Doug Mountjoy
Born(1942-06-08)8 June 1942
Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Wales
Died14 February 2021(2021-02-14) (aged 78)
Sport country Wales
Professional1976–1997
Highest ranking5 (1990–91)
Tournament wins
Ranking2

Doug Mountjoy (8 June 1942 – 14 February 2021) was a Welsh snooker player from Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, 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.

Mountjoy enjoyed a resurgence in his 40s, and at the age of 46 he defeated Stephen Hendry in the final of the 1988 UK Championship. He followed up by also winning the next ranking event, the 1989 Classic, and by the end of the 1988–89 season he was back in the top 16, where he remained until 1992. His world ranking peaked at number five in 1990–1991. He also won five Welsh Professional Championship titles during his career.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993, Mountjoy qualified for the World Championship at the age of 50, just weeks before having a lung surgically removed. He continued to play professionally until 1997, and he was coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999 and appeared sporadically at the World Snooker Championship until 2002. Mountjoy died in February 2021 after a stroke.

Early life

Mountjoy was born on 8 June 1942,[1] in Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Glamorgan, Wales.[2] He was brought up just outside Ebbw Vale and worked for some years as a coal miner, playing snooker in his spare time.[2] A popular player in the South Wales Valleys as a junior, he won many amateur tournaments including two Welsh Amateur titles and the World Amateur title in 1976,[2] after defeating Paul Mifsud 11–1.[1] After the World Amateur victory he turned professional at the age of 34.[3]

Career

Mountjoy's first professional tournament, which he entered as a late replacement, was the 1977 Masters at the New London Theatre.[2] After defeating former world champions John Pulman, Fred Davis, and Alex Higgins to reach the final, he beat the defending Masters champion and reigning world champion Ray Reardon 7–6 to win the title.[3][4]

At the 1977 World Championship a couple of months later, he defeated Higgins again in the first round but lost to Dennis Taylor in the quarter-final 11–13.[1] At the end of 1977, he reached the final of the first UK Snooker Championship, losing to Patsy Fagan 9–12.[5] He won the title at the 1978 UK Championship, however, beating David Taylor 15–9, and he defeated Ray Reardon in the same season to win the Irish Masters 6–5.[4] He won the 1980 Champion of Champions, with a 10–8 victory over John Virgo in the final.[6] Mountjoy also won the 1978 Pot Black event.[7]

After being part of the winning Wales team in the first two snooker World Challenge Cups, in 1979 and 1980, and winning the 1980 Welsh Professional Championship he had an attack of Bell's palsy which partially paralysed his face.[2] Recovering from the attack, he reached the final of the 1981 World Championship, defeating Eddie Charlton, Dennis Taylor and, in the semi-final, Ray Reardon (against whom he made a 145 break, a championship record at the time). He then played Steve Davis in the final.[8] Davis was favourite to win his first world title, and appeared to be racing to an easy victory by winning the first six frames of the match. However, Mountjoy recovered and came close to drawing level on several occasions. Trailing 11–13, and with the score at 60–63 in the 25th frame, he looked certain to cut Davis's lead to one frame but missed a simple blue from its spot; Davis went on to clear the colours, fluking the final black. Mountjoy won only one more frame as Davis won the match 18–12.[9]

After that run at the World Championship, he had only a short run of titles; he won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1982[4] and 1984[4] to go with his 1980 title. He was back in the final of a major again in the 1985 Masters tournament, losing to Cliff Thorburn 9–6.[10] Mountjoy also reclaimed the Pot Black title in March that year.[7]

He won another Welsh title in 1987 but otherwise struggled to regain his previous form, including a 1–9 defeat to Steve Longworth in the first round of the 1986 UK Championship.[4] By 1988 he was out of the top 16 in the world rankings.[11] In the 1988–89 snooker season, however, he reached the final of the 1988 UK Championship where he met Stephen Hendry. He won 16–12 and gained his first ranking tournament victory, having at one stage scored centuries in three consecutive frames.[12] In January 1989 he won the Classic, beating fellow Welshman Wayne Jones in the final, to win consecutive ranking titles.[13] This was enough for him to return to the top 16 the next season, and by 1990 he was number five in the world.[14] He remained in the top 16 until 1992.

