King of the Valleys
After a recent Facebook post on Cliff Wilson, I was touched by your personal experiences of meeting the great man. So for all those who knew Cliff and those who may have not heard of this great, Welsh player, I am dedicating this blog to his memory and the rightful place he deserves in snooker history.
Wilson was a friend and rival of Ray Reardon and grew up in an age of snooker where the sport was classed as a game and was confined to working men’s clubs, seen as a pastime after a hard day’s work by the working class. Cliff who was born and grew up in Tredegar in South Wales His rise in the game came through the amateur circuit, winning the Under 19 tournament in 1952 and the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1956.
Unlike other players, Cliff took an unusual path into professional snooker, largely losing interest in the game until the late 1970s. From somewhere that spark was relit and Cliff decided to enter the 1978, IBSF, World Amateur Championship which he subsequently won. This acted as a springboard for his career and he subsequently became a professional player in 1979, aged 45. Some would say this was a risky decision but this was probably the best choice that Cliff ever made.
Much has been said in recent years about the fast and attacking play of Alex Higgins and Jimmy White but pundits have failed to pick up on Cliff Wilson. Little footage is available of Wilson’s play but if you want to see a very fast and attacking player, look no further than Wilson. His appearance on the BBC programme, Big Break is amazing and shows the sheer speed and accuracy that this player could achieve. Forget other players for a minute and spend a couple of minutes on You Tube and you will be surprised, especially if you have not heard of him.
Sadly Wilson never managed to pass the first round of the World Championship but his appearances in this tournament and others during this period and up until the 1990 were very entertaining. Cliff played in a era where any snooker match was complimented by a cigarette and a pint. Wilson was an entertainer and loved to take the tension out of play by cracking a joke and engaging the audience. The key to Wilson’s success was that he adopted a laid back approach to the sport. Interviewed by David Vine, Cliff stated that snooker wasn’t a sport but a game he enjoyed to play. Like Mark Williams and Ray Reardon, Wilson used this technique to hide his true seriousness and desire to win.
In later years, Cliff suffered with bouts of ill health, affecting his back, knee and heart. In the end , his career ended as a result of an inoperable disease of the liver and pancreas. His last appearance was at the 1994 International Open but not before he beat a 16 year Ronnie O’Sullivan in the the 1992 Uk Championship, winning 9-8. Cliff sadly passed away in 1994.
Cliff Wilson was clearly a Welsh great and was a forerunner to many attacking players in the modern era. It is however, a great shame in my opinion that this player is overlooked in snooker history and it takes a blog such as this to make people aware of his presence in the sport or the game as he would say.
https://youtu.be/8rG3jkaRLvM
Wilson was a friend and rival of Ray Reardon and grew up in an age of snooker where the sport was classed as a game and was confined to working men’s clubs, seen as a pastime after a hard day’s work by the working class. Cliff who was born and grew up in Tredegar in South Wales His rise in the game came through the amateur circuit, winning the Under 19 tournament in 1952 and the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1956.
Unlike other players, Cliff took an unusual path into professional snooker, largely losing interest in the game until the late 1970s. From somewhere that spark was relit and Cliff decided to enter the 1978, IBSF, World Amateur Championship which he subsequently won. This acted as a springboard for his career and he subsequently became a professional player in 1979, aged 45. Some would say this was a risky decision but this was probably the best choice that Cliff ever made.
Much has been said in recent years about the fast and attacking play of Alex Higgins and Jimmy White but pundits have failed to pick up on Cliff Wilson. Little footage is available of Wilson’s play but if you want to see a very fast and attacking player, look no further than Wilson. His appearance on the BBC programme, Big Break is amazing and shows the sheer speed and accuracy that this player could achieve. Forget other players for a minute and spend a couple of minutes on You Tube and you will be surprised, especially if you have not heard of him.
Sadly Wilson never managed to pass the first round of the World Championship but his appearances in this tournament and others during this period and up until the 1990 were very entertaining. Cliff played in a era where any snooker match was complimented by a cigarette and a pint. Wilson was an entertainer and loved to take the tension out of play by cracking a joke and engaging the audience. The key to Wilson’s success was that he adopted a laid back approach to the sport. Interviewed by David Vine, Cliff stated that snooker wasn’t a sport but a game he enjoyed to play. Like Mark Williams and Ray Reardon, Wilson used this technique to hide his true seriousness and desire to win.
In later years, Cliff suffered with bouts of ill health, affecting his back, knee and heart. In the end , his career ended as a result of an inoperable disease of the liver and pancreas. His last appearance was at the 1994 International Open but not before he beat a 16 year Ronnie O’Sullivan in the the 1992 Uk Championship, winning 9-8. Cliff sadly passed away in 1994.
Cliff Wilson was clearly a Welsh great and was a forerunner to many attacking players in the modern era. It is however, a great shame in my opinion that this player is overlooked in snooker history and it takes a blog such as this to make people aware of his presence in the sport or the game as he would say.
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