By Elliott West
Introduction
Ken Shirley is not a name that many of you would have heard of but he was for a time a formidable force in the world of amateur billiards. A man who won most of the prized silverware in the game and someone who was loved by his fellow players and who was a genial and outgoing person. Someone who took pride in his victories but remained grounded throughout his life.
Life and Career
Ken Shirley was born in 1934 into a family that had no interest in cue sports and there weren’t any signs of a sporting connection in his family history. When he was 13, Shirley first came across a billiards table and quickly fell in love with the game. At this time, he was considered to be slightly too old to be trying his hand at billiards and let’s say he was a slow burner, not making his first-century break until he was 21.
Ken, like his great friend, the legendary Herbert Beetham, didn’t let this late start act as a barrier. Like his friend, Ken used the time wisely to prepare himself for glory and this would come to fruition when he won the 1986 English Amateur Billiards Championship. This victory was no accident and came from many hours of watching better local players and involved a long journey that didn’t really start to gather pace until he finished his National Service and really started taking a keen interest in billiards.
Perhaps his police career did hold him back from being one of the greats as the profession restricted his practice time but he did become a regular century-maker and at his peak made 248 breaks in competition and 513 in practice. His legacy to billiards is self-evident, being a sixteen times National Police Champion, six times National British Legion Champion and a winner of six West Midlands Championships. He was a runner-up at the 1979 English Amateur Billiards Championship, losing to Ken Bagley, final that he clearly remember:
“For about 30 minutes everything looked good. We had both made two centuries. I sat down after my second, a 169, which had put me about 80 in front. Three visits later I hadn’t scored again and was over 800 behind! Norman had put me firmly in my place”.
Ken Shirley
Off the back of this final, Shirley was able to take part and represent England in the 1980 World Amateur Championship in Sri Lanka. In a tournament where he finished third in the qualifying group behind Michael Ferreira and Mohammed Lafir, having played 7 and won 5, having scored a break of 195 and thirteen centuries he was far from disgraced.
Moment of Glory
Ken’s finest hour came when he won the 1986 English Amateur Billiards Championship or ‘The English’ as it became to be known. In 1986, the format for this tournament changed to the best of five 300 up, one that suited his style of play. It was the 3-1 win over Mike Russell that sealed his all-time dream in billiards and a tremendous victory over an opponent who was the youngest ever finalist at the tender age of 17. A win that Ken fondly remembered:
“The match was the best of five 300 up – the only way I was ever going to win it. Mike won the first game and early in the second he was in with a break of 90 when he suddenly stood up and declared a foul that no one else had seen. I am convinced that but for that, Mike would have been the youngest ever English Champion”.
Ken Shirley
His Legacy
Ken Shirley was a fierce billiards player and one that frightened his opponents with his formidable break building. Despite having an ungainly stance, Shirley had tremendous cue power and brilliant touch. A highly knowledgeable player, a raconteur and someone who knew his way around a billiards table even with his eyes closed, his brilliance will remain in the archives of billiards for many years to come. A player who sadly passed away in 2006, aged 71 after returning from a family holiday in Italy.
