| Born | 1 May 1945 |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  Ireland |
| Professional | 1981–1992 |
| Highest ranking | 54 |
Billy Kelly (born 1 May 1945) is an Irish former professional snooker player. He played professionally from 1981 to 1992.
| Born | 1 May 1945 |
|---|---|
| Sport country | Ireland |
| Professional | 1981–1992 |
| Highest ranking | 54 |
Billy Kelly (born 1 May 1945) is an Irish former professional snooker player. He played professionally from 1981 to 1992.
Kelly was born on 1 May 1945. [1] In 1977, he won the CIU championship, regarded as the second-most prestigious amateur competition after the English Amateur Championship, [2] : 158 and the Autumn Pontins Open. [3]
He was accepted as a member by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in 1981. [4] His first professional tournament was the 1981 International Open, where he lost 1–5 to Murdo MacLeod in the first qualifying round. [1] He also lost in his first qualifying matches at the 1981 UK Championship (7–9 to Geoff Foulds); [1] the 1982 Irish Professional Championship (1–6 to Tommy Murphy); [5] and the 1982 World Snooker Championship (8-9 to Eddie Sinclair). [1] Although he recorded a number of match victories in the following seasons, he did not reach further than the last 32 of a major tournament. [1] He compiled a break of 141 against Tony Kearney in the qualifying rounds of the 1988 World Snooker Championship that was, at the time, the highest break ever made in the world championship qualifying rounds. [6]
In 1990, Kelly was due to lose his professional status after being defeated 7–10 by Jason Ferguson in a play-off match, one of a series of matches where the lowest-ranked professionals faced leading amateurs with places on the professional tour at stake. [7] However, the WPBSA soon opened membership for events to anyone over the age of 16 that paid the relevant fee, and Kelly continued to play in professional tournaments until 1992, [1] [8] finishing the 1991–92 snooker season ranked 188th. [9] He also entered the World Snooker Championships in 2002, [10] 2003, [1] 2005, 2009 and 2013. [11]
His highest ranking achieved as a professional was 54. [1]
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1977 | Pontins Autumn Open |  George Scott (ENG) | 7–5 | [12] |
Anthony Christian Meo is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1989 British Open by defeating Dean Reynolds 13–6 in the final, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1984 Classic. He won four World Doubles Championship titles, partnering Davis, and the 1983 World Team Classic representing England alongside Davis and Tony Knowles.
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The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first published official world rankings for players on the main tour for the 1976–77 season. Before this, for each tournament the defending champion was seeded first, and the previous year's runner-up second.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships. The 1983–84 snooker world rankings were the first to take tournaments other than world championship into account and several additional tournaments were designated as ranking tournaments over the following years. The list for the 1986–87 snooker season was the first to only take account of results over two seasons and the rankings for 1991–92 were also based on results from the preceding two seasons. There were eighteen ranking events taken into consideration for the 1991–92 ranking list: ten in the 1989–90 snooker season and eight in the 1990–91 snooker season. The ranking list was published soon after the conclusion of the 1991 World Snooker Championship.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships. The 1983–84 snooker world rankings were the first to take tournaments other than world championship into account and several additional tournaments were designated as ranking tournaments over the following years. The list for the 1986–87 snooker season was the first to only take account of results over two seasons and the rankings for 1990–91 were also based on results from the preceding two seasons.
Anthony Knowles is an English former professional snooker player. He won the 1982 International Open and the 1983 Professional Players Tournament, and was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s. His highest world ranking was second, in the 1984/85 season.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships, with five points for the winner, four for the runner-up, three for losing semi-finalists, two for losing quarter-finalists, and one for losers in the last 16 round.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships. The list for the 1986–87 snooker season was the first to only take account of results over two seasons.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships. The list for the 1986–87 snooker season was the first to only take account of results over two seasons, and the rankings for 1988–89 were also based on results from the preceding two seasons.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships. The 1983–84 snooker world rankings were the first to take tournaments other than world championship into account, and several additional tournaments were designated as ranking tournaments over the following years. The list for the 1986–87 snooker season was the first to only take account of results over two seasons, and the rankings for 1989–90 were also based on results from the preceding two seasons. Barry Hearn, the manager of a number of leading players including Steve Davis and Jimmy White, made a proposal to the WPBSA to change the system so that only the best seven performances from the ten ranking tournaments were counted. It was rejected at an extraordinary meeting of the WPBSA in May 1989.
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