker and English billiards....
won the inaugural championship in 1927. (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...
in 1972 and Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
in 1979 would emulate this feat).
In the April 1970 World Championship, Spencer beat veteran Irish Professional Champion Jackie Rea
Jackie Rea
Jack 'Jackie' Rea is a retired snooker player from Northern Ireland.Rea was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...
31-15, but lost his semi-final on a poor quality table to 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...
37-33 who went on to claim his first title. Oddly, the defacto 1971 championship was held in November 1970 and played in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Following an incomplete round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
Spencer thrashed Reardon 34-15 in the semi-final before defeating Warren Simpson
Warren Simpson
Warren Simpson was an Australian professional snooker player.In 1971, he reached the final of the World Snooker Championship, losing 37-29 to John Spencer which was played in Sydney, Australia in November 1970....
in the final 37-29. During the final Spencer made three centuries in four frames (105, 126 and 107), the first time this had been achieved in the championship.
Spencer gained important TV exposure by winning BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV's 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...
series in 1970 (reversing his defeat to Ray Reardon in the 1969 final) and again in 1971 when he beat Fred Davis in the final. Spencer would also claim the highest break prize in 1972, be runner up in 1974 and win the event again in 1976, beating 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 final. Spencer thus became the first three time winner.
In 1971 and 1972 four events sponsored by Park Drive were held where each of the four players involved played nine matches, the top two placed professionals playing a final match. Spencer won three of these events and lost the fourth only 4-3 in the final to Ray Reardon with whom he battled for supremacy throughout the 1970s (soon joined by 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...
) as snooker emerged from a phase of obscurity to become one of Britain’s most popular sports. Spencer went on to win one further world title, which was the historic inaugural event at the Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in 1977. He never reached the top of the world rankings, however, always being eclipsed by his rival, Reardon. Spencer played down talk of a friendship between himself and Reardon and stated that they never socialised together. However, it should be noted that Spencer and Reardon paired up for the first two World Doubles events. In 1983 they lost 6-2 to Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
and Tony Knowles
Tony Knowles (snooker player)
Anthony Knowles is an English professional snooker player. He was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s.-Career:...
in the quarter-finals. and in 1984 lost 5-0 to Cliff Thorburn
Cliff Thorburn
Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn CM, known as Cliff Thorburn is a retired professional Canadian snooker player...
and John Virgo
John Virgo
John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...
, also in the quarter-finals. The partnership only ended when Spencer thought he would be too ill to play in the 1985 event. Late in his life Spencer joined Reardon for a special Crucible feature.
In 1973 and 1974 Norwich Union sponsored a snooker event which unusually contained both professionals and amateur players. Spencer won the event both times it was held beating Alex Higgins 8-2 (in the semi-final) and John Pulman 8-7 (in the final) to win the 1973 event and beating Cliff Thorburn 9-7 (in the semi-finals) and Ray Reardon 10-9 (in the final) to win the 1974 event. This latter victory was even more notable given that his cue had been broken into four pieces ten days before the 1974 event and he had to have it pieced back together. Spencer was runner up in both inaugural Pontins events, first held in 1974. He lost the Open (conceding 25) to Doug Mountjoy 7-4 and the Professional event 10-9 to Ray Reardon (after Spencer had trailed 9-4).. Spencer also won a minor tournament at the end of 1974, the Jackpot Automatics tournament, beating Alex Higgins 5-0 in the final.
Spencer's good form was not be translated into positive results at the 1973 and 1974 World Championships. Arguably Spencer's most disappointing career loss was his 23-22 defeat to Ray Reardon in the 1973 World Championship semi-final, after leading 16-9 and 19-12. Prior to this Spencer had shown decisive form in defeating David Taylor
David Taylor
- Sports :*David Taylor *David Taylor , former Welsh footballer*David Taylor , FA Cup winner with Bradford City in 1911 and 1914 with Burnley...
16-5 and Rex Williams 16-7. In the final Reardon defeated Eddie Charlton, a player Spencer would not lose to in a major match until 1979.
In 1974 he lost 15-13 to Perrie Mans
Perrie Mans
Pierre "Perrie" Mans is a retired professional snooker player from South Africa, who first won the South African professional championship in 1965, and went on to win it 19 times in total.-Career:...
in the second round. Spencer, refused to blame a dose of flu of which he had been suffering for the defeat (and indeed Mans would defeat Spencer again in the 1978 event). Spencer's only consolation was a plate competition for first and second round losers where he easily crushed his opponents, notching up six centuries in defeating David Greaves 5-1, 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...
