john spencer snooker

 

Following an incomplete round-robin Spencer thrashed Reardon 34–15 in the semi-final before defeating Warren Simpson in the final 37–29. Prior to the 1982 World Championship, Spencer beat Alex Higgins (who won the world title a few weeks later) 6–0 in the semi-final of the 1982 Highland Masters in Inverness. [64] 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. He wasn't as confrontational as Alex Higgins, or as successful as Ray Reardon, but John Spencer was an integral part of the threesome that helped change the face of snooker in the 1970s. [52], Such a victory only partially made up for Spencer's great disappointment at the 1981 Masters event. Snooker player John Spencer's professional Match results, Frame scores, centuries, prize money, statistics from season 1978-1979 - Snooker Database of Results & Statistics At the time Spencer indicated a strong desire to carry on playing and stated that he was planning to enter all of the events the following season. He defeated John Pulman (5–3), Eddie Charlton (5–2) and overcame Ray Reardon in the closest of finals. 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. Bill Werbeniuk once drank 76 cans of larger during a match with John Spencer in Australia during the 1970’s. Spencer lost 6–9, and took £2,300. The break at least doubled his prize money to £1,000. [3]:91, In 1974, he lost 13–15 to Perrie Mans in the second round. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less. Other firsts falling to ‘Spenny’ included the inaugural Benson & Hedges Masters and the first competitive 147 though the break- at the 1979 Holsten tournament in Slough-was never seen on TV as technicians had gone on their break. Snooker player John Spencer's professional Match results, Frame scores, centuries, prize money, statistics from season 1996-1997 - Snooker Database of Results & Statistics Seeded 8, Spencer defeated John Virgo 13–9 (having trailed 1–4), Ray Reardon 13–6, a resurgent John Pulman 18–16, and finally Cliff Thorburn 25–21 (having trailed 11–15) in the final. Spencer was also runner-up to Reardon in the 1979 Forward Chemicals event, the final of this extended event (which duplicated the old Park Drive 2000 format) was played in front of 680 people at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. [47] Later that year, Spencer lost 1–4 to Steve Davis in the semi-final of the Pontins Open event.[48]. He first won the World Championship in 1969 after being loaned £100 by his bank to raise the entry fee. [13] The match was played at the British Legion Club in Selly Oak, Birmingham, often with emergency generators providing the lighting and with hundreds of spectators crammed in, many seated on beer crates; it provided the crucial spark of interest in the modern era. He was soon knocking in century breaks and made his breakthrough by winning the 1966 English amateur championship. In the semi-final, Spencer led Steve Davis 3–1, then 4–2, and 45–29 in the deciding frame, before Davis finally squeezed home, denying Spencer what would have been his highest ever payday. 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. Spencer attended Stand Grammar School for Boys in Whitefield. [10]:9, Spencer gained important TV exposure by winning BBC TV's Pot Black series in 1970 (reversing his defeat by Ray Reardon in the 1969 final) and again in 1971 when he beat Fred Davis in the final. Soon after this, he began to have trouble with veins in his legs, making mobility an issue. [10]:10 Later that year, Spencer would also lose his Stratford Professional crown to Higgins, losing 3–6 in the final. Spencer pulled out all the stops and produced vintage snooker that just reinforced why he was already a world champion. [42], In January 1979 at the Holsten Lager International, Spencer compiled the first ever 147 maximum break in tournament play. 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 Wattana. The spine remains undamaged. Nostalgia remembers Bury snooker genius John Spencer – triple world champion and Pot Black TV veteran. His biography Out of the Blue and into the Black was published that same year. Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2017. The Lancashire born professional won three world titles and and battled for supremacy throughout the 1970s with rivals Ray Reardon and Alex Higgins. He was born in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. Spencer lost just 4–5 in the fifth round to Rex Williams, who thus recorded his first ever tournament victory over Spencer. He was also chairman of the WPBSAfor six years from 1990, despite periods of extreme ill-health. Snooker (pronounced UK: / ˈ s n uː k ər /, US: / ˈ s n ʊ k ər /) is a cue sport that was first played by British Army officers stationed in India in the second half of the 19th century. 4.0 out of 5 stars John Spencer Snooker Book. In 1969 and now a professional, Spencer won the first of his three world crowns defeating Gary Owen. Spencer refused to blame the defeat on a dose of flu from which he had been suffering (and Mans did indeed defeat Spencer again in the 1978 event). It was the first year the tournament had been held at the Crucible. John Spencer, left, is considered to have won the first professional world title Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SPENCER ON SNOOKER By John Spencer - Hardcover *Excellent Condition* at the best online prices at eBay! According to his obituary, Spencer was born John Speshock Jr. and grew up in Totowa, New Jersey. Although he lost 2–5 to Jimmy White in the quarter-finals, he picked up one of his highest pay cheques of £8,250. [16]:72 He generated applause with some of his shots during a frame against Dennis Taylor, which he lost 47–74. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. Having dispatched Dennis Taylor 5–2 and Ray Reardon 5–1, Spencer led Terry Griffiths 5–2 with Griffiths needing two snookers in the next frame. He was deeply moved by the kindness of fellow commentators Ted Lowe and Ray Edmonds.[16]:172. I consent to my personal data being processed so that World Snooker and its affiliates may use it to deliver news and ticket information, as well as to improve the quality and relevance of services to me through online surveys. In February 1967, Spencer made the bold decision to turn professional. [46] Although Spencer would run Davis close in future years, this was his only victory over Davis in a recognised event. John Spencer- 18 th September 1935 Highest Rank-2 (1977/78) Highest Break- 147 (1979 holsten Lager International) Century Break-62. 