Born | Edinburgh, Scotland | 14 January 1947
---|---|
Sport country | Scotland |
Professional | 1981–1997 |
Highest ranking | 22 (1986–1987) |
Best ranking finish | Last 16 (x9) |
Tournament wins | |
Non-ranking | 2 |
Murdo MacLeod (14 January 1947 in Edinburgh) [1] is a Scottish former professional snooker player.
MacLeod turned professional in 1981, aged 34. He retained his place on the snooker circuit until the end of the 1996–1997 season, attaining a career-high ranking of 22nd, which he held from 1986 to 1987.
MacLeod progressed to the last 16 of a ranking event on nine occasions, his first being in the 1982 Professional Players Tournament, the last at the 1988 British Open, but never any further than this. He won the Scottish Professional Championship on two occasions, defeating Eddie Sinclair 11–9 in 1983 and 10–2 in 1985, and was the beaten finalist in the 1988 and 1989 editions of the tournament, losing 4–10 to Stephen Hendry and 7–9 to John Rea respectively. He played at the Crucible stages of the World Championship in 1985 which he lost 5–10 to Doug Mountjoy in the first round and in 1987 when he beat Rex Williams 10–5 before losing to defending champion Joe Johnson 7–13 in the last 16.
Having slipped gradually down the rankings in the mid-1990s, MacLeod's position of 333rd was not sufficient for him to retain his professional status, and he dropped off the snooker tour aged 50 in 1997.
Stephen Gordon Hendry is a Scottish professional snooker player and a commentator for the BBC and ITV. As a seven-time World Champion, he is the most successful player in the modern era of the World Snooker Championship and holds the record for the most seasons as world number one. His first world title in 1990, at the age of 21, made him the youngest-ever World Champion.
Joe Johnson is an English former professional snooker player and commentator, best known for winning the 1986 World Championship after starting the tournament as a 150–1 outsider.
Anthony Christian Meo, professionally known as Tony 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.
Raymond Reardon, is a Welsh retired professional snooker player. He turned professional in 1967 before going on to dominate the sport in the 1970s, winning the World Snooker Championship on six occasions, and more than a dozen other tournaments. He was world champion in 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978, and runner-up in the 1982 event. He won the inaugural Pot Black tournament in 1969, the 1976 Masters and the 1982 Professional Players Tournament.
Terence Martin Griffiths, is a retired Welsh professional snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. In his second professional tournament, he became world champion when he won the 1979 World Snooker Championship. He was the second qualifier to win the title after Alex Higgins achieved the feat in 1972 only Shaun Murphy has done it since winning the title in 2005. Griffiths defeated Dennis Taylor by 24 frames to 16 in the final. Nine years later, in 1988, Griffiths reached the final of the competition again. He was tied with Steve Davis at 8–8, but lost the match 11–18.
Pierre "Perrie" Mans is a retired professional snooker player from South Africa, who first won the South African Professional Championship in 1965, and won the event 20 times. Mans won the Benson & Hedges Masters in 1979 and reached the final of the World Championship in 1978.
Clifford Charles DevlinThorburn is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Nicknamed "The Grinder" because of his slow, determined style of play, he won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, defeating Alex Higgins 18–16 in the final to become the first world champion in the sport's modern era from outside the United Kingdom.
John Stephen Parrott, is an English former professional snooker player and television personality. He was a familiar face on the professional snooker circuit during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for fourteen consecutive seasons.
Doug Mountjoy was a Welsh snooker player from Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Glamorgan, Wales. He was a member of the professional snooker circuit from the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for 11 consecutive years. He began his professional snooker career by taking the 1977 Masters, which he entered as a reserve player. He won both the 1978 UK Championship and the 1979 Irish Masters. Mountjoy reached the final of the 1981 World Snooker Championship where he was defeated by Steve Davis. He was also runner-up at the 1985 Masters losing to Cliff Thorburn, but by 1988 he had dropped out of the top 16.
William Joseph Thorne was an English professional snooker player. He won one ranking title, the 1985 Classic. He also reached the final of the 1985 UK Championship, losing 16–14 to Steve Davis after leading 13–8. He was noted for his break-building, and was among the first players to compile 100 century breaks. He earned the nickname "Mr Maximum". After retiring as a player, Thorne became a snooker commentator, primarily for the BBC.
Desmond Rex Williams is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player. He was the second player to make an official maximum break, achieving this in an exhibition match in December 1965. Williams won the World Professional Billiards Championship from Clark McConachy in 1968, the first time that the title had been contested since 1951. Williams retained the title in several challenge matches in the 1970s, and, after losing it to Fred Davis in 1980, regained it from 1982 to 1983.
Neal Foulds is an English former professional snooker player and six-time tournament winner, including the 1986 International Open, the 1988 Dubai Masters and the 1992 Scottish Masters, as well as the invitational Pot Black in 1992. He was 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. After his retirement, Foulds became a commentator for the BBC and is currently part of the presenting team for ITV and Eurosport.
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.
Clifford Wilson was a Welsh professional snooker player who reached the highest ranking of 16, in 1988-89. He was the 1978 World Amateur Champion and won the 1991 World Seniors Championship. He was a successful junior player, known for his fast attacking snooker and potting ability, and won the British Under-19 Championship in 1951 and 1952. In the early 1950s both Wilson and future six-times World Professional Champion Ray Reardon lived in Tredegar, where they played a succession of money matches that attracted large enthusiastic crowds.
Warren King is a former professional Australian snooker player who was active during the 1980s and 1990s. He reached his highest ranking position, 35th, for the 1985/1986 season, and was the runner-up in the 1990 Classic, where he lost 6–10 to Steve James.
John Campbell is a former Australian professional snooker player. During a career which lasted from 1982 to 1993, he was a quarter-finalist in the 1983 Professional Players Tournament, and won the Australian Professional Championship in 1985 and 1988.
Eddie Sinclair was a Scottish professional snooker player.
Paddy Browne is an Irish former professional snooker player.
The 1985 British Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament, that was held from 17 February to 3 March 1985 with television coverage on ITV beginning on 22 February from the Assembly Rooms in Derby, England. It was the first edition of the British Open, having been rebranded from the International Open the previous year. It was the fifth ranking event of the 1984–85 snooker season, preceding the 1985 World Snooker Championship.
Billy Kelly is an Irish former professional snooker player. He played professionally from 1981 to 1992.