By Elliott West
“John was one of the world’s best referees and that is not in my opinion…just ask anyone who saw him in action in the late 1970s up until the present time”.
John Street
Introduction
The year was 1996 and as the qualifiers for the Embassy World Championship played out at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool, the snooker world was preparing to say goodbye to one of their beloved referees. He was, of course, John Smyth, a man who gave his 28-year career as Piccadilly line tube driver at London Underground in 1978 to become snooker’s first full-time snooker referee. A true piece of history in the making, groundbreaking for its time and a decision that would reap many fruits in his labour.
This was a man who was highly respected by his colleagues and who another referee legend, John Street, said he modelled himself on. Someone who was a pioneer in his own right and helped lead the advancement of snooker into the modern era. Smyth had a glittering snooker CV that few have attained and worked with some true legends of the game including Alex Higgins, Ray Reardon and Jimmy White.
The Voice
John Smyth probably had the loudest voice in any auditorium and anyone who witnessed this watching him live or on television would concur. He wasn’t a man to be messed with, fair but stern with his words if you crossed the line. Smyth was witness to the halcyon era of snooker. This dates all the way back when John was cutting his teeth on the green baize at the 1976 World Championship in Middlesbrough. He would go on to referee the 1978 and 1979 Benson and Hedges Masters at the New London Theatre and put his stamp on the iconic Wembley Conference Centre when the tournament moved there in 1979.
John travelled thousands of miles across the UK and was invited to countless tournaments during this era. He refereed the 1977 World Championship final when John Spencer beat Cliff Thorburn 25-12 and witnessed the return to glory for Alex Higgins in 1982 when the Northern Irishman won his second world championship title after a decade-long drought, defeating Ray Reardon 18-15. He even bore witness to the historic Kirk Stevens 147 break at the Masters against Jimmy White in their semi-final clash. A historic snooker episode that Smyth described as his proudest moment.
Caring and Sharing
John Street saw the other John as his mentor. Someone who took him under his wing and shared his craft with his apprentice. Smyth was the Reardon of the referees and gave Street countless pieces of precious advice across the years. Rather like the ‘Allo ‘Allo! catchphrase, ‘I shall say this once and once only’, Smyth never expected to tell someone something twice and was quick to display his famous eyebrow when a needless question had been repeated to him. He was a referee who had rubbed shoulders with John Spencer, Fred Davis, Rex Williams, John Pulman, Ray Reardon and countless others, a wide field of snooker players that are frankly too many to mention in this piece.
A Guard of Honour
When John Smyth walked out into the practice area before officiating his last professional match, he was greeted by a guard of honour, made up of his fellow referees. A touching tribute to someone who tirelessly served his profession for so long. This was a warm tribute that counteracted the bracing Blackpool elements outside. Heartfelt thanks to a referee who talked the talk and walked the walk literally. A multi-Piccadilly line snooker champion in his time at London Underground, Smyth was a living standard that all those who followed him or worked alongside him, aspired to achieve a fraction of his professionalism and vast knowledge of the game. He did take fools lightly and made mincemeat of verbal retorts. A booming voice in a glorious age of snooker.