1948 World Snooker Championship - Fred Davis (snooker player) - John Spencer (snooker player) - World Professional Match-play Championship - Ray Reardon - Joe Davis - World Snooker Championship - 1953/1954 News of the World Snooker Tournament - 1947 World Snooker Championship - 1957/1958 News of the World Snooker Tournament - 1956/1957 News of the World Snooker Tournament - … However, Griffiths managed to recover the match and eventually won by 6–5 after almost six hours of play. When the River Irwell flooded often the Grott did as well. The first 147 at the World Championship was achieved by Canada's 'Grinder' Cliff Thorburn in 1983 while Jimmy White (1992), Stephen Hendry (1995, … From the point at which the World Championship reverted to an open format in 1969 to the end of … Spencer lost 4–11 to Ray Reardon in the final, after taking the highest break prize with an effort of 119. The runner up for the UK Championships in 1986, the British Open in 1987 and reached the semi finals of the Masters on three occasions, as well as the World Championship. Bolton's Overdale Crematorium was packed with snooker … In total, he would drink between 40 and 50 pints of larger each day in order for him to be able to play snooker. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. [23] He also won a minor tournament at the end of 1974, the Jackpot Automatics tournament, beating Alex Higgins 5–0 in the final. From 1969 to 1978, only three players defeated Spencer in the World Championship (Ray Reardon, Alex Higgins and Perrie Mans) and from 1973 to 1977 he did not lose a World Championship match by more than two frames. The Miles match was Spencer's last victory at the Crucible. I have acknowledged the privacy policy informing me of how my data will be processed, and the measures in place to guarantee the protection of my rights as a data subject, and the relevant points of contacts should I have any question or query. The sponsors awarded Spencer an extra £500 for the break in addition to his £3,500 first prize. [51], Later in that same year, Spencer joined Steve Davis and David Taylor to become the first English team to win the World Team Classic. As defending champion in 1972, the Bury-born master potter took on snooker phenomenon Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins at a very different venue. Wattana won the final two frames on the final black and pink respectively to notch a 10–8 victory in the fourth qualifying round. In 1983, they lost 2–6 to Jimmy White and Tony Knowles in the quarter-finals,[18] and in 1984 lost 0–5 to Cliff Thorburn and John Virgo, also in the quarter-finals. Prior to this, Spencer had shown decisive form in defeating David Taylor 16–5 and Rex Williams 16–7. Spencer was also pleased to have the assistance at these events of Len Ganley. The 1982 World Championship itself produced a great many upsets and the loss of the top three seeds in round one. 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. Hopes that Spencer might progress further were dashed by an even older adversary, Ray Reardon, who recovered from 0–3 and 5–7 behind to win the match 13–11. 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. Spencer then followed this up by eliminating one of the favourites, Tony Knowles 9–6, before losing to Alex Higgins 5–9 in the quarter-finals. [16]:80–81 This was Spencer's last professional solo tournament victory (he was runner-up in the 1981 event). [34] Spencer's World Championship victory in 1977 was the last time that he seriously challenged for the world title; he never again reached even the quarter-finals of any future World Championship. [76] In the 1991 World Championship, he lost his first match to Ray Edmonds 4–10, 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. [26], In 1975, Spencer won the inaugural Masters event held at Fulham's West Centre Hotel. Played in a group, round robin format and non-ranking, the tournament was won by John Virgo after he topped the league table. [63], Although Spencer was able to compete in the 1984/85 season, it was clear that the illness was affecting his form. His battles with Reardon in the 1970s were legendary. Some worthwhile tactical tips in specific situations you will encounter in a match. In 1969, the Lancashire-born star won what is considered to be the first world professional title at his first attempt as the competition reverted to an open format. [19] The partnership only ended when Spencer thought he would be too ill to play in the 1985 event. [29], Spencer again faced disappointment at the 1975 World Championship, in a somewhat controversial manner. Spencer emotionally paid a last visit to the Crucible for the 2005 Champions Parade. 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. English former professional snooker player, 3-time world champion (1969, 1971, 1977), Final World Championship victory and other titles, First unofficial 147 break in a tournament, Non-ranking finals: 48 (27 titles, 21 runner-ups), Amateur finals: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups), The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989), The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/93–1983/1984), The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987), The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984), The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (1974/1975–1976/1977), The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984), The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981), The event was also called the Australian Masters (1979/1980–1987/1988)), The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986), The event was also called the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995), International Park Drive Championship – Event 1, International Park Drive Championship – Event 2, International Park Drive Championship – Event 3, The World Championship did not become a ranking event until 1974, With all frames played Spencer won by the even greater margin of 55–18; see, "CueTracker – Career Total Statistics For John Spencer – Professional Results", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZW6VxHK-hY, https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=241598850:3250&d=bmd_1608022694, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Spencer_(snooker_player)&oldid=1017193560, People from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, Winners of the professional snooker world championship, Short description is different from Wikidata, Tagged pages containing blacklisted links, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, lost in the early rounds of the tournament. [37] Prior to this, Spencer had won a precursor to this event in Ireland, held at the National Boxing Stadium. [50] Spencer also won the Winfield Australian Masters in 1980, beating Dennis Taylor in the final. [57], The 1983 World Championship also ended in disappointment. Patsy Fagan, John Virgo, Doug Mountjoy and Willie Thorne made their World Championship debut. [54] It was to be the last time the two would meet in the World Championship. [83], Poor health led to Spencer's departure from the role of commentator in 1998. Spencer won £6,000 for his victory. [24], A sign of growing interest in snooker's resurgence came when Ladbrokes held a gala evening towards the end of 1973 to celebrate its £8,000 investment into the sport in the 1973–74 season. [12], Pivotal in the rise of snooker as one of Britain's most popular sports was the 1972 World Championship final. [68] It also proved to be his last tournament final. 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