Cliff Thorburn facts for kids
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Thorburn in 2010
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| Born | 16 January 1948 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
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| Sport country |  Canada |
| Professional | 1972–1996 |
| Highest ranking | 1 (1981/82) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 2 |
| World Champion | 1980 |
Clifford "Cliff" Charles Devlin Thorburn (born January 16, 1948) is a retired professional snooker player from Canada. He was famous for his slow and careful playing style, which earned him the nickname "The Grinder."
Thorburn's biggest achievement was winning the 1980 World Snooker Championship. He beat Alex Higgins in a thrilling final with a score of 18–16. He was the first world champion in the sport from outside the United Kingdom. To this day, he is the only world champion from the Americas.
He also reached the world championship final two other times. In 1977, he lost to John Spencer, and in 1983, he lost to Steve Davis. During the 1983 tournament, Thorburn made history. He became the first player to score a maximum break (the highest possible score in a single frame) in a World Championship match.
Thorburn was ranked world number one for the 1981–82 season. He was the first non-British player to reach the top of the world rankings. He also won the prestigious Masters tournament three times in 1983, 1985, and 1986. He retired from professional snooker in 1996 but continued to play in special events for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Snooker
Cliff Thorburn was born on January 16, 1948, in Victoria, British Columbia. As a young boy, he lived with his father and grandmother. He was very athletic and played sports like lacrosse.
He left school at 16 to travel across Canada. He played pool and snooker to earn money. In 1968, he started playing in tournaments and won the Toronto City Championship. He learned a lot from famous players like Fred Davis and Rex Williams when they toured Canada.
In 1971, he won the North American Amateur Championship. He made six century breaks (scoring 100 or more points in one turn) in that tournament. This tied a record for the most century breaks in a single event.
Professional Career
Becoming a Pro
In 1972, Thorburn became a professional snooker player. He traveled to England in 1973 to compete. In his first major tournament, the 1973 World Snooker Championship, he made it to the second round.
He quickly showed his talent. In 1974, he won the 1974 Canadian Open. He reached the quarter-finals of the 1975 World Snooker Championship.
First World Championship Final
The 1977 World Snooker Championship was the first one held at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Thorburn played brilliantly and became the first Canadian to reach the final.
He faced John Spencer in a very close match. The score was tied many times, including at 9–9 and 15–15. In the end, Spencer won the match 25–21. Even though he lost, Thorburn proved he was one of the best players in the world.
Winning the World Championship
In 1980, Thorburn was determined to win. Before the 1980 World Championship, he prepared carefully. He defeated several top players to reach the final again. His opponent was Alex Higgins, a former champion.
The final was a dramatic match. Higgins took an early lead, but Thorburn fought back to tie the score at 9–9. The match was a battle of styles. Higgins was known for his fast, attacking play, while Thorburn was slow and strategic.
The score remained close, tied at 13–13 and later at 16–16. In the next frame, Thorburn made a fantastic break of 119 to lead 17–16. He then won the final frame to secure the title with a score of 18–16. The final moments were watched by millions on TV. The broadcast was even interrupted by news coverage of the Iranian Embassy Siege.
Maximum Break and More Success
At the 1983 World Snooker Championship, Thorburn made history. In his match against Terry Griffiths, he scored a maximum break of 147 points. This is a perfect score in snooker and very rare. It was the first maximum break ever made at the World Championship.
He went on to reach the final that year but lost to Steve Davis. During the semi-final, he learned of some sad family news, which made his journey to the final even more challenging.
Thorburn continued to have great success in the 1980s. He won the Masters tournament three times in a row from 1985 to 1986. He also won the 1985 Matchroom Trophy after being behind 0–7 in the final.
Later Years and Retirement
Thorburn remained a top player for many years. In 1994, he played his last World Championship. He led 9–2 but lost the match 9–10 in a very close finish.
He retired from the main professional tour in 1996. He said it was hard to stay motivated playing in smaller qualifying events after years of playing in front of large crowds.
