By Elliott West
Introduction
Born 1930 in Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, Norman Dagley was an English world champion in billiards. He won both the world amateur and world professional titles twice. A Korean War veteran, Dagley was a master of his craft and had a very impressive career in billiards. Someone who has been remembered in his local community, long after his passing.
Career
Norman Dagley learnt to play billiards from his two brothers, very good amateur players. Dagley was a natural and soon became a dominant force in the amateur game of billiards. By the 1960s, he was starting to win titles, reaching his first final in 1963, finishing runner-up and from 1964 onwards, won the title fifteen times in twenty-one attempts, never again losing in the final. He set many records, including a world and English championship record of 862 and a session average of 116.6 in 1978. In the 1984 final, his average was 147.7. Norman also enjoyed success in the CIU championships, another major tournament in the UK, winning the title eleven times between 1964 and 1981.
Norman also won titles in the IBSF World Amateur Championship, beating Mannie Francisco in 1971 and Michael Ferreira in 1975. He also reached the final in 1979 and 1981, finishing runner-up to Paul Mifsud and Michael Ferreira respectively. For the second of his IBSF wins in 1971, Norman was recognised by his local community, being presented with a cigarette box by the Mayor of Hinckley for his achievements.
Dagley, turned professional late in life at 54 but refused to relinquish his day job of being the manager of a snooker club in Nuneaton. Far from being a hindrance, perhaps this was the reassurance he needed in case he didn’t succeed. Defeat though was not on the cards for this prolific player and he reached the final of the 1985 World Professional Championship on his first attempt without losing a game. He defeated Jack Fitzmaurice, Jack Karnehm and Robby Foldvari before losing to Ray Edmonds in the final, 3-1 with most games being close.
Norman went on to lose the title again in 1986 to Robby Foldvari but reclaimed it of his victor in 1987. This victory was unique because as a result, he had completed a unique set of titles, English Amateur Champion, World Amateur Champion, UK Professional Champion and World Professional Champion. He won £9,000 for the World Championship, the largest prize ever seen at that time in billiards. With his UK and European titles, he pocketed £20,000 of the £50,000 prize on the circuit for that season. He went on to retain the title again in 1988, beating Eddie Charlton in the final, 7-4. His last title came in 1991, aged 61 when he won the British Open trophy at the Barbican Centre, an event that was part of the bicentennial celebrations to commemorate Mozart’s death. The composer was an avid lover of billiards.
Career Achievements
- English Amateur billiards champion 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1982, 1984
- CIU Champion 1964, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
- 1971 IBSF World Billiards Champion
- 1975 IBSF World Billiards Champion
- 1979 IBSF World Billiards Championship runner-up
- 1981 IBSF World Billiards Championship runner-up
- 1985 World Professional Billiards Championship runner-up
- 1986 World Professional Billiards Championship runner-up
- 1987 World Matchplay Champion
- 1987 European Billiards Champion
- 1987 UK Billiards Champion
- 1987 World Professional Billiards Champion
- 1987 World Professional Billiards Champion
- 1991 British Open Billiards Champion
Summary
Norman Dagley was clearly a very successful player in the world of billiards and won an array of titles in his long career. Age never phased him and he was still winning titles into his sixties. Dagley passed away in 1998 after suffering from influenza. His name lives on and is commemorated in his village where a road was named after him, Norman Dagley Close.
