By Elliott West
Introduction
One of the most underrated players over the years in snooker has to be the Birmingham born, Graham Miles. Born in 1941, Graham turned professional in a snooker era when the game was starting to make a comeback, the 1970s, 1971 to be precise and is always cited as being part of a select breed of players who cued predominantly with his left eye. A style that became more predominant as his career progressed, to the point when the cue actually ran under his left ear.
Career
Miles first came to light as a talented player in 1974, a year where he really made an impression on the snooker stage, reaching the final of the World Championship at the Belle Vue in Manchester, losing 12-22 to Ray Reardon and in the same year, he won the first of his two Pot Black victories, beating John Spencer to claim the title. It would become his snooker touchstone as he would go on to defeat Dennis Taylor the following year and in 1978, came runner-up to Doug Mountjoy. A home event that was filmed in the famous BBC Pebble Mill studios in the heart of this Brummie landscape. Miles actually only joined this band of Pot Black players as a matter of coincidence when Fred Davis pulled out of the programme at short notice in 1974 and Miles was asked to join as a late replacement for Fred Davis when the snooker veteran suddenly fell ill. A stroke of luck for Graham and made him a household name as a result.
Now a recognised face and despite the modest success, Graham went on to reach the final of the 1976 Masters, held at the New London Theatre. A tournament where he again lost to his Welsh nemesis, Ray Reardon 3-7. Despite this loss, Miles went on to have a purple patch of form during the 1978/79 season. One that was highlighted when he took part in the 1978 UK Championship, held at the Guildhall in Preston. He defeated Rex Williams 9-8 and then thrashed Willie Thorne 9-1, a match where he made the championship record, attaining a 139 break in the last frame. He would go on to lose to Doug Mountjoy 1-9 in the semi-finals. Mountjoy went on to win the title that year, beating David Taylor, the aptly named ‘Silver Fox’ in the final 15-9.
This form would spill over into 1979, a year when Graham made the final of the Holstein Lager International. A tournament where he defeated John Pulman 235-118, Dennis Taylor 395-340 and Alex Higgins 6-3 before losing to John Spencer 7-11 in the final. However, he did take away a cheque for £2000 as a result.
In the first round of the 1979 World Championship, he drew Ray Reardon, a match where he led 3-0 and 5-3 but then was struck down with flu, a sickness that would cause him to unravel and lose the match to his Welsh opponent 8-13. Undeterred, Miles put this painful defeat on the back burner and launched himself into the Pontins Professional Tournament, beating Doug Mountjoy 4-3, Perrie Mans 5-2 in the group stages and then went on to defeat Steve Davis in the semi-finals 4-0 before losing 4-8 in the final to Doug Mountjoy.
Similarly, in the inaugural World Team Cup, Graham represented England alongside John Spencer and Fred Davis. They would reach the final, losing to Wales 3-14. He would go on to win his last trophy in 1981 when he took part in the Tolly Cobbold Classic, held at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich. A tournament where he beat Cliff Thorburn in the final 5-1.
The Decline
This would prove to be Graham’s last hurrah and he subsequently dropped down the rankings with his last appearance being at the 1984 World Championship. He did carry on as a professional until 1994 but officially retired in 1992, going on to run two snooker clubs at Sandwell in the West Midlands. He briefly came out of retirement in 1997 to take part in the Seniors Pot Black tournament. Graham Miles passed away in 2014, aged 73. An ambassador for the sport and a very good player in his day, someone who needs to be more widely remembered.
