By Elliott West
Introduction
Eddie Agah is probably one of the best Canadian snooker players that never left his home country. A man who literally spent his life in pool halls, hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Canada and touring, playing with George Chenier, Dick Ponzie, Leo Levitt, Bob Paquette and Julien St Dennis.
Career
Eddie was born in 1918 and at the age of 17 won the Montreal Amateur Championship. Agha went on to win his first Quebec Amateur Championship in 1948. In 1960, Eddie made two 147 breaks in Montreal Quebec Canada. He later toured with George Chenier, the North American Snooker Champion who was champion for twenty years.
Later on, he played Tony Knowles in Toronto, Ontario when Tony was ranked number 10 in the world and he also won against the late Bill Werbenuik who was also ranked number 10 in the world. Agha reached the last 16 of the Canadian Open in 1976 and 1980. In the 1980 Canadian Open, Eddie defeated Alf Micallef 5-2, Greg Forsythe 5-0, Bruce Gutcher 5-2, Tony Knowles 9-3 before losing to Cliff Thorburn 1-9.
Nicknamed ‘Atomic Eddy’, Agah was reportedly one of the most exciting snooker players to watch. Alain Robidoux described him as an “incredible player with a unique style”. His potting and positioning was superb and lightning-fast. A man who made countless century breaks, you were always on the edge of your seat watching him.
Agah was well known for beating top players and quite a few lost at the expense of his lightning cue. Those that lost to him, returned home scratching their head, wondering how they had lost so quickly and why this player never went overseas to play professionally. Eddie spent his last years at the Salle de Billiard in Mont-Royal.