Mountjoy was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993, having been a smoker for many years.[2] That year, at the age of 50, he defeated Alain Robidoux 10–6 in the first round of the World Championship, only weeks before an operation to remove his left lung. This was his last appearance in the final stages of the championship and for fifteen years he was the last player aged over 50 to appear at The Crucible. He survived the cancer and continued to play snooker until 1997, after which he concentrated on snooker coaching. He would coach in the United Arab Emirates,[15] but did appear in qualifying for the 2002 World Snooker Championship.[16]

Death

Mountjoy died on 14 February 2021, at the age of 78 after a stroke.[17][18][19] In a joint statement, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn and World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Jason Ferguson said: "Doug was first and foremost a lovely man, who had great friendships with many players on the tour throughout the 1970s and onwards."[20]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 1976/
77		 1977/
78		 1978/
79		 1979/
80		 1980/
81		 1981/
82		 1982/
83		 1983/
84		 1984/
85		 1985/
86		 1986/
87		 1987/
88		 1988/
89		 1989/
90		 1990/
91		 1991/
92		 1992/
93		 1993/
94		 1994/
95		 1995/
96		 1996/
97
Ranking[21] [nb 1] 14 14 13 14 6 7 12 15 15 14 14 24 10 5 10 26 30 26 36 59
Ranking tournaments
Asian Classic[nb 2] Tournament Not Held NR F QF 1R 2R WD LQ LQ LQ
Grand Prix[nb 3] Tournament Not Held 1R 1R QF 2R 3R 1R 3R QF 1R 2R 1R 1R 2R 1R LQ
UK Championship NH Non-Ranking Event 2R 2R 2R 1R W 1R 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R 1R LQ
German Open Tournament Not Held LQ LQ
Welsh Open Tournament Not Held 1R 2R 1R 1R LQ 1R
International Open[nb 4] Tournament Not Held NR 1R QF 1R 2R 2R 1R 2R 1R Not Held 1R 1R 1R LQ LQ
European Open Tournament Not Held 3R QF QF 2R 3R LQ 1R LQ LQ
Thailand Open[nb 5] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event Not Held 3R 3R 1R 1R LQ 1R LQ LQ
British Open[nb 6] Not Held Non-Ranking Event 1R 1R 3R 1R 3R 3R 2R QF 1R QF 1R LQ LQ
World Championship QF 2R 2R 2R F 2R 2R QF 2R 2R 2R 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R 2R LQ LQ LQ LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
Scottish Masters Tournament Not Held QF A A A A A A NH A QF A A A A A A
The Masters W QF SF A QF QF SF 1R F 1R QF 1R A QF 1R 1R LQ LQ A A A
Seniors Pot Black Tournament Not Held QF
Irish Masters[nb 7] A F W F QF QF QF A A A A A A 1R 1R A A A A A A
Pontins Professional RR RR W A SF SF W QF A A A A QF A SF SF A A A A A
European League[nb 8] Tournament Not Held RR Not Held A A A RR RR A A A A A A
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters[nb 9] Non-Ranking Event Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking 2R Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 10] Not Held Non-Ranking Event NH 3R Tournament Not Held NR NH
Classic Not Held Non-Ranking Event 1R 1R SF 1R 2R W 1R 2R 1R Tournament Not Held
Strachan Open Tournament Not Held 1R MR NR Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters[nb 9] A 1R A A A Tournament Not Held A A A R Tournament Not Held
Holsten Lager International Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Forward Chemicals Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
Golden Masters NH W SF Tournament Not Held
Padmore Super Crystalate Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Bombay International Not Held A RR Tournament Not Held
Pontins Camber Sands Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Champion of Champions Not Held SF NH W Tournament Not Held
International Open[nb 4] Tournament Not Held 2R Ranking Event Not Held Ranking Event
Northern Ireland Classic Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Classic Not Held QF A A QF Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Tolly Cobbold Classic Not Held RR A A A QF A Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters Tournament Not Held SF A A A Not Held Ranking Event
UK Championship NH F W 2R 1R 2R 2R 2R Ranking Event
British Open[nb 6] Not Held RR RR RR 2R RR Ranking Event
New Zealand Masters Tournament Not Held F QF Not Held A A Tournament Not Held
Australian Masters[nb 11] Not Held A A A A 1R 1R A A A NH R Tournament Not Held A A NH
Norwich Union Grand Prix Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Welsh Professional Championship F Not Held W SF W F W F F W SF W F A Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Challenge[nb 12] Tournament Not Held W F A A A A NH QF A Tournament Not Held
Belgian Masters Tournament Not Held QF A A Not Held A NH
Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay Tournament Not Held A QF 1R A A Tournament Not Held
World Masters Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Pot Black F W F SF A SF A 1R W 1R Tournament Not Held SF A A Not Held
World Seniors Championship Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)		 QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Heldmeans an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a ranking event.
  1. ↑ New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
  2. ↑ The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Dubai Classic (1989/90–1994/1995) and Thailand Classic (1995/1996)
  3. ↑ The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/83–1983/1984)
  4. 1 2 The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  5. ↑ The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987 & 1991/1992) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1992/1993)
  6. 1 2 The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
  7. ↑ The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (1974/1975–1976/1977)
  8. ↑ The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984) and the Matchroom League (1986/1987 to 1991/1992)
  9. 1 2 The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
  10. ↑ The event was also called the Australian Masters (1979/1980–1987/1988 & 1995/1996) and Australian Open (1994/1995)
  11. ↑ The event was also called the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995)
  12. ↑ The event was also called the Hong Kong Masters (1983/1984–1988/1989)

