By Elliott West
Introduction
Sport can be very proud of the multitude of female players that have been produced over the years. For this piece, let’s home in on Northern Ireland and look at the very talented billiards, snooker and pool player, Karen Corr. Karen was born in 1969 in Ballymoney and first picked up a cue at an early age. By the time she was 15, she was entering her first tournament in Leicester and this was the start of an epic journey that she has never looked back on. A journey that had the full backing of her family.
Career
By the time she was 21, Corr was already setting tongues wagging and entered the Women’s World Snooker Championship. This was to be Karen’s first title and she was to win the title again in 1995 and 1997. She also won the World Women’s Billiards Championship in 1998 and 1999.
However Corr’s rise coincided with the banning of tobacco sponsorship in the United Kingdom, leading to prize money to decrease outside the World Championship. Karen had to instead, seek ventures further afield. One of her fellow players, Julie Kelly, recommended that she took part on the WPBA Tour in the United States. As a result, Corr moved to America in 1998 to see his well she could play pool. After winning ten consecutive qualifying events, she was able to compete in the professional WPBA events.
By the end of 1998, Karen was ranked 24 and by 1999, she had shot up to 2nd in the world. She then went on to win her first WPBA title, the 2000 Cuetec Cues Players Championship in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and subsequently won two further Classic titles that year, also winning the All Japan Open Championship in Osaka and coming second in the WPA Women’s World Championship and in the UCC World Ladies Championship in Tokyo.
More success followed in 2001 with Corr winning the WPBA Classic Tour event, setting a record for winning the event in the same season as they began. She went on to win the silver medal at the World Games and was placed 2nd at the World Championships. By the end of 2001, Karen was ranked number 1 in the world, a placing she held for two years.
Since 2001, Corr has become a leading player in pool and in 2012, she was inaugurated into the BCA Hall of Fame and has also been a runner-up at the World 9-ball Championship on four occasions. Corr has also won the World Ladies Billiards Championship in 1998 and 1999.
Snooker Achievements
Women’s World Championship: 1990, 1995, 1997, Runner-up: 1998,1999
WLBSA Halstead Ladies Classic: 1994
WLBSA Pontins Spring Bowl: 1994
WLBSA Pontins British Ladies: 1995
WLBSA West Norwood Open: 1995
WLBSA Academy Fork Lift: 1996
WLBSA Connie Gough Memorial: 1996
WLBSA James Brooks Classic: 1996
WLBSA Barratts Club National: 1997
WLBSA Ladies National: 1997
WLBSA UK Championship: 1997
WLBSA Pontins UK Championship: 1997
WLBSA Scottish Masters: 1997
Conclusion
Karen Corr is one of the most successful players in major cue sports in modern times and rightfully deserves her vast collection of trophies that she won in multiple sports. Corr acts as a role model for any female who wishes to succeed in sport and has proved that perseverance and dedication, accompanied by natural talent, will lead to success. A testimony for anyone that is thinking of picking up a cue for the first time.
