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Dennis Taylor
British snooker player

Dennis Taylor

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
British snooker player
Work field
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Age
75 years
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Dennis Taylor (born Denis Taylor, 19 January 1949 in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a retired professional snooker player and current BBC snooker commentator.

Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Championship, beating World number one Steve Davis on the final black in one of the sport's most memorable finals. He also won the Grand Prix in 1984 and the Masters in 1987. Taylor is also well known for his sense of humour and his trademark oversized spectacles. He made regular appearances on the snooker game show Big Break.

Career

Early career

Taylor turned professional in 1972 and made his world championship debut in 1973, narrowly losing to Cliff Thorburn in the first round. After world semi-final losses in 1975 and 1977, Taylor reached his first major final – the World Championship – in 1979, but lost 24–16 to debutant Terry Griffiths.

Having reached the semi final of the World Championships in 1984, losing to Steve Davis, Taylor was playing very well as he began the 1984–85 season. In September, however, he was devastated by the sudden death of his mother, which caused him to withdraw from the Jameson International. His first ranking event win came later in 1984, when he won the Rothmans Grand Prix by beating Cliff Thorburn 10–2 in the final.

The 1985 final

Later that season he reached his second world final in 1985, where he faced Steve Davis, world number one, reigning world champion and the dominant player of the 1980s. Taylor trailed 0–8 after the first session, but bounced back to trail 7–9 and 15–17 and then level at 17–17. In an incredibly tense final frame, the score was 62–44 to Davis with only the brown, blue, pink and black still on the table. While Davis needed only the brown, Taylor needed all the colours. He potted a long brown, which he says was one of his best ever shots under pressure.

A tricky blue and a difficult pink also went in, bringing the score to 62–59 to ensure that, for the first time ever, the title would be decided on the black ball. Taylor eventually potted the black after Davis had missed a tricky cut into the top pocket and, amid euphoric scenes watched by over 18 million viewers well after midnight on live BBC television, took the title at the relatively advanced age of 36.

Davis later drily commented that the match had all been there "in black and white". The World Championship win added to Taylor's popularity. On his return to Coalisland with the world trophy he was mobbed by the town's inhabitants, and he appeared widely on television thereafter.

Later career

Taylor reached the Rothmans Grand Prix final again in autumn 1985, and again faced Davis in a match that went to a deciding frame, but this time was beaten 10–9. As with all other first-time world champions so far, Taylor succumbed to the "Crucible Curse" on his return to the Crucible Theatre the following year and lost 10–6 to Mike Hallett in the opening match, humorously acknowledging defeat by putting his handkerchief on the end of his cue to resemble a white flag. He won the Benson & Hedges Masters in 1987, beating Alex Higgins 9–8 in the final, having trailed 8-5. Taylor often credits his comeback win to having heard that Higgins's manager had ordered champagne to celebrate their impending victory.

Taylor had a well-publicized row with Higgins at the 1990 snooker World Cup in which the Northern Ireland team were beaten by Canada in the final, which ended with Higgins threatening to have Taylor shot, a threat Taylor understandably took seriously since he and Higgins belonged to opposite sides of Northern Ireland's sectarian divide. Shortly afterwards they met in the quarter-finals of the Irish Masters, and a determined Taylor won 5–2. The match was attended by a young Ken Doherty. Taylor also beat Jimmy White 6–5 in the semi-finals but, emotionally drained by the Higgins match, lost 9–4 to Davis in the final. Taylor and Higgins were later reconciled.

Taylor and Davis met in the World Championship for a second time in 1991, this time in the quarter-finals. Davis won this match 13-7 to advance to the semi-final.

Taylor was renowned for the glasses he wore during matches, with their large frame and unusual 'upside-down' structure that is required to avoid a player looking over the top of the lenses when down on a shot. As a member of the Matchroom group of players (managed by promoter Barry Hearn), Taylor performed on the hit single with Chas & Dave, "Snooker Loopy", which peaked at #5 in the UK singles chart. His perceived bad eyesight was parodied in the song with the lines "them long shots, he never ever got. Why the old mind boggles. But nowadays he pots the lot" with Taylor himself singing "'cos I wear these goggles".

He was also one of the first players to develop a relative competence in using his left hand to play the game, though he himself said this was partly because he hated to play shots with the rest. Taylor's form deteriorated gradually in the 1990s and he dropped out of the top 16 after the 1994 World Championship, the last remaining player who had been in the original world rankings in 1976. He retired from playing in 2000.

Personal life

Taylor now commentates on the three televised snooker tournaments each year for the BBC and is known for his bona fide and light-hearted commentary. His most famous commentary incident occurred in 1998 when co-commentator Clive Everton nearly strangled Taylor after instinctively grabbing his tie as he fell off his chair. Everton wrongly believed one snooker was required by a player before Taylor stated correctly that he actually needed three snookers to get back into the frame. Everton subsequently proclaimed that his "brains have gone completely" before leaning back in his chair which then gave way. He reached out as he fell, grabbing Taylor's tie and pulling him down with him. An audible bang rang around the auditorium as Everton fell off his chair and out the commentary box with Taylor chuckling uncontrollably.

Taylor has also made guest appearances on Big Break, They Think It's All Over, Russian Roulette, A Question of Sport, The Weakest Link and The Sooty Show. In 2005, he was one of the celebrities taking part in the third series of the successful BBC show Strictly Come Dancing, reaching eighth place with his partner Izabela Hannah.