Career finals

Ranking finals: 4 (2 titles)

Legend
World Championship (0–1)
UK Championship (1–0)
Other (1–1)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Runner-up 1. 1981 World Snooker Championship England Steve Davis 12–18 [22]
Winner 1. 1988 UK Championship (2) Scotland Stephen Hendry 16–12 [12]
Winner 2. 1989 The Classic Wales Wayne Jones 13–11 [23]
Runner-up 2. 1989 Dubai Classic Scotland Stephen Hendry 2–9 [24]

Non-ranking finals: 28 (15 titles)

Legend
UK Championship (1–1) [25]
The Masters (1–1)
Other (13–11)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Runner-up 1. 1977 Pot Black South Africa Perrie Mans 0–1 [26]
Winner 1. 1977 The Masters Wales Ray Reardon 7–6 [27]
Runner-up 2. 1977 Welsh Professional Championship Wales Ray Reardon 8–12 [28]
Runner-up 3. 1977 UK Championship Republic of Ireland Patsy Fagan 9–12 [29]
Runner-up 4. 1978 Irish Masters England John Spencer 3–5 [30]
Winner 2. 1978 Pot Black England Graham Miles 2–1 [26]
Winner 3. 1978 Golden Masters Wales Ray Reardon 4–2 [31]
Winner 4. 1978 UK Championship England David Taylor 15–9 [32]
Runner-up 5. 1979 Pot Black Wales Ray Reardon 1–2 [26]
Winner 5. 1979 Irish Masters Wales Ray Reardon 6–5 [30]
Winner 6. 1979 Pontins Professional England Graham Miles 8–4 [33]
Winner 7. 1980 Welsh Professional Championship Wales Ray Reardon 9–6 [28]
Runner-up 6. 1980 Irish Masters Wales Terry Griffiths 9–10 [30]
Winner 8. 1980 Champion of Champions England John Virgo 10–8 [34]
Winner 9. 1982 Welsh Professional Championship (2) Wales Terry Griffiths 9–8 [28]
Runner-up 7. 1983 Welsh Professional Championship (2) Wales Ray Reardon 1–9 [28]
Winner 10. 1983 Pontins Professional (2) Wales Ray Reardon 9–7 [35]
Runner-up 8. 1983 New Zealand Masters Canada Bill Werbeniuk 0–1 [36]
Winner 11. 1983 Hong Kong Masters Wales Terry Griffiths 4–3 [37]
Winner 12. 1984 Welsh Professional Championship (3) Wales Cliff Wilson 9–3 [28]
Runner-up 9. 1984 Hong Kong Masters England Steve Davis 2–4 [37]
Runner-up 10. 1985 The Masters Canada Cliff Thorburn 6–9 [38]
Runner-up 11. 1985 Welsh Professional Championship (3) Wales Terry Griffiths 4–9 [28]
Winner 13. 1985 Pot Black (2) England Jimmy White 2–0 [26]
Runner-up 12. 1986 Welsh Professional Championship (4) Wales Terry Griffiths 3–9 [28]
Winner 14. 1987 Welsh Professional Championship (4) Wales Steve Newbury 9–7 [28]
Winner 15. 1989 Welsh Professional Championship (5) Wales Terry Griffiths 9–6 [28]
Runner-up 13. 1990 Welsh Professional Championship (5) Wales Darren Morgan 7–9 [28]

Pro-am finals: 4 (2 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Winner 1. 1974 Pontins Spring Open England John Spencer 7–4 [39]
Winner 2. 1976 Pontins Spring Open (2) England Lance Pibworth 7–1 [39]
Runner-up 1. 1977 Warners Open England Tony Meo 4–5 [40]
Runner-up 2. 1984 Pontins Spring Open England Neal Foulds 4–7 [39]