9-4, Jim Meadowcroft
Jim Meadowcroft
Jim Meadowcroft is a retired English professional snooker player who has latterly been a coach and a commentator on the game....
9-3 and John Pulman 15-5 in the final.
In 1975 Spencer won the inaugural Masters event held at Fulham's West Centre Hotel. Spencer defeated John Pulman (5-3), 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...
(5-2) and overcame Ray Reardon 9-8 on the final black in the final. In the Spring Spencer won the Ashton Court Country Club event (and took the highest break prize) by defeating Alex Higgins 5-1 in front of a sell out crowd in the final.
Spencer would again fail at the 1975 World Championship, in a somewhat controversial manner. With the tournament being staged in Australia and organised by Eddie Charlton, Spencer found himself in a half of the draw which featured both Ray Reardon and Alex Higgins, meaning that all the champions since 1969 were in the same half of the draw. Worse still, the organisational seedings placed Spencer at 8, meaning that he met Reardon in the quarter-final. Despite opening up with two centuries in the first four frames and leading 17-16, with the scars of their epic 1973 semi-final still fresh, the match slipped away from Spencer 19-17. At the time Reardon and Spencer stated boldly that it was the greatest match yet played.
The following year Spencer won the Canadian Open Championship, defeating John Virgo
John Virgo
John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...
9-4 in the semi-final and Alex Higgins 17-9 in the final to claim the $5000 prize.
Final World Championship Victory and Other Titles
Spencer returned to win his third world title in 1977. The first championship to be held at the Crucible Theatre where it has remained ever since. Seeded 8, Spencer defeated John Virgo 13-9 (having trailed 4-1), Ray Reardon 13-6, a resurgent John Pulman 18-16 and finally Cliff Thorburn 25-21 (having trailed 15-11) in the final. Spencer would win £6000. He followed this up by winning the Pontins Professional title a week later, defeating John Pulman 7-5 in the final to win another £1500. Spencer's World Championship victory in 1977 would be the last time that he seriously challenged for the World Title, he never again reached even the quarter-finals of any future World Championship.Spencer reached the final of the Canadian Open again in 1977, where he lost to Higgins 17-14. This event was played in a circus tent, with a traditional circus situated next to the event. Conditions were so hot that Spencer's chalk snapped in half upon using it due to accumulated dampness in his pocket.
In the Spring of 1978 Spencer won the very first Irish Masters by beating Doug Mountjoy
Doug Mountjoy
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.- Early life...
5-3 in the final at Goffs Sales Room. Spencer took £1000, but the event was so successful it brought in around £3300 in gate receipts
Gate receipts
Gate receipts is the sum of money taken at a sporting venue for the sale of tickets.Traditionally, gate receipts were largely or entirely taken in cash. Today, many sporting venues will operate a season ticket scheme, which will mean they allocate a proportion of season ticket moneys when...
. Prior to this, Spencer had won a precursor to this event in Ireland, held at the National Boxing Stadium. In 1975 he beat Alex Higgins in a one off match and then beat Higgins again in the final of a four man event held in 1976. Spencer's good form continued when he beat Tony Knowles
Tony Knowles (snooker player)
Anthony Knowles is an English professional snooker player. He was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s.-Career:...
7-4 in the final of the 1978 Warners Open, despite conceding 21 points per frame. Spencer would be undefeated in the group stages of the Pontins Professional Tournament that year, winning all his five matches, but he lost 7-2 to Ray Reardon in the final.
Spencer lost his opening match in the 1978 World Championship to Perrie Mans by 13-8, a result which had looked unlikely when a break of 118 had given him a 3-1 lead. Spencer began the final session with a 138 break, which would prove to be the highest of the championship, but did not win another frame. The break at least doubled his prize money to £1000.
In January 1979 at the Holsten Lager International, Spencer compiled the first ever 147 maximum break in tournament play. Spencer was playing Cliff Thorburn in the quarter-final and won the first three frames of their encounter 106-1, 147-0 and 119-0. Spencer could not resist giving the excited spectators a shock by lunging forward and hitting over the cue ball in his initial address, before potting the final black.Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
were resting their TV crew at the time following the previous match between Alex Higgins and 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...
and so missed the historic moment. Spencer went on to win the tournament beating Rex Williams 6-2 in the semi-final and Graham Miles
Graham Miles
Graham Miles is a retired English snooker player.Miles turned professional in 1969. He first gained recognition in 1974, when he reached the final of the World Championship. Although he lost 22–12 to Ray Reardon, this turned out to be the highlight of his career...