In February 1990, Taylor officially opened the Royal Mail Sorting Office, in Blackburn, Lancashire, giving it his own stamp of approval. He then took part in a one-frame friendly challenge match. Taylor currently lives in Llay near Wrexham and has been a resident of the village since April 2003. His son Damien is a professional golf coach. His autobiography is entitled Frame By Frame.

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament1972/
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1979
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1980
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1985
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1987
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2000
RankingNo ranking system9482651313114381081091115243226345288
Ranking tournaments
UK ChampionshipTournament Not Held2R1RSFQF3R2R2R2RSF1R1R2R2RLQ2R2R2R2R3R2R3RLQLQ
World Championship1RLQSFQFSF1RF2RQF1R2RSFW1R2R2R2R1RQF1RQF1RLQLQLQLQLQLQ
Non-ranking tournaments
The MastersNot HeldA1R1RQFAQF1R1RA1R1RQFW1R1R1R1R1R1RQFAAAAAA
Performance Table Legend
LQFailed to qualify#RLost in the early rounds
QFLost in the quarter-finalsSFLost in the semi-finals
FLost in the finalWTournament winner
ADid not participate in the tournamentNHTournament was not held

Career finals

Ranking event finals: 6 (2 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Legend
World Championship (1–1)
UK Championship (0–0)
Other (1–3)
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Runner-up1.1979World ChampionshipWales Griffiths, TerryTerry Griffiths16–24
Winner1.1984Grand PrixCanada Thorburn, CliffCliff Thorburn10–2
Winner2.1985World ChampionshipEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis18–17
Runner-up2.1985Grand PrixEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis9–10
Runner-up3.1987Grand Prix (2)Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry7–10
Runner-up4.1990Asian OpenScotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry3–9

Non-ranking event finals: 36 (17 titles, 19 runner-ups)

Legend
Masters (1–0)
Other (16–19)
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Runner-up1.1974Canadian OpenCanada Thorburn, CliffCliff Thorburn6–8
Runner-up2.1975Pot BlackEngland Miles, GrahamGraham Miles0–1
Runner-up3.1976Pot Black (2)England Spencer, JohnJohn Spencer0–1
Runner-up4.1978Irish Professional ChampionshipNorthern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins7–21
Runner-up5.1979Bombay InternationalEngland John SpencerRound-Robin
Runner-up6.1980Tolly Cobbold ClassicNorthern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins4–5
Winner1.1980Irish Professional ChampionshipNorthern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins21–15
Runner-up7.1980Pontins Camber SandsNorthern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins7–9
Runner-up8.1980The ClassicEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis1–4
Runner-up9.1980Australian MastersEngland John SpencerAggregate Score
Winner2.1981Irish Professional Championship (2)Republic of Ireland Fagan, PatsyPatsy Fagan22–21
Runner-up10.1981International OpenEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis0–9
Runner-up11.1982Tolly Cobbold Classic (2)England Davis, SteveSteve Davis3–8
Winner3.1982Irish Professional Championship (3)Northern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins16–13
Runner-up12.1983Irish Professional Championship (2)Northern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins11–16
Winner4.1984Costa Del Sol ClassicEngland Hallett, MikeMike Hallett5–2
Runner-up13.1984Professional Snooker LeagueEngland John VirgoRound-Robin
Winner5.1985Irish Professional Championship (4)Northern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins10–5
Winner6.1985Thailand MastersWales Griffiths, TerryTerry Griffiths4–0
Winner7.1985Canadian MastersEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis9–5
Winner8.1985Kit-Kat Break for World ChampionsEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis9–5
Winner9.1986Irish Professional Championship (5)Northern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins10–7
Winner10.1986Australian MastersEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis3–2
Runner-up14.1986Malaysian MastersEngland White, JimmyJimmy White1–2
Runner-up15.1986Hong Kong MastersEngland Thorne, WillieWillie Thorne3–8
Winner11.1986Carlsberg ChallengeEngland White, JimmyJimmy White8–3
Winner12.1987The MastersNorthern Ireland Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins9–8
Winner13.1987Irish Professional Championship (6)Republic of Ireland Joe O'Boye9–2
Winner14.1987Tokyo MastersNorthern Ireland Griffiths, TerryTerry Griffiths6–3
Winner15.1987Carling ChallengeEngland Johnson, JoeJoe Johnson8–5
Winner16.1987Matchroom Professional ChampionshipEngland Thorne, WillieWillie Thorne10–3
Winner17.1987Canadian Masters (2)England White, JimmyJimmy White9–7
Runner-up16.1988Irish Professional Championship (3)Northern Ireland Jack McLaughlin4–9
Runner-up17.1988Matchroom Professional ChampionshipEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis7–10
Runner-up18.1990Irish MastersEngland Davis, SteveSteve Davis4–9
Runner-up19.1995Charity ChallengeScotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry1–9

Pro-am event finals: 1 (1 title)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Winner1.1980Pontins Camber Sands OpenEngland Foulds, GeoffGeoff Foulds7–5


Team finals: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipTeam/partnerOpponent(s) in the finalScore
Winner1.1985World CupIreland England9–7
Winner2.1986World Cup (2)Ireland Canada9–7
Winner3.1987World Cup (3)Ireland Canada9–2
Runner-up1.1987World Doubles ChampionshipCanada Thorburn, CliffCliff ThorburnEngland Hallett, MikeMike Hallett
Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry
8–12
Runner-up2.1990World Cup Northern Ireland Canada5–9

Other wins

  • World Trickshot Championship – 1997, 1998
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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