Team finals: 5 (2 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Team/partner Opponent(s) in the final Score Ref
Winner 1. 1979 World Challenge Cup Wales Wales England England 14–3 [41]
Winner 1. 1980 World Challenge Cup (2) Wales Wales Canada Canada 8–5 [41]
Runner-up 1. 1981 World Team Classic Wales Wales England England 3–4 [41]
Runner-up 2. 1982 World Doubles Championship Wales Terry Griffiths England Steve Davis
England Tony Meo		 3–4 [42]
Runner-up 3. 1983 World Team Classic (2) Wales Wales England England 2–4 [41]

Amateur finals: 4 (3 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Runner-up 1. 1966 Welsh Amateur Championship Wales Lynn O'Neill 5–9 [43]
Winner 1. 1968 Welsh Amateur Championship Wales John Terry 6–5 [43]
Winner 2. 1976 Welsh Amateur Championship (2) Wales Alwyn Lloyd 8–6 [43]
Winner 3. 1976 IBSF World Amateur Championship Malta Paul Mifsud 11–1 [44]

References

    1. 1 2 3 Morrison, Ian (1988). Who's who in snooker. Hamlyn. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0600557138.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Profile: Doug Mountjoy". Eurosport. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
    3. 1 2 "Doug Mountjoy". wst.tv. World Snooker. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 Hale, Janice (1987). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1987–88. Aylesbury: Queen Anne Press. pp. 129–133. ISBN 0356146901.
    5. ↑ "UK Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
    6. ↑ "Snooker – Mountjoy fights back to take champion's title". The Times. 13 October 1980. p. 9.
    7. 1 2 "BBC Two England - 14 April 1978 - BBC Genome". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    8. ↑ Everton, Clive (20 April 1981). "Mountjoy recovers from demoralising start". The Guardian. London. p. 15.
    9. ↑ "1981: Davis begins his reign". BBC. 18 April 2003. Archived from the original on 7 May 2004. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
    10. ↑ "Snooker". The Times. 3 October 1984. p. 24.
    11. ↑ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
    12. 1 2 "UK Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
    13. ↑ Turner, Chris. "Wilson Classic, Lada Classic, Mercantile Credit Classic". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
    14. ↑ Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. pp. 119–123. ISBN 0-9548549-0-X.
    15. ↑ Al Nowais, Shireena (20 February 2021). "Emirati snooker champion pays tribute to Welsh legend Doug Mountjoy". The National. Abu Dhabi. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021.
    16. ↑ "Tributes paid after death of Welsh snooker hero Doug Mountjoy". Irish Examiner. 14 February 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    17. ↑ Rawling, John (17 February 2021). "Doug Mountjoy obituary". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
    18. ↑ "Doug Mountjoy: Welsh snooker legend dies at 78". Eurosport. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    19. ↑ Media, P. A. (14 February 2021). "Former UK snooker champion Doug Mountjoy dies aged 78". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    20. ↑ "Two-time UK champion Doug Mountjoy dies aged 78". Sporting Life. UK. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    21. ↑ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
    22. ↑ "1981: Davis begins his reign". 18 April 2003. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
    23. ↑ "Classic". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
    24. ↑ Hayton, Eric. Cuesport Book of Professional Snooker. p. 158.
    25. ↑ The UK Championship did not become a ranking event until 1984
    26. 1 2 3 4 "Pot Black History". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008.
    27. ↑ "1977 Masters Results". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
    28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Turner, Chris. "Welsh Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
    29. ↑ "Saturday TV". The Times. 3 December 1977. p. 10 – via The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
    30. 1 2 3 Turner, Chris. "Kilkenny Irish Masters". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
    31. ↑ "1978 Golden Masters Results". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
    32. ↑ "1978 UK Championship Results Grid". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
    33. ↑ "Brief History of the Pontins Open and Professional". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
    34. ↑ "Snooker – Mountjoy the loser ends up in the final". The Times. 9 October 1980. p. 13.
    35. ↑ Hayton, Eric. Cuesport Book of Professional Snooker. p. 149.
    36. ↑ "New Zealand Masters Winners". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
    37. 1 2 "Hong Kong Masters". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
    38. ↑ "The Masters". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
    39. 1 2 3 "Brief History of the Pontins Open and Professional". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
    40. ↑ Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 147. ISBN 0600501922.
    41. 1 2 3 4 Turner, Chris. "World Cup, World Team Classic, Nations Cup". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
    42. ↑ Turner, Chris. "World Doubles Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
    43. 1 2 3 "Welsh Amateur Snooker Championship". Global Snooker Centre. 2003. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.
    44. ↑ Everton, Clive (1981). The Guinness Book of Snooker. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 150–153. ISBN 0851122302.
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