by elliott west
Mention the name Ron Gross in the snooker circle and nothing comes back but warm memories and praise for this great man. A former amateur and professional player, Ron Gross lived through the golden era of snooker, spanning from the post war years to the development of the World Championship.
Ron was a three time amateur champion, winning the title in 1957,1960, 1962 and was a late addition to the professional tour, turning professional in 1972. He even beat the late, great Joe Davis in an exhibition match. He had a mixed fortune at the World Championship with his best performance being in 1973 when he made the last 24. Ron was lucky enough to play in a era when the likes of Patsy Houlihan, Patsy Fagan and lesser known players like Wally West who also owned the Top Spot Snooker Hall.
This was an era where you could literally get drunk on the atmosphere that snooker created. Players flocked to Ron’s club in Neasden to play and this was a club that was a hub for money games. Open the doors to this club and you would often see Jimmy White, Neal Foulds, Tony Meo and Patsy Fagan to name but a few, playing to make a few quid. Ron Gross was a mentor who took these players under his wing and enthused them with his pearls of snooker wisdom. A quality that led to Gross and Patsy Fagan being friends for over fifty years.
Ron also was responsible for introducing Alfie Burden to Jimmy White whilst in his Neasden club. This led to Jimmy taking Alfie under his wing and it a friendship that Alfie has always been truly grateful for, citing this meeting as the main reason for him becoming a world amateur snooker champion. Burden who grew up in Harrow, used Ron’s club as a regular hangout. Alfie or AB as most of his friends call him, went on to turn professional and thanked Jimmy White when he briefly fell off the main tour after seventeen years. It was a time when Burden was at his lowest and wanted to hang up his cue or probably snap it. However reassurance from White, saying he was a good player and too good to quit, led to Alfie winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Hyderabad in India.
Ron’s presence in the sport remains strong with his son Colin Gross, still active in setting up exhibitions and the annual Ron Gross Memorial event was won by Reanne Evans last year and look what has happened to her since. Ron in life and death, seems to charge everything he touches. That is a rare quality and people who came in touch with him. I can only think of a small handful of people in our sport who can match Gross’s mentoring genius, Geoff Foulds, Wayne and Terry Griffiths, Malcolm Taylor and Ray Reardon to name but a few.
I will leave you with a fitting tribute to Ron from my friend Paul Caunce, who posted on Facebook:
“ I believe Ron’s legacy is for what he did he did off the table, priceless!”.
Paul Caunce
