Billy Kelly (snooker player)

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Billy Kelly
Born (1945-05-01) 1 May 1945 (age 76)
Sport countryIreland
Professional1981–1992
Highest ranking54

Billy Kelly (born 1 May 1945) is an Irish former professional snooker player. He played professionally from 1981 to 1992.

Career[]

Kelly was born on 1 May 1945.[1] In 1977, he won the CIU championship, regarded as the second-most prestigious amateur competition after the English Amateur Championship,[2]: 158  and the Autumn Pontins Open.[3]

He was accepted as a member by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in 1981.[4] His first professional tournament was the 1981 International Open, where he lost 1–5 to Murdo MacLeod in the first qualifying round.[1] He also lost in his first qualifying matches at the 1981 UK Championship (7–9 to Geoff Foulds);[1] the 1982 Irish Professional Championship (1–6 to Tommy Murphy);[5] and the 1982 World Snooker Championship (8-9 to Eddie Sinclair).[1] Although he recorded a number of match victories in the following seasons, he did not reach further than the last 32 of a major tournament.[1] He compiled a break of 141 against in the qualifying rounds of the 1988 World Snooker Championship that was, at the time, the highest break ever made in the world championship qualifying rounds.[6]

In 1990, Kelly was due to lose his professional status after being defeated 7–10 by Jason Ferguson in a play-off match, one of a series of matches where the lowest-ranked professionals faced leading amateurs with places on the professional tour at stake.[7] However, the WPBSA soon opened membership for events to anyone over the age of 16 that paid the relevant fee, and Kelly continued to play in professional tournaments until 1992,[1][8] finishing the 1991–92 snooker season ranked 188th,[9] He also entered the World Snooker Championships in 2002,[10] 2003,[1] 2005, 2009 and 2013.[11]

His highest ranking achieved as a professional was 54.[1]

Career Highlights[]

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Winner 1. 1977 Pontins Autumn Open  George Scott (ENG) 7–5 [12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. p. 550. ISBN 978-0954854904.
  2. ^ Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 0600501922.
  3. ^ "Billy Kelly – a welcome stranger". Belfast Telegraph. 5 December 1981. p. 17.
  4. ^ "Snooker". The Guardian. London. 18 April 1981. p. 22.
  5. ^ Everton, Clive (1985). Snooker: The Records. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 69. ISBN 0851124488.
  6. ^ "Kelly makes world impact". The Guardian. London. 23 March 1988. p. 14.
  7. ^ "Professional play-offs: Fred Davis bows out". Snooker Scene. Birmingham: Everton's News Agency. July 1990. pp. 10–11.
  8. ^ Acteson, Steve (13 October 1990). "A motley cast of hundreds waiting for the cue – Snooker". The Times.
  9. ^ "Official world rankings 1991-2". Snooker Scene. Birmingham: Everton's News Agency. June 1992. pp. 24–25.
  10. ^ "Golden oldies eliminated". Snooker Scene. Birmingham: Everton's News Agency. February 2002. pp. 51–52.
  11. ^ "Billy Kelly". snookerdatabase.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  12. ^ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-60055604-6.
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