By Elliott West
“It gripped me, there was no other game”.
Doug Mountjoy
Introduction
Doug Mountjoy was probably one of the warmest and most unassuming snooker players you could ever meet. Not my words but from those who knew him best. If you speak to the likes of Stephen Hendry, Ray Reardon, Jimmy White and Mark Williams, they will all concur that Doug was one of the best players that Wales ever produced. A former Welsh coal miner, whose father was also a miner, Mountjoy followed in his paternal footsteps despite his Dad not wanting him to. A career that was cut short when Doug was buried in coal when part of the mine he worked in collapsed.
The Institute
The beating heart of the Welsh community in Doug’s youth was the institute. This was where he used to bunk off school to play snooker, avoiding the wrath of his teacher by his sister Bet in the upper year playing dumb when asked where he was. Spilt into two floors with the snooker room on the upper and a social room on the lower, this was where the 26-year-old met the love of his life, his future wife, describing her “as the prettiest girl he had ever seen” as he caught a fleeting glimpse of the 19-year-old across the dancefloor. The ‘stute” as the locals in Tredegar dubbed it was the colourful place that the miners came to after they emerged from the dank darkness of the pit face. Here, Mountjoy and others played thousands of frames of snooker to mature into the brilliant professionals some of them went on to become.
No Money
At this time, there wasn’t any money in snooker. Mountjoy supported his burning desire to become a successful snooker player with a job for many years as a foreman in a local factory, Super Oil Seals. There wasn’t much money coming into the household, a two up, two down terrace house with his wife working as a hairdresser. Yet his family supported Doug every step of the way. You had to work to play snooker and if you didn’t the dream would remain a dream. With no professional championship, players relied on the money games in clubs just to make some extra money and it was a dilemma that kept Ray Reardon in a policeman’s uniform for a good number of years when he lived in Stoke.
The Moment of Glory
Doug Mountjoy was a brilliant amateur player before turning professional. Someone who came to the fore at the same time as Terry Griffiths. A runner-up in the 1966 Welsh Championship, he went on to win the title in 1968 and 1976. However, his defining moment came in 1976 when he travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa for the 1976 IBSF World Amateur Snooker Championship. Held at the President Hotel and comprising 24 players, the tournament had three eight-player round-robin groups followed by a knockout to determine an outright winner.
This was an era when South Africa was embroiled in the Apartheid movement with India and Sri Lanka deciding not to put up players for the event. Away from the world of politics, Doug seemed to thrive in the dry heat of a South African October, winning all his group matches. Reaching the final, the Welshman dominated the match against Paul Mifsud. A 6-0 lead in the first session would be followed up by a brilliant 11-1 victory. He also got the highest break of the tournament, a 107 break. during the group stage. With a smile on his face and a trophy in his suitcase, Doug returned to Tredegar for a standing ovation and was seen as a local hero who the community clambered to get an autograph off and the journalists wanted to take a photograph of this 34-year-old Welshman.
The Taste of Victory
Following on from being a runner-up to Perrie Mans in the final of the BBC’s Pot Black in 1977, Doug would go on to reach the final of the Masters, an event that was still in its infancy and a non-ranking tournament. Held at the New London Theatre in London, Mountjoy beat John Pulman, Fred Davis and Alex Higgins to set up a mouthwatering all-Welsh final with Ray Reardon. This was a match that Ray Reardon said was one his favourites. It was a final that would go down to the wire, ending with a deciding frame at 6-6. Down to the pink and black in the 13th frame, Reardon missed his chance on the pink and Mountjoy potted it to win the golden trophy and the £2,000 prize money. This would be his first professional title, an amazing victory for a player who was initially a wildcard entry.
1977 would continue to be a good year with runs to the final of the Welsh Professional Championship and the UK Championship and would continue in 1978 with Doug being runner-up at the Irish Masters and two victories, the first being Pot Black where he beat Graham Miles, Golden Masters, defeating Ray Reardon 4-2 and his second professional title, the UK Championship where he beat David Taylor 15-9.
The Wales Powerhouse
Doug was one part of Wales’s triumvirate, comprising of himself, Terry Griffiths and Ray Reardon that would clinch the World Challenge Cup in 1979 and 1980. A trio that Mark Williams wouldn’t have minded being part of if a fourth spot had been available and if he had been old enough of course at the time. The trio would also be runners-up in the World Team Classic in 1981 and 1983. This partnership worked so well because not only were they good friends but fed off each others’ games. Put together, this was a snooker chemical formula that was pure magic and a joy to anyone who saw the three playing live.
The Davis Factor
One of the main reasons that Doug Mounjoy didn’t win more ranking titles was the rise and dominance of Steve Davis. Had Davis not been around, he would probably have won the 1981 World Championship instead of losing 12-18. Mountjoy had the capability of double digit titles but Steve Davis was a winning machine, a product of Barry Hearn’s winning formula and sadly few players could stop him in his tracks. His eyes were firmly focused on the Crucible prize and nothing was going to stop this lanky young man who had the cue ball on a piece of string. This loss would leave Doug a broken man and Steve Davis going on to become a millionaire. Mountjoy would only win two ranking titles that came in his resurgence in the late 1980s, the 1988 UK Championship and 1989 Classic, winning the first when he was 46.. He would also win a total of 15 non-ranking titles.
The Magic of Callan
Frank Callan was the coach from Blackpool who literally rebuilt Doug Mounjoy’s game at a time when it was in the doldrums and created a purple patch for Mountjoy and stopped his wife only packing one dress shirt in his suitcase. Doug was far too good a player to lie down and retire. Frank returned the winner’s fire to his belly and ironed out the mistakes in his game stamping his unique trademark on the Welshman. To win two titles as a result of his help was phenomenonal and a feat that Mountjoy would be eternally grateful for, a combined income of £143,000 as a result. Callan who had also worked with Stephen Hendry, knew how to get results and is probably one of the best coaches that snooker has ever produced. A man who helped others improve their game well into his old age.
Ill Health
Doug Mountjoy found out he had a tumour on his lung after a routine scan at the age of 50. He would go on to lose his left lung as a result. He survived the operation and went on to play as a professional until 1997. Doug could be seen every day playing in the Mark Williams Snooker Club in South Wales regularly for two hours and was always keen to help other players with their game in the club.. He was also a coach for the United Arab Emirates snooker team. Doug passed away in 2021 after a stroke. A man who was loved by so many and a true Welsh snooker legend. A player who had every shot in the book and complimented his snooker with his frilly, colourful dress shirts and oversized bow ties.