11-7 in the final. The sponsors awarded Spencer an extra £500 for the break in addition to his £3500 first prize. Three years later on 11 January 1982, Spencer was 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...
's opponent when Davis made the first televised 147 at the Lada 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:...
tournament at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
. This occurred in the fifth frame of their quarter-final match when the scores had been poised at two frames each.
Two months after Spencer's 147 he won the biggest tournament that India had yet staged when he won the Garware Paints Invitational event in Bombay. Spencer beat India's Arvind Savur 6-1, 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...
6-4, Graham Miles 6-5 and Cliff Thorburn 6-3 to take the £2000 first prize and another £200 for the highest break (108) and also claimed the 'Man of the Series' award. In the same event the following year, Spencer remained undefeated in his group games, before his semi-final loss to John Virgo. These matches included a 6-4 victory over Steve Davis (who would win the UK title that year). Although Spencer would run Davis close in future years, it would be Spencer's only victory over Davis in a recognised event.
In January 1980 Spencer won £3000 (a record for a two-day event) at the Wilson's Classic. Broadcast by Granada TV, the final contained another notious push-shot incident adjudged against Spencer's opponent Alex Higgins. Higgins reaction to Jim Thorpe's controversial decision would cost him a £200 fine. Spencer would also win the Winfield Australian Masters in 1980, beating Dennis Taylor in the final. For Spencer (who was runner up in the 1981 event) this would be his last professional solo tournament victory.
In 1981 Spencer joined 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...
and David Taylor to become the first English team to win the World Team Classic. Spencer crucially defeated Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
with the aid of a hard-fought 103 break (he was unable to pot the black during the entire break) in the final, Griffiths having not lost a match in the tournament up to that stage. Davis then secured victory against Ray Reardon in the tie-break to secure the title and £12,000.
Such a victory only partially made up for Spencer's great disappointment at the 1981 Masters event. Having dispatched Dennis Taylor 5-2 and Ray Reardon 5-1. Spencer led Terry Griffiths 5-2and had Griffiths needing two snookers in the next frame. Despite this, Griffiths would end up the victor by 6-5 after almost six hours of play. Spencer thus missed out on a major final with old rival Alex Higgins.
Remarkably, Spencer's 10-9 first round victory over Ray Edmonds
Ray Edmonds
Ray Edmonds is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985.-Playing career:...
at the 1981 World Championship was his first victory in the Championship since his title victory in 1977. Hopes that Spencer would progress further were dashed by an even older adversary, Ray Reardon, who recovered from 3-0 and 7-5 behind to win the match 13-11. It would be the last time the two would meet in the World Championship.
Prior to the 1982 World Championship Spencer beat Alex Higgins (who would win the world title a few weeks later) 6-0 in the semi-final of the Highland Masters in Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. Spencer lost 11-4 to Ray Reardon in the final, despite taking the highest break prize with an effort of 119. The 1982 World Championship itself produced a great many upsets and the loss of the top three seeds in round one. Despite this, and a strong performance in beating John Dunning
John Dunning
John Dunning may refer to:* John Dunning , American writer of detective fiction* John Dunning * John Harry Dunning , British economist* John Dunning , American film editor...
10-4 in round one, Spencer could not take advantage of the more open draw and his form fell away badly after holding Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne
William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
to 3-3 in round two. He would lose the match 13-5.
The 1983 World Championship would also end disappointingly. After seeing off the challenge of 24 year old Mike Hallett
Mike Hallett
Mike Hallett is an English professional snooker player and television sports commentator.-Career:Hallett was a consistently solid snooker player, but never achieved the very top ranks...
in round one by 10-7, Spencer faced old foe Eddie Charlton in round two. Spencer moved into a 4-0 lead, but lost his intensity and despite a break of 106 allowed Charlton to move 12-7 ahead. Spencer fought back, but went in-off on the verge of levelling at 12-12 and lost the match 13-11.
Illness
Spencer's later career was blighted by the ocular version of myasthenia gravisMyasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability...
(with symptoms including double vision
Diplopia
Diplopia, commonly known as double vision, is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in relation to each other...
