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 Charles Devlin Thorburn (born 16 January 1948) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. People called him "The Grinder" because he played slowly and carefully. He won the World Snooker Championship in 1980. He beat Alex Higgins 18–16 in the final match.
Cliff Thorburn was the first world champion in snooker from outside the United Kingdom. Some people don't count Australian Horace Lindrum's win in 1952. Thorburn is still the only world champion from North or South America. He also reached the final two other times. He lost to John Spencer in 1977 and to Steve Davis in 1983. In the 1983 tournament, Thorburn made history. He was the first player to score a maximum break (147 points) in a World Championship match. This happened in his game against Terry Griffiths.
He was ranked world number one in the 1981–82 season. This made him the first non-British player to be the top snooker player in the world. He won the special Masters tournament three times: in 1983, 1985, and 1986. He was the first player to win the Masters three times and the first to win it two years in a row. He stopped playing professionally in 1996.
Cliff Thorburn was added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He joined the Snooker Hall of Fame in 2014. Later in his career, he played in special "Snooker Legends" events. He also played on the World Seniors Tour. In 2018, at age 70, he won the 2018 Seniors Masters at the famous Crucible Theatre. He stopped playing snooker competitively after the 2022 UK Seniors Championship.
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Early Life and Becoming a Professional
Cliff Thorburn was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on January 16, 1948. When he was very young, his parents separated. He spent about two years in an orphanage. After that, his father and grandmother raised him. He later found out his mother was still alive when he was 20.
As a young person, he played pool and lacrosse. In 1958, he set a record in lacrosse by scoring ten goals in one game. He left school at 16. Then, he traveled across Canada, playing pool and snooker for money. He worked jobs like washing dishes and on a garbage truck to earn money for his games.
In 1968, he played in his first tournaments. He won the Toronto City Championship. In 1970, he spent time with famous snooker players Fred Davis and Rex Williams when they visited Canada. After that, he became a professional player at the House of Champions club in Toronto. In July 1970, he reportedly made a perfect score of 147 points in a practice game. In 1971, he won the North American Amateur Championship. He made six "century breaks" (scoring 100 points or more in one turn) in that tournament. This tied a record for the most century breaks in one event.
Starting His Professional Snooker Career
In 1971, Cliff Thorburn played John Spencer in some practice matches. Even though he lost, Spencer suggested him to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Thorburn became a professional player in 1972.
In 1973, Thorburn went to England. On his first day, the world champion Alex Higgins offered to play him. Thorburn says he beat Higgins in every game. Higgins, however, refused to pay him.
At the 1973 World Snooker Championship, his first big professional tournament, Thorburn won his first match. He beat Dennis Taylor 9–8. Later, he lost to Rex Williams. In 1974, he won the 1974 Canadian Open. He beat Dennis Taylor 8–6 in the final. He reached the quarter-finals of the 1975 World Snooker Championship. The next year, he lost to Alex Higgins in the first round of the 1976 World Snooker Championship.
The 1977 World Snooker Championship was the first one held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Thorburn became the first Canadian to reach the World Championship final. He won many matches to get there. In the semi-final, he beat Dennis Taylor. In the final, he played John Spencer. The match was very close, going back and forth. Spencer eventually won 25–21.
In 1978, Thorburn reached the final of the Masters tournament. He lost to Alex Higgins. He also won the 1978 Canadian Open by beating Tony Meo 17–15. He won the Canadian Open again in 1979. He beat Terry Griffiths in a very close final, 17–16.
Winning the World Championship and Other Successes (1980s)
Cliff Thorburn played in the final of the 1980 Bombay International but lost. He reached the quarter-finals of the 1980 Masters. Before the 1980 World Championship, he practiced a lot. He won his first match against Doug Mountjoy. Then he beat Jim Wych and David Taylor. He became the first player to reach a second final at the Crucible Theatre.