Even after retiring, Thorburn didn't stop playing. He won the Canadian Amateur Championship again in 2001. He also played in Snooker Legends events. In 2018, at the age of 70, he won the 2018 Seniors Masters at the Crucible Theatre. He played his final competitive match in January 2022.
Personal Life and Legacy
Thorburn has a son and a daughter. In 1984, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, a high honor in his home country. He was also added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
He wrote a book about snooker skills and an autobiography called Playing for Keeps. Today, he helps coach new players and is an important figure in the world of snooker.
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournament | 1972/ 73 |
1973/ 74 |
1974/ 75 |
1975/ 76 |
1976/ 77 |
1977/ 78 |
1978/ 79 |
1979/ 80 |
1980/ 81 |
1981/ 82 |
1982/ 83 |
1983/ 84 |
1984/ 85 |
1985/ 86 |
1986/ 87 |
1987/ 88 |
1988/ 89 |
1989/ 90 |
1990/ 91 |
1991/ 92 |
1992/ 93 |
1993/ 94 |
1994/ 95 |
1995/ 96 |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | No ranking system | 13 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 36 | 36 | 41 | 54 | 41 | ||||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Classic | Tournament not held | NR | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||
| Grand Prix | Tournament not held | 3R | QF | F | SF | 1R | 2R | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | ||||||||||
| UK Championship | Non-ranking event | SF | 3R | QF | QF | QF | 2R | WD | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||
| German Open | Tournament not held | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | Tournament not held | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||
| International Open | Tournament not held | NR | 2R | F | 1R | W | F | F | A | 1R | Not held | LQ | 2R | 1R | LQ | ||||||||||
| European Open | Tournament not held | QF | 1R | SF | 2R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Open | Tournament not held | Non-ranking event | Not held | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | 1R | SF | WD | |||||||||||||||
| British Open | Tournament not held | Non-ranking event | 3R | 3R | SF | SF | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||
| World Championship | NR | 1R | QF | 1R | F | QF | 1R | W | SF | 1R | F | QF | QF | SF | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | |
| Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | Not held | 1R | 1R | A | F | QF | QF | SF | QF | W | 1R | W | W | SF | QF | QF | 1R | A | LQ | A | A | A | A | ||
| Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Masters | Not held | Non-ranking event | Tournament not held | Non-ranking event | QF | Tournament not held | |||||||||||||||||||
| Classic | Tournament not held | Non-ranking event | 1R | F | F | 2R | 2R | SF | 2R | 1R | 2R | Tournament not held | |||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | 2R | Ranking event | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | A | RR | A | A | SF | RR | A | A | W | SF | A | A | SF | SF | Tournament not held | A | A | A | NH | ||||||
| Canadian Professional Championship | Tournament not held | W | Not held | SF | W | W | W | W | SF | Tournament not held | |||||||||||||||
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| NH / Not held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-ranking event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking event | means an event is/was a ranking event. | |||
Career finals
Ranking finals: 10 (2 titles)
| World Championship (1–2) |
| Other (1–6) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1977 | World Snooker Championship |  John Spencer (ENG) |
21–25 |
| Winner | 1. | 1980 | World Snooker Championship |  Alex Higgins (NIR) |
18–16 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1983 | World Snooker Championship (2) | Steve Davis (ENG) |
6–18 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1983 | International Open | Steve Davis (ENG) |
4–9 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1984 | Grand Prix | Dennis Taylor (NIR) |
2–10 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1985 | The Classic | Willie Thorne (ENG) |
