Cliff Thorburn
Encyclopedia
Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn CM
, known as Cliff Thorburn (born January 16, 1948 in Victoria, British Columbia
) is a retired professional Canadian
snooker
player. A former world number one
(one of only nine players to hold that spot), he was world snooker champion
in 1980, one of only three players from outside the United Kingdom
to win the world title in the modern era (along with Ken Doherty
and Neil Robertson
). In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to compile a maximum break at the world championships. His slow, determined style of play earned him the nickname "The Grinder".
to play snooker professionally in the early 70s. He had met John Spencer
in Canada
, who had advised him to go to the UK to improve his game. He was runner up in the world championship in 1977, and was soon considered a contender for tournaments.
in the final, a personality that could hardly have been more different from his own. Thorburn won the match 18-16 to take the championship, and rose to number two in the world rankings. The BBC
's coverage of the final had been interrupted by the broadcast of live footage of the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy
.
The following season Thorburn reached number one in the world rankings.
In 1983 he reached the World Championship final losing to Steve Davis
in 1983. On the latter occasion his wife had a miscarriage during his semi-final and partly explains his eventual heavy defeat by Davis in the final. Thorburn himself refused to blame this for his loss citing that he was fatigued after his three back-to-back final frame victories; 13-12 win over Terry Griffiths
in the Second Round, 13-12 win over Kirk Stevens
in the quarter finals and a gruelling 16-15 victory (from 13-15 behind) in his semi-final against Tony Knowles
, which finished at 2:30am and left him physically exhausted before the final commenced later that same day; Thorburn stated that, following the early morning finish against Knowles, he simply had nothing left for the final less than thirteen hours later against the in-form Steve Davis
, who eventually defeated Thorburn 18-6, with a session to spare.
In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum break at the World Championships
. He compiled the break in the fourth frame of his second round match against Terry Griffiths
(a match he went on to win 13-12). Whilst completing the break, play stopped on the tournament's second table because Thorburn's friend and fellow Canadian Bill Werbeniuk
wanted to watch him complete the break.
In 1983 Thorburn was made a Member of the Order of Canada
.
Thorburn was three times the Benson and Hedges Masters Champion, the most prestigious non-ranking event on the snooker calendar for many years. The event was held at the Wembley Conference Centre near London, England, which is where Thorburn lifted the title on three occasions winning in 1983 beating Ray Reardon 9-7 in the final, 1985 beating Doug Mountjoy 9-6 and in 1986 beating Jimmy White 9-5. Thorburn was the first player to retain the Masters title.
During the 1984/85 season Thorburn enjoyed a resurgence in form. He made the final of the Rothmans Grand Prix losing to Dennis Taylor 10-2 in the Final. The highlight of the tournament was Thorburn's 9-7 victory over Steve Davis
in the Semi-Final. Thorburn played outstanding snooker to overcome his great rival and the victory came unexpectedly because at that time Davis was in outstanding form.
In January 1985 Thorburn also made the final of the Mercantile Credit Classic and was again in outstanding form. On this occasion he met Willie Thorne
in the final who was in equivalent good form and Thorne ran out the winner 13-8. Thorburn was again runner-up in the 1986 Mercantile Credit Classic final, this time losing to Jimmy White
in the final frame 13-12.
Thorburn enjoyed success in the 1985 and 1986 Langs Scottish Masters, an invitational event which opened the snooker season. Thorburn defeated Willie Thorne 9-7 in 1985 final and Alex Higgins 9-8 the following year.
Thorburn won the opening ranking event in the 1985-1986 snooker calendar, the Goya Matchroom Trophy. Thorburn beat Jimmy White in the final 12-10 having trailed 0-7 and 4-8 and was runner-up in the same event the following two seasons.
in the first round. Thorburn led by 9-2 but lost 10-9.
During the 2006 World Championships, Thorburn flew to Sheffield to unveil a lifesize painting of his break, by the artist Michael Myers. It is on display at the Macdonald St. Paul's Hotel in Sheffield. In 2010 Cliff Thorburn returned to the UK to compete on the Snooker Legends Tour where he faced Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and John Parrott
.
Along with the highs there were a few lows. His manager Darryl McKerrow was killed in a hunting accident during the mid 80’s and he was fined £10,000 and banned for two ranking tournaments in 1988 after failing a drugs test.
He is the father of two boys, Jamie and Andrew. Thorburn won around C$2.5 million in prize money during his 25 year career but also received a considerable income from inter alia billiards equipment endorsements, exhibition games, a snooker instruction book and an autobiography.
Non-ranking tournaments
Team tournaments
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, known as Cliff Thorburn (born January 16, 1948 in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
) is a retired professional Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player. A former world number one
Snooker world rankings
The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association...
(one of only nine players to hold that spot), he was world snooker champion
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
in 1980, one of only three players from outside the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to win the world title in the modern era (along with Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
and Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson (snooker player)
Neil Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player and the 2010 World Champion and World #4...
). In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to compile a maximum break at the world championships. His slow, determined style of play earned him the nickname "The Grinder".
Early career
Thorburn first went to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to play snooker professionally in the early 70s. He had met John Spencer
John Spencer (snooker player)
John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, who had advised him to go to the UK to improve his game. He was runner up in the world championship in 1977, and was soon considered a contender for tournaments.
