By Elliott West
Introduction
Born in 1911, Birmingham, Albert Brown was one of the lesser-known players from the Joe Davis era. Brown was a cricketer, who made a first-class appearance for Warwickshire in 1932 and as a snooker player, was twice runner-up in the English Amateur Championship and reached the semi-final of the World Snooker Championship four times between 1948 and 1953.
Career
Albert Brown became interested in cue sports from an early age, first starting billiards when he attended boarding school, aged seven. Brown started playing English Billiards on a three-quarter sized billiard table and as a result, won the school competition, nine years in a row. After leaving school, Albert forgot about billiards and instead concentrated on cricket until he was 24. Thanks to a close friend, Albert was introduced to snooker and Brown began to play. Within one year of taking it up, this Brummie won the Midland Amateur Championship, defeating Kingsley Kennerley, 4-0 in the final. He won the title again the following year and was runner-up to Kingsley Kennerley in the 1940 English Amateur Championship, losing, 7-8.
After a pause, caused by the outbreak of World War Two and a stoppage in snooker play, Brown returned to snooker by entering the 1946 English Amateur Championship, reaching the final. In the final, he matched John Pulman, losing to the future World Champion, 3-5. He also won the Midland Amateur Championship for the third time. Shortly after winning the English Amateur title, both Brown and Pulman turned professional.
After turning professional, Albert played in a number of major tournaments in the years between 1947-1953. He reached the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship four times in 1948, 1959, 1952 and 1953. He was also runner-up in the 1951/1952 News of the World Snooker Tournament, missing out on victory by a single frame, losing out to the victor, Sidney Smith. His last competitive appearance came in the 1954/1955 News of the World Tournament when Jackie Rea won the title and Joe Davis made a 146 break in his match against Brown on the second day of the event.
Summary
Albert Brown was clearly an accomplished amateur and professional player. Someone who went deep into tournaments as a professional, making numerous semi-final appearances. Brown was part of a band of players who helped develop the modern game in the post-war years, transferring snooker from working men’s clubs to the main stage of the Leicester Square Hall with a heaving audience. Albert was a pioneer and without the likes Brown, the game may have not developed into the leading sport that it is today.
