By Elliott West
Introduction
Snooker produces many skilled players but with the passage of time, some are forgotten. One such player is the former professional, Dave Martin. Martin was a prolific player throughout the 1980s and was attributed to teaching Nigel Bond the game. Formerly in the the Merchant Navy and later a mechanical fitter, Dave took to snooker like a duck to water, knocking in century breaks for fun.
Path to Success
Dave decided to leave the North-East of England to follow his dream of becoming a leading light in the sport. His intuition led him to London where he came across Ron Gross’s snooker club in Neasden in North London. Martin started to practice here and played money games and tournaments with many of the top professionals of the day. People like Patsy Fagan , Patsy Houlihan, Geoff Foulds and Jimmy White used to flock here, to play in a club that was one of the best in its day. Jimmy White used to travel the length of the underground to just have a few frames. A roll of honour board listed all the best players in the club with Dave Martin always featured.
Being A Professional
Martin turned professional in 1980 after beating Eugene Hughes in the final of the Professional Ticket Event, 9-6 . The following season he had a great run at the International Open, beating Bill Werbenuik, 5-2, Eddie Charlton, 5-2 and Graham Miles, 5-1 before losing to Dennis Taylor, 1-9 in the semi-final. This was followed by qualifying for the UK Championship after beating Eddie Sinclair, 9-7. He then lost to Alex Higgins in the first round, 1-9. He also reached the first round of the World Championship in 1982, losing to Graham Miles, 5-10 and lost to Bill Werbenuik in the 1983 World Championship, 4-10. A run of first round exits ensued until the 1988 Mercantile Credit Classic where he beat Doug Mountjoy, 5-4, Jimmy White, 5-2 before losing to Tony Knowles in the semi-final, 1-5. His last professional appearance was in the 1991 UK Championship where he lost in the first round to Jimmy white, 3-9.
Life after Snooker
Dave Martin moved to Oxford after the end of his snooker career and then back to the North-East. He went on to manage a snooker club in Sheffield whilst living in Chesterfield. After a car crash some years later, he decided like some other former players, to turn his back on snooker. However he will always be remembered as a class act, someone who owned the table, using a Burwat Champion cue to amass break after break. A player who reached 24 in the rankings, made £98,944 in career earnings, had his highest break of 145 in the 1986 British Open qualifiers and made 10 century breaks in his professional career.