). Spencer first noticed something was amiss when he felt unwell at the Pontin's professional tournament in 1984. When the news broke in the press of Spencer's condition, he noted that only two players directly sent messages to him. One was Cliff Thorburn, the other was Alex Higgins, who turned up at his house, complete with bottle of Bacardi which Higgins drank as Spencer was not allowed alcohol at this point.
Whilst the illness impacted Spencer late in his career, it robbed him of the modest upturn in his playing career which had seen him rise to 13th in the 1984/5 rankings. He had also only narrowly failed to capture the Pontins Professional title that summer when he lost 9-7 to Willie Thorne in the final. During the 1984 World Championship he had defeated Graham Miles 10-3 in the first round and held top seed Steve Davis to 6-4 in round two, before Davis pulled away to win 13-5. The Miles match was Spencer's last victory at the Crucible.
Although Spencer was able to compete in the 84/85 season, it was clear that the illness was impacting on his form. He won only one ranking match during the season when he defeated Canadian Frank Jonik 6-0 in the Dulux British Open. There was some cheer when Spencer partnered Tony Knowles to the semi-finals of the World Doubles in December 1984 which gave them a cheque for £11,250. Spencer also marked his final appearance in the Masters with a 5-3 win over Eddie Charlton. Although he lost 5-2 to Jimmy White in the quarter finals, he would pick up one of his highest pay cheques of £8250. Spencer would also be part of the England 'B' team in the World Cup (with Jimmy White and Willie Thorne) which reached the semi-finals. Such outings allowed Spencer to finish within the top 15 money earners for the season. Another small consolation came when he narrowly lost in the 1984 final of 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...
to Terry Griffiths.
A major side effect of Spencer's condition was that his eyes would become very strained under TV lighting. When he competed in the 1985 Pontins Professional event under ordinary shaded lighting he once again reached the final, losing only 9-7 to Terry Griffiths, who Spencer would never defeat in a major singles event. It would also prove to be his last ever tournament final.
Spencer's illness caused him to fall out of the top 32 within two years, although he did regain his top 32 place for the 1987/8 season. This was very much down to efforts to practice as hard as he ever had. He journeyed to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ahead of the 1986 World Championship to get in concentrated practice. This paid off when he qualified for the Crucible to play old foe Alex Higgins in what was to prove their last World Championship meeting. Higgins led 8-2, but was eventually relieved to win 10-7. It was to be Spencer's last playing visit to the Crucible. Gordon Burn relates that part of Spencer's Scottish practice was against a young 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...
. Spencer, after two money-match defeats, suggested to Hendry that they play next time in casual clothes. This occurred, with the impact that Spencer won their third encounter 6-4.
In the 1987 Dulux British Open he defeated then World Champion Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson
-Sports:* Joe Johnson * Joseph Johnson * Joe Lee Johnson, NASCAR driver* Joe Johnson * Joe Johnson * Joe Johnson , Scottish footballer born 1920...
5-3 on route to the quarter-final. This last eight match against old friend Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
saw Spencer compile a century and capture the sixth frame after needing six snookers (in a frame which took just 18 minutes to play). Spencer would lose the match 5-3 but gained his highest ever snooker payday with a cheque for £9000. Another late career highlight came when Spencer defeated old friend Fred Davis 5-0 in the 1988 British Open and followed this with a 5-0 televised win over Dennis Taylor on the 27th February. Spencer would lose just 5-4 in the fifth round to Rex Williams, who thus recorded his first ever tournament victory over Spencer.
Retirement and final years
Spencer fought hard to keep playing and keep his symptoms at bay. His final hurrah came in the 1990 World Championship qualifying, where he beat Ken Owers 10-8 before providing a surprisingly tough test for rising star James WattanaJames Wattana
James Wattana is a Thai professional snooker player.-Career:...
. Wattana won the final two frames on the final black and pink respectively to notch a 10-8 victory in the fourth qualifying round. Spencer's victory over Owers was his last ever victory in a recognised ranking competition. In the 1991 World Championship Spencer lost his first match to Ray Edmonds 10-4, finally giving Edmonds a victory over Spencer in a rivalry that stretched back to Spencer's victory over him in the 1965 English Amateur Championships. At the time Spencer indicated a strong desire to carry on playing and stated he would play in all the events the following season. This decision seemed especially poignant given that his old rival Ray Reardon had announced his retirement following his defeat in the 1991 World Championship Qualifying.
