| Ray Reardon | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 8, 1932 , Tredegar, Monmouthshire |
| Nationality |  Welsh |
| Nickname(s) | Dracula |
| Professional | 1967–1992 |
| Highest ranking | #1 (6 years) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 5 |
| Non-ranking | 10 |
| World Champion | 1970, 1973–1976, 1978 |
Ray Reardon, MBE (8 October 1932) is a retired Welsh snooker player. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Tredegar is a Town in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, lying on the River Sirhowy in the Sirhowy Valley in south east Wales. Ancient county See also Monmouthshire (historic The ancient county of Monmouthshire was formed from the Welsh Marches by the Laws in Wales The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional Snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in the English city of Sheffield, is the climax of Snooker 's annual calendar and Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Snooker is a Cue sport that is played on a large Baize -covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in the English city of Sheffield, is the climax of Snooker 's annual calendar and A genial figure, his dark widow's peak and sharp-toothed grin nonetheless earned him the nickname Dracula. A widow's peak (widow's brow is a descending V-shaped point in the middle of the hairline (above the forehead
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Early Life & Career
Born 8 October 1932, in the coal mining community of Tredegar in Wales, Reardon left school and became a coal miner when he was just 14, like many of his generation and earlier. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. Tredegar is a Town in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, lying on the River Sirhowy in the Sirhowy Valley in south east Wales. It is rumoured that he used to wear gloves to protect his hands for snooker. A glove ( Middle English from Old English glof) is a type of Garment (and more specifically a Fashion Following an accident underground in which Reardon was actually buried for several hours, he quit mining and became a police officer. A police officer (also known as a policeman or policewoman) is a warranted employee of a Police force. [1] He played snooker at an amateur level for many years including wining 5 Welsh Amateur titles and the 1964 English Amateur title, before finally turning professional in 1967. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar.
His first appearance at the World Championship was in 1969, and he won his first title the following year, beating John Pulman 39-34 at London's Victoria Hall. The event The 1969 World Snooker Championship was the first championship in a knockout format since 1951 following years of single matches and challenge matches The event The 1970 World Snooker Championship took place in April 1970 and like the previous year the final was at London 's Victoria Hall. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. After winning the title, Reardon was in big demand for exhibitions and on the holiday camp circuit. Winning the first ever Pot Black in 1969 made him instantly recognisable, and Reardon and John Spencer were the first two men to capitalise on the snooker boom in the early 1970s. Pot Black was a UK televised Snooker tournament that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game
Entertainer
Reardon also became popular because he added a touch of humour and entertainment to his game. A deadly long potter and tactician in his prime, [2] he played seventeen World Championship matches without defeat and won the title four years in succession. He won his second in 1973 in Manchester when he beat Eddie Charlton 38-32, but the match of the championship was the semi-final between Reardon and Spencer, which Reardon won 23-22. The 1973 Park Drive World Snooker Championship competition took place at the City Exhibition Hall, Deansgate, Manchester between 16th
He beat the up-and-coming Graham Miles the following year, and in 1975, when it was held in Melbourne, Australia, he had a tough quarter-final with Spencer which he won 19-17. Graham Miles (born 11 May, 1941 in Birmingham, UK) is a retired English Snooker player The event The 1974 Park Drive World Snooker Championship took place at Belle Vue, Manchester in 16 and the 25 April The event The 1975 World Snooker Championship took place at Nunawading Basketball Centre, Nunawading, Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. He then beat Alex Higgins 19-14 before meeting local hero Eddie Charlton in the final. Alexander Gordon Higgins (born 18 March 1949 in Belfast) best known as Alex "Hurricane" Higgins, is a professional Snooker player from Edward Francis ("Eddie" Charlton AM ( 31 October, 1929 &ndash 7 November, 2004) was a top-class Australian Reardon initially trailed by 23 frames to 29, putting Charlton two frames away from the title, but Reardon then won seven consecutive frames to lead 30-29. Charlton took the sixtieth frame to tie the match but Reardon took the vital sixty-first and won his fourth title.
Reardon won his fifth the next year in Manchester, beating Alex Higgins 27-16. The 1976 Embassy World Snooker Championship took place at two venues - the Middlesbrough Town Hall staged the top half of the draw and the Wythenshawe Earlier that year, he had won the Benson and Hedges Masters in London, his second snooker title after the World Championship. The 1976 Benson and Hedges Masters took place in January 1976 and was held in the New London Theatre His unbeaten run at the World Championship ended at the first Crucible championship in 1977, when he lost to John Spencer in the quarter-finals 6-13, his first defeat since Rex Williams in 1972. The Embassy World Snooker Championship 1977 took place at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield between the 18 and 30th April Rex Williams (born 20 July, 1933) is a retired English professional player of Snooker and English billiards. The 1972 World Snooker Championship, between March 1971 to February 1972, took nearly a year to complete
He regained the title in 1978 winning it for the sixth time by beating Perrie Mans 25-18. The event The 1978 Embassy World Snooker Championship took place at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield between the 17 and Pierre "Perrie" Mans (born 14 October[[ 940]] is a retired professional Snooker player from South Africa, who first won the South African professional Reardon remains the oldest winner of the World Championship at the age of 45 years and 6 months. He then regained his Pot Black title in 1979. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar)
Six World Titles
After his sixth world title he did not win another, but he remained one of the world's very best players for some years. He was beaten by Dennis Taylor in the 1979 quarter-final, and by David Taylor at the same stage in 1980. Dennis Taylor (born Denis Taylor, January 19 1949 in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a retired Snooker David Taylor (born 29 July, 1943) is a retired English professional Snooker player He went a step further in 1981, being surprisingly beaten by countryman Doug Mountjoy in the semi-finals. Doug Mountjoy (born 8 June, 1942) is a retired Welsh Snooker player who reached the peak of his fame in the 1970s
It was the rise of Steve Davis in 1980-81 that saw Reardon and his generation lose their grip on the sport as it became "a young man's game", having previoiusly been dominated by players in their 30s and 40s.