His opponent in the final was Alex Higgins, who had won in 1972. The match was very intense. Higgins complained that Thorburn was distracting him, but this was not true. The game was a battle between Thorburn's careful style and Higgins's fast play. The score was tied many times. In the final session, Thorburn pulled ahead. He made a break of 119 points. Then, in the last frame, he scored 51 points to win the title. The final was watched by 14.5 million people on TV.
After the match, Higgins called Thorburn "a grinder." This nickname stuck with Thorburn because of his slow, determined way of playing. Thorburn wanted to be called "Champagne Cliff," but that name never became popular.
He won the Canadian Open for the third year in a row in 1980. He also helped the Canada Team reach the final of the 1980 World Challenge Cup, where they lost to Wales. In 1981, he reached the semi-finals of the Masters and the World Championship. He was ranked number one in the world for the 1981–82 season. He won the 1983 Masters, beating Ray Reardon in the final.
Making a Maximum Break in 1983
In 1983, Cliff Thorburn made history again. He was the first player to score a perfect 147-point maximum break at the World Championship. This happened in his match against Terry Griffiths. It was only the second official maximum break ever made in professional snooker. Thorburn started the break by accidentally potting a red ball. While he was making the break, play stopped on another table so his friend Bill Werbeniuk could watch. Thorburn won that match against Griffiths. He then won two more very close matches to reach the final.
In the semi-final, which finished very late at night, Thorburn learned that his wife had a miscarriage. He played Steve Davis in the final. Thorburn was very tired from his long matches. Davis won the final 18–6.
More Success from 1984 to 1989
Thorburn played very well in the 1984–85 season. He reached the final of the Grand Prix, losing to Dennis Taylor. He also reached the final of the Classic and the 1986 Classic, but lost both.
He won more Masters titles. He beat Doug Mountjoy in 1985 and Jimmy White in 1986. He was the first player to win the Masters three times and the first to win it two years in a row. He also won the Scottish Masters in 1985 and 1986. In 1985, he won the Matchroom Trophy by beating Jimmy White, even after being far behind. He was runner-up in the same event in 1986 and 1987.
In 1988, Thorburn was fined and banned from two tournaments. This was because of a failed drug test at the 1988 British Open. He made another maximum break in 1989 during a match against Jimmy White.
Later Years in Snooker
Cliff Thorburn last played in the World Championship in 1994. He was leading his first-round match 9–2 but ended up losing 9–10. In 1995, at the 1995 Thailand Open, he beat three top players to reach the semi-finals. He lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Thorburn mostly stopped playing professionally after the 1995–96 season. He said it was hard to stay motivated playing in small qualifying rounds after playing in big events. He played for Canada in the 1996 World Cup, where his team reached the quarter-finals.
He earned over one million pounds in prize money during his career. After retiring, he played as an amateur again. He won the Canadian Amateur Championship in 2001. He had won this tournament five times before. In 2006, a life-size painting of his 1983 maximum break was put on display in Sheffield. Thorburn also played in the first "Snooker Legends" Tour in 2010.
At 70 years old, Thorburn won the 2018 Seniors Masters in 2018. He beat Jonathan Bagley in the final. Shortly before his 74th birthday, he announced that the 2022 UK Seniors Championship would be his last competitive event. He played his final match on January 5, 2022, losing to Kuldesh Johal.
Personal Life
Cliff Thorburn has a son and a daughter. His daughter is transgender. After winning the World Championship, he bought a house in England. His manager passed away in 1984. Thorburn was later managed by Robert Windsor, then joined Barry Hearn's company, Matchroom Sport.
In 1984, Thorburn was made a Member of the Order of Canada. This is a special honor for Canadians. He was added to the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
He wrote a book called Cliff Thorburn's Snooker Skills in 1987. His life story, Playing for Keeps, was also published that year. Today, Thorburn is a head coach for cue sports in Canada. He is also an ambassador for the Pan American Billiards & Snooker Association. He is part of a group that advises on snooker coaching around the world.
Images for kids
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Thorburn in 2010
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Thorburn playing a shot at a snooker table
See also
In Spanish: Cliff Thorburn para niños
