By Elliott West
“I have never experienced anything like this. The tension is terrible”.
Perrie Mans’ interview at the 1978 World Championship.
Introduction
Snooker has produced many greats over the years and although not for many years, South Africa has had a few too. So it was sad to hear about the loss of the elegant and softly-spoken player from Lichtenberg, Pierre or Perrie Mans as we knew him. Known for his brilliant choice of waistcoats and precision one-ball potting, Mans was a class act and on researching this piece, I couldn’t resist watching some old footage of the great man in action. He was a player who had gumption, and spirit, who could turn his nerves of jelly into steel. A master of the snooker baize and who won the South African Professional Snooker Championship twenty times!
Following in his father, Peter’s footsteps, Perrie would go on to become a professional snooker player from 1961-1987, Mans would go on to win the 1977 Pot Black, beating Doug Mountjoy 90-21 in the final, a runner-up in the 1978 World Snooker Championship to Ray Reardon 18-25 and won the 1979 Masters, defeating Alex Higgins 8-4 in the final. A tournament that he was actually reluctant to play in, having already booked his plane ticket home. A subconscious game plan that worked because he went on to defeat Cliff Thorburn 5-4 and Ray Reardon 5-3 before reaching the final.
Tickled Pink
Mans produced one of the best televised long ball pots in the 1978 World Championship final. A pink that was described as the “shot of the championship” at the time and is still vividly remembered. A long pink that didn’t touch the sides and superbly struck under pressure. He also tucked the cue ball behind the black when in the thick of it, causing Reardon to tap the table and miscue as a result. Admittedly, Perrie wasn’t a high-score break builder but he was always dangerous when he got a chance and knew how to kill off a frame.
Perrie was cut from the same cloth as other South African greats such as Jimmy and Fred Van Rensberg, Manuel, Peter and Silvino Francisco, Mike Hines and Robbie Grace. Even when he appeared in later years in the 1997 Pot Black against Joe Johnson at Goodwood House, he still managed 30 points against Joe’s 87. Mans was still that humble man in defeat, just happy to spend time with and have the chance to play his friends from the glory days of snooker. A player that was long considered to be the best player in South Africa and a demon on the table in his 20s.
The Tactician
Mans could give Steve Davis a run for his money in the tactical department. This brilliant left-handed player beat Davis in the first round of the 1981 Masters 5-3 before losing to Cliff Thorburn 4-5. This was his last great win as a professional and in the 1980s like so many players, he would lose that spark in his 40s. Yet despite this fact, Perrie will go down as a snooker great. Someone who helped grow snooker in South Africa, loved and fondly remembered by fans. A player who could win a frame outside a single visit and send an extra volt of electricity into a match. Perrie leaves us aged 82 years old but never forgotten.