However, despite Davis' total domination over an 18 month period between late 1980 and the Spring of 1982, Reardon remained a major force in the game. At 49, he reached the World final in 1982, losing to Alex Higgins 15-18. The event The 1982 Embassy World Snooker Championship took place at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield between the 30th April
In 1983, Reardon's career went through an Indian summer. Indian summer is a name given to a period of sunny warm weather in Autumn, not long before Winter. He reached the final of the Benson & Hedges Masters, losing 7-9 to Cliff Thorburn, and went on to win several tournaments including the Yamaha Organs International Masters, where he beat Jimmy White 9-6 in the final. The Masters (known formally as the Saga Insurance Masters, for sponsorship purposes and for many years the Benson and Hedges Masters) is a professional Clifford (Cliff Charles Devlin Thorburn CM (born January 16, 1948 in Victoria British Columbia) is a retired professional Canadian The British Open was a professional Snooker tournament It was a ranking tournament from 1985 This led him to be fancied in some quarters for that year's World Championship, but he was beaten 12-13 in a high-quality second round match by Tony Knowles.
After 1983, he never again looked likely to triumph in major championships although he reached the semi-finals of the World Championships once more, in 1985 (losing 5-16 to Davis). He last played at the Crucible in 1987, losing to Steve Davis again in the second round. The Event The Embassy World Snooker Championship took place at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England between the
World Number One
When the world rankings were introduced in 1976, Reardon was the first number one, retaining that position until 1980/81. The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional Snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His win in the 1982 Professional Players Tournament at the age of 50 led to him recapturing the world number one position in the first set of rankings to be calculated on tournaments other than the World Championship. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Apart from Reardon, only Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins have ever recaptured the number one ranking. Mark James Williams MBE (born 21 March, 1975, Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales) is a Welsh professional Snooker Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands) nicknamed "The Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE (born January 13, 1969 in South Queensferry, Edinburgh) is a Scottish professional Snooker John Higgins
Reardon remains the oldest player ever to win a ranking tournament. He has also won the State Express World Team Classic for Wales during the first two years of the tournament in 1979 and 1980 with Mountjoy and Terry Griffiths. The Snooker World Cup was a snooker tournament (created by Mike Watterson, who also organised the UK Championship and who brought the World Snooker Championship Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Terrence " Terry " Griffiths OBE (born October 16, 1947, Llanelli) is a retired Welsh He also won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1981 and 1983. The Welsh Professional Snooker Championship was a professional Snooker tournament which was open only for Welsh players Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) His last final was the 1985 World Doubles when he partnered Tony Jones and lost to Steve Davis and Tony Meo 5-12. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The World Doubles Championship, also known as the Hofmeister World Doubles (1982-6 or the Fosters World Doubles (1987 was a non- ranking Snooker Steve Davis, OBE, (born Steven Davis August 22, 1957, Plumstead, London) is an English professional Snooker Tony Meo (born 4 October, 1959) is a retired English Snooker player He was awarded the MBE in the same year.
Reardon began to struggle in 1982 when his father died. He also developed poor sight and started wearing 'Dennis Taylor-style glasses' later on in his career. Dennis Taylor (born Denis Taylor, January 19 1949 in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a retired Snooker He went out of the top 16 in 1987 but surprisingly whitewashed Steve Davis 5-0 in the 1988 British Open. He retired in 1992, but maintains an active interest in the game. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) He has recently been advising Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands) nicknamed "The
Tournament wins
Ranking wins
- World Championship - 1974–1976, 1978
- Professional Players Tournament - 1982
Other wins
- World Championship - 1970, 1973 (world rankings did not begin until 1974)
- Benson & Hedges Masters - 1976
- Pot Black - 1969, 1979
- World Cup - 1979, 1980 (with Wales team)
- Yamaha International Masters - 1983
- Welsh Professional Championship - 1981, 1983
External links
References
- ^ Ray Reardon Profile. The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in the English city of Sheffield, is the climax of Snooker 's annual calendar and The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in the English city of Sheffield, is the climax of Snooker 's annual calendar and The Masters (known formally as the Saga Insurance Masters, for sponsorship purposes and for many years the Benson and Hedges Masters) is a professional Pot Black was a UK televised Snooker tournament that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game The Snooker World Cup was a snooker tournament (created by Mike Watterson, who also organised the UK Championship and who brought the World Snooker Championship The British Open was a professional Snooker tournament It was a ranking tournament from 1985 The Welsh Professional Snooker Championship was a professional Snooker tournament which was open only for Welsh players Welsh Archive of Achievement. Retrieved on 2008-04-12. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- ^ Where are they now? - Ray Reardon. johnvirgo. com. Retrieved on 2008-04-09. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans)
| World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association | World Number Ones in Men's snooker | |
|---|---|
Ray Reardon | Cliff Thorburn | Steve Davis | Stephen Hendry | John Higgins | Mark Williams | Ronnie O'Sullivan | |
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