by elliott west
One of the greatest players to ever grace the green baize is the player Cliff Thorburn. Thorburn learnt the game the hard way, often sleeping in bus shelters and grotty digs to make a buck by hustling in Canadian pool halls. The now gentle giant, was a bruiser, knocking Alex Higgins unconscious when Higgins insulted him. Nicknamed the “Grinder” for his slow, determined style of play, Thorburn qualified for the World Championship in 1977, the first held at the Crucible but lost to John Spencer.
His luck came in 1980 when he proved his worth and won the World Championship. A popular winner, largely due to being a non-UK player. Thorburn went on to lose consecutive finals at the Crucible but never won the title again. His luck however was at Wembley, where he won the Masters, three times, the Canadian Open and twice winner of the invitational event, the Scottish Masters.
Thorburn will be most remembered for his momentous 147 at the Crucible in 1983, a moment that snooker fans rate as one of the greatest moments in their history, showing how a player can use their great form and skill set to achieve one of the rare events of the time. As time has moved on, a 147 is more common but it still ranks as a defining and special moment in any player’s career, especially in the auspices of the Crucible.
Cliff had an illustrious 25-year snooker career and amounted to $2.5 million in prize money. He still plays on the Seniors tour and will be appearing at a pre-World Championship event on 11/04/19 where former players such as Hendry, Johnson, White and Parrott, will be battling it out for a trophy. An event that I am much looking forward to as I will be attending myself.
Thorburn is truly one of the snooker greats and could have in his prime, beaten most of the players of today. His snooker style reminds me a lot of Mark Selby in the modern game, never giving up when the chips are down and always prepared to grind out a classic victory.