8–13 |
| Winner | 2. | 1985 | Matchroom Trophy | Jimmy White (ENG) |
12–10 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1986 | The Classic (2) | Jimmy White (ENG) |
12–13 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1986 | International Open (2) | Neal Foulds (ENG) |
9–12 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 1987 | International Open (3) | Steve Davis (ENG) |
5–12 |
Non-ranking finals: 26 (19 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (3–1) |
| Other (16–6) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1974 | World Masters | John Spencer (ENG) |
160–67 | |
| Winner | 2. | 1974 | Canadian Open | Dennis Taylor (NIR) |
8–6 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1978 | The Masters | Alex Higgins (NIR) |
5–7 | |
| Winner | 3. | 1978 | Canadian Open (2) | Tony Meo (ENG) |
17–15 | |
| Winner | 4. | 1979 | Canadian Open (3) |  Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
17–16 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1980 | Bombay International | John Virgo (ENG) |
7–13 | |
| Winner | 5. | 1980 | Canadian Professional Championship | Jim Wych (CAN) |
9–6 | |
| Winner | 6. | 1980 | Canadian Open (4) | Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
17–10 | |
| Winner | 7. | 1981 | Pot Black | Jim Wych (CAN) |
2–0 | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1981 | Tolly Cobbold Classic | Graham Miles (ENG) |
1–5 | |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1981 | Scottish Masters | Jimmy White (ENG) |
4–9 | |
| Winner | 8. | 1983 | The Masters | Ray Reardon (WAL) |
9–7 | |
| Winner | 9. | 1983 | Australian Masters | Bill Werbeniuk (CAN) |
7–3 | |
| Winner | 10. | 1984 | Canadian Professional Championship (2) | Mario Morra (CAN) |
9–2 | |
| Winner | 11. | 1985 | The Masters (2) | Doug Mountjoy (WAL) |
9–6 | |
| Winner | 12. | 1985 | Canadian Professional Championship (3) | Bob Chaperon (CAN) |
6–4 | |
| Winner | 13. | 1985 | Scottish Masters | Willie Thorne (ENG) |
9–7 | |
| Winner | 14. | 1986 | The Masters (3) | Jimmy White (ENG) |
9–5 | |
| Winner | 15. | 1986 | Canadian Professional Championship (4) | Jim Wych (CAN) |
6–2 | |
| Winner | 16. | 1986 | Scottish Masters (2) | Alex Higgins (NIR) |
9–8 | |
| Winner | 17. | 1987 | Canadian Professional Championship (5) | Jim Bear (CAN) |
8–4 | |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2000 | World Seniors Masters | Willie Thorne (ENG) |
0–1 | |
| Winner | 18. | 2018 | The Seniors Masters | Jonathan Bagley (ENG) |
2–1 |
Team finals: 9 (4 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team/partner | Opponent(s) in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1980 | World Challenge Cup |  Canada |
 Wales |
5–8 | |
| Winner | 1. | 1982 | World Team Classic | Canada |
 England |
4–2 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1984 | World Doubles Championship (2) | Willie Thorne (ENG) |
Alex Higgins (NIR) Jimmy White (ENG) |
2–10 | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1986 | World Cup (2) | Canada |
Ireland "A" | 7–9 | |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1987 | World Cup (3) | Canada |
Ireland "A" | 2–9 | |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1987 | World Doubles Championship (2) | Dennis Taylor (NIR) |
 Stephen Hendry (SCO) Mike Hallett (ENG) |
8–12 | |
| Winner | 2. | 1990 | World Cup (2) | Canada |
 Northern Ireland |
9–5 |
Amateur finals: 7 (6 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1972 | Canadian Amateur Championship | |||
| Winner | 2. | 1974 | Canadian Amateur Championship (2) | Julien St Dennis (CAN) |
13–11 | |
| Winner | 3. | 1975 | Canadian Amateur Championship (3) | Bill Werbeniuk (CAN) |
11–1 | |
| Winner | 4. | 1976 | Canadian Amateur Championship (4) | Bill Werbeniuk (CAN) |
9–2 | |
| Winner | 5. | 1977 | Canadian Amateur Championship (5) | Robert Paquette (CAN) |
10–6 | |
| Winner | 6. | 2001 | Canadian Amateur Championship (6) | Tom Finstad (CAN) |
4–3 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2002 | Canadian Amateur Championship | Kirk Stevens (CAN) |
1–6 |
See also
In Spanish: Cliff Thorburn para niños