Despite his best hopes, Spencer was simply too ill to play in six of the ten events the following season due a flair up of his condition in June. So many steriods were now required that they caused Spencer's hands to shake. Spencer kept his playing hopes alive by joining the management group of Six Colours Promotions in February 1992. He hoped this would provide a much needed 'morale boost' and the stable included then World Champion John Parrott
John Parrott
John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player and TV personality.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
, whom Spencer had advised ahead of his 1991 World Championship win. Sadly when Spencer did play in the four remaining events he was only able to win a single frame (in the Pearl Assurance British Open against Euan Henderson
Euan Henderson
Euan Henderson is a retired Scottish professional snooker player. In his twelve year professional career he reached only one ranking final, in the 1996 Grand Prix albeit without beating any of the game's established leading players, although his 6-3 semi-final win over Welsh veteran Mark Bennett...
). Spencer's final World Championship appearance could hardly have been sadder, he scored just 207 points against Norweigian Bjorn L'Orange and lost this second round qualifying match 10-0.
Spencer did continue to do some exhibitions and was grateful to 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...
's manager Ian Doyle for arranging some exhibitions after he stepped down as chairman of the WPBSA. Spencer was also pleased to have the assistance at these events of Len Ganley
Len Ganley
Len Ganley MBE was a Northern Irish snooker referee. He visited England in 1971 to spend a ten-day holiday with his sister in Burton-upon-Trent, and remained in England....
. Soon after this, Spencer began having trouble with veins in his legs, making mobility an issue.
His last TV appearance as a player came in 1997 when he took part in Seniors Pot Black. Spencer later admitted that he was suffering from severe depression caused by his illness when he played this match. Despite this he still generated applause with some shots during his frame with Dennis Taylor which he lost 74 points to 47. Despite matches only being a single frame, Spencer did not play in the Senior Masters Competition in June 2000, leaving a field of 15. This event would be won by Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne
William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
.
Poor health led to Spencer's departure from the role of commentator in 1998. In his memoirs he wrote movingly of struggling through his role before retiring back to his hotel room. He was deeply moved by the kindness of fellow commentators Ted Lowe
Ted Lowe
Edwin Charles Ernest Lowe, MBE , known as Ted Lowe, was an English snooker commentator for the BBC. His unmistakably husky, hushed tones earned him the nickname "Whispering Ted".-Life and career:...
and Ray Edmonds.
On January 28, 2003 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
but he later refused treatment for it in order to enjoy the rest of his life free from the effects of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. Spencer emotionally paid a last visit to the Crucible for the 2005 Champions Parade. He had for many years been a dedicated charity fundraiser and, despite his illness, he took part in a sponsored parachute jump
Parachute Jump
The Parachute Jump is a defunct amusement ride in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, whose iconic open-frame steel structure remains a Brooklyn landmark. tall and weighing 170 tons , it has been called the "Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn"...
in August 2005. His biography was published that same year, entitled Out Of The Blue And Into The Black. Spencer's battle with cancer ended on 11 July 2006 when he died in a hospice in Radcliffe at the age of 70.
Playing style
Spencer was the first major professional snooker player to use a two-piece cue, which he used to win the 1977 title. Spencer was given the cue by Al Selinger of the Dufferin Cue Company during Spencer's victorious run in the 1976 Canadian Open. He did not use the cue straight away but switched to it a few weeks before the 1977 World Championship.His cue action included an unusually long backswing which gave him immense cue power, and allowed him to develop shots using deep-screw from long-distance and maximum side spin which aided the progression to modern break-building.
Other snooker interests
He was the owner of Spencer's Snooker Club in BoltonBolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
in the 1980s, when snooker was at its peak popularity. Following his defeat by Perrie Mans in the 1978 World Championship Spencer was invited by producer Nick Hunter to try his hand at commentating on snooker for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television, a task he enjoyed for the next 19 years. He was also chairman of the WPBSA
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, often abbreviated to the WPBSA, founded in 1968 and based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards...
for six years from 1990, despite periods of extreme ill-health. When he resigned from his position in November 1996, he has been a member of the governing board for 25 years.
Non-ranking wins
- World ChampionshipWorld Snooker ChampionshipThe 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...
– 1969, 1971World Snooker Championship did not become a ranking tournament until 1974 - 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...
– 1975 - Canadian Open – 1976
- Irish Masters – 1978
- Norwich Union Open – 1973, 1974
- Holsten Lager International – 1979
- Pontin's Professional – 1977
- 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...
– 1970, 1971, 1976 - ClassicClassic (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:...
– 1980 - Australian Masters – 1980