By Elliott West
Introduction
The question is, who holds a record for restricting his opponent to the fewest number of points in a world ranking match? The answer is not any of the usual suspects but a certain Paul Smith, born in Hitchin, who now lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It occurred in the qualifiers for the 1992 Welsh Open held in Aldershot and a match where Paul limited his opponent Graham Bradley to eight points in the second qualifying round.
Who is He?
Paul Smith was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and first gained his love for snooker when his father became manager of the locally famous Lucania Snooker Club in Hitchin. Paul, who at the age of 10, lost his right eye in a horrific airgun incident as a result of an older boy aiming at something else. Despite this injury, Smith never retracted into his shell but instead quite the contrary, becoming more determined in life than ever. Paul started to play on a small table that belonged to a boy across the road. However one day they both had a row with Smith being accused of feathering the white.
As a result, his father decided to buy him a table and despite there being an age restriction of 16 in the club, his Dad used his privileged position to sneak him in and let his son play in dark corners and at quiet times. The result was explosive with Paul becoming the best player in the club by the age of 15 and going on to win the Hertfordshire Championship 15 times as well as four or five pro-ams including one at Upton Park where he was presented the trophy by Ray Reardon.
In 1974 he beat Steve Davis in the British Junior Championship 3-2 in the area qualifiers and defeated him again the same day in billiards but lost to Tony Knowles in the final. He also won a championship at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds where he defeated Tony Knowles in the final.
The bridge between amateur and professional status was much harder in those with men in grey suits deciding whether you could enter this very elitist club for the selected few. Only the world and amateur champions were guaranteed a place but thankfully the rules changed in 1991 and players could then travel to the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool for a chance of a place, a hotel that was dubbed “Colditz with carpets” by those who experienced the qualifying booths. Norbreck, along with venues in Aldershot and Bolton were the key to getting your foot in the door on the professional tour.
Sadly Paul didn’t earn a penny as a professional. Turning professional at the age of 37, he played 72 matches and won 27, reaching 270 in the world rankings. Despite the knocks, he loved putting on a suit, testing himself and giving the youngsters a hard time. To supplement his lack of professional earnings, Smith managed various snooker clubs including one in Baldock, Hertfordshire. However, this became untenable when his two children were born and felt it unfair on his family to pursue this volatile dream.
Smith went on to manage betting shops and later became a part-time delivery driver for a chemist. However, he didn’t give up snooker completely, continuing to play in the Harrow League alongside four other former professional players, Patsy Fagan, Jamie Rous, Sanjay Meghani and Paul Fryatt, still managing to score the odd 60 or 70 break.
Disability Snooker
Paul Smith has now carved out a career in disability snooker, becoming one the most successful Group 7 players on the WDBS circuit. He has won four titles with two in his category, including a victory at the 2018 Open Disability Snooker Championship where he defeated Welshman Ronnie Allen 4-1 in the final.
