By Elliott West
Introduction
I love delving into the snooker archives and looking at players who helped turn the tide of snooker. One such player was Tony Meo. Son of Italian parents, Tony celebrates his 64th birthday this year. Cut from the same cloth as Jimmy White, Meo spent what some might call a misspent youth in the smoky snooker halls of South London where players and local villains met to play the notorious money games. Meo and White were inseparable during their youth in the 1970s, taking tours of the country with the cab driver, “Dodgy” Bob Davis, their manager. They just stuck a pin in a map and found a snooker club wherever it landed, using their natural talent to make cash in hand.
Tony was part of the Golden Era of snooker where players were elevated to rock star status and took the country by storm for the duration of the 1980s. Part of Barry Hearn’s Matchroom stable and later managed by Henry West, Meo is for me, is very underrated snooker player. Just look at his snooker record, 1983 Thailand Masters’ winner, 1985 Australian Masters’ winner, 1986/7 English Professional Championship winner, 1989 British Open winner, 1990 International League winner, 4 x Doubles World Championships with partner Steve Davis. The thorn in Tony’s side for achieving more was the potting machine that was Steve Davis who hoovered up the trophies during this era. His stranglehold on the game denied so many talented players of the time to get their hands on titles. Meo made a dent in the trophy cupboard but had the circumstances been different, I am sure he would have achieved much more.
Natural Talent
Tony Meo was a brilliant amateur player. He won the 1977 Pontins Junior title and the Warners Pro-Am title. He would win it for a second time in 1979. At only the age of 17, he made his first maximum break, the youngest ever player at the time and in 1978 won the English Under 19’s Championship. He also got to the final of the 1978 Canadian Open beating Alex Higgins 9-7 in the semi-final before losing to Cliff Thorburn 15-17 in the final after leading 10-6. Shortly after this win, he became a professional player in 1979, a career that would last until 1997. The former pupil at Ernest Bevin Comprehensive School, who had a highest ranking of 10th between 1984 and 1986 was a regular in tournaments during this decade
Perhaps the greatest shock came at the 1989 British Open when as a 200/1 outsider and was going through a slump in form. Clinging on by his fingernails to his place in the top 16. Reaching the final, Meo faced Dean Reynolds, a not-too-shabby player himself. The match itself was low-scoring, and scrappy with both players feeling the pressure of the occasion. The only break above 54 came in the third frame when Tony made an 84. Meo would go on to win the match and claim the title. A 13-6 Victor and claiming a cheque for £80,000.
Tony would go on to reach the semi-final of the World Championship shortly afterwards. This would be the first time he reached the one-table set-up at the Crucible. However, he would he met his match when he played the Liverpudlian John Parrott, losing 16-7. However, the run propelled him back into the top 16 for the 1989/90 season. This would be Meo’s last chance to claim a major title. Tony would never reach a quarter-final of a major event again and by the end of the 1996/7 season, he was relegated from the tour. Meo would never return, turning his back on snooker and went on to run jewellers in Hatton Garden. A memorable and much-missed player.