1980s
Thorburn's finest moment came in the 1980 World Championship. He met Alex HigginsAlex Higgins
Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...
in the final, a personality that could hardly have been more different from his own. Thorburn won the match 18-16 to take the championship, and rose to number two in the world rankings. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's coverage of the final had been interrupted by the broadcast of live footage of the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy
Iranian Embassy Siege
The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London. The gunmen took 26 people hostage—mostly embassy staff, but several visitors and a police officer, who had been guarding the embassy, were also...
.
The following season Thorburn reached number one in the world rankings.
In 1983 he reached the World Championship final losing to Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
in 1983. On the latter occasion his wife had a miscarriage during his semi-final and partly explains his eventual heavy defeat by Davis in the final. Thorburn himself refused to blame this for his loss citing that he was fatigued after his three back-to-back final frame victories; 13-12 win over Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
in the Second Round, 13-12 win over Kirk Stevens
Kirk Stevens
Kirk Stevens is a Canadian professional snooker player.Stevens started playing young, achieving his first aged just 12. He turned professional aged 20, and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship aged 21...
in the quarter finals and a gruelling 16-15 victory (from 13-15 behind) in his semi-final against Tony Knowles
Tony Knowles (snooker player)
Anthony Knowles is an English professional snooker player. He was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s.-Career:...
, which finished at 2:30am and left him physically exhausted before the final commenced later that same day; Thorburn stated that, following the early morning finish against Knowles, he simply had nothing left for the final less than thirteen hours later against the in-form Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
, who eventually defeated Thorburn 18-6, with a session to spare.
In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum break at the World Championships
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
. He compiled the break in the fourth frame of his second round match against Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
(a match he went on to win 13-12). Whilst completing the break, play stopped on the tournament's second table because Thorburn's friend and fellow Canadian Bill Werbeniuk
Bill Werbeniuk
William Alexander "Bill" Werbeniuk was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill"...
wanted to watch him complete the break.
In 1983 Thorburn was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Thorburn was three times the Benson and Hedges Masters Champion, the most prestigious non-ranking event on the snooker calendar for many years. The event was held at the Wembley Conference Centre near London, England, which is where Thorburn lifted the title on three occasions winning in 1983 beating Ray Reardon 9-7 in the final, 1985 beating Doug Mountjoy 9-6 and in 1986 beating Jimmy White 9-5. Thorburn was the first player to retain the Masters title.
During the 1984/85 season Thorburn enjoyed a resurgence in form. He made the final of the Rothmans Grand Prix losing to Dennis Taylor 10-2 in the Final. The highlight of the tournament was Thorburn's 9-7 victory over Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
in the Semi-Final. Thorburn played outstanding snooker to overcome his great rival and the victory came unexpectedly because at that time Davis was in outstanding form.
In January 1985 Thorburn also made the final of the Mercantile Credit Classic and was again in outstanding form. On this occasion he met Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne
William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
in the final who was in equivalent good form and Thorne ran out the winner 13-8. Thorburn was again runner-up in the 1986 Mercantile Credit Classic final, this time losing to Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
in the final frame 13-12.
Thorburn enjoyed success in the 1985 and 1986 Langs Scottish Masters, an invitational event which opened the snooker season. Thorburn defeated Willie Thorne 9-7 in 1985 final and Alex Higgins 9-8 the following year.
Thorburn won the opening ranking event in the 1985-1986 snooker calendar, the Goya Matchroom Trophy. Thorburn beat Jimmy White in the final 12-10 having trailed 0-7 and 4-8 and was runner-up in the same event the following two seasons.
Later years
He last qualified for the World Championship in 1994, where he faced Nigel BondNigel Bond
-External links:*...
in the first round. Thorburn led by 9-2 but lost 10-9.
During the 2006 World Championships, Thorburn flew to Sheffield to unveil a lifesize painting of his break, by the artist Michael Myers. It is on display at the Macdonald St. Paul's Hotel in Sheffield. In 2010 Cliff Thorburn returned to the UK to compete on the Snooker Legends Tour where he faced Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and John Parrott
John Parrott
John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player and TV personality.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
.
Along with the highs there were a few lows. His manager Darryl McKerrow was killed in a hunting accident during the mid 80’s and he was fined £10,000 and banned for two ranking tournaments in 1988 after failing a drugs test.
He is the father of two boys, Jamie and Andrew. Thorburn won around C$2.5 million in prize money during his 25 year career but also received a considerable income from inter alia billiards equipment endorsements, exhibition games, a snooker instruction book and an autobiography.
World Championship finals: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1977 |  John SpencerJohn Spencer (snooker player) John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition... |
21–25 |
| Winner | 1980 |  Alex HigginsAlex Higgins Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play... |
18–16 |
| Runner-up | 1983 | Steve Davis Steve Davis Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire... |
6–18 |
Tournament wins
Ranking tournaments- World Snooker ChampionshipWorld Snooker ChampionshipThe World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
(1980) - Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985)
Non-ranking tournaments
- Canadian Open (1974, 1978, 1979, 1980)
- MastersMasters (snooker)The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...
(1983, 1985, 1986) - Scottish MastersScottish Masters (snooker)The Scottish Masters, often known by its sponsored names, the Lang's Scottish Masters or the Regal Scottish Masters, was a non-ranking professional snooker tournament held every year from 1981 until 2002, with the exception of 1988....
(1985, 1986) - Pot BlackPot BlackPot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
(1981) - Canadian Professional Championship (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987)
Team tournaments
- World Cup (1982, 1990) with Canadian team