Jimmy van Rensberg (born 24 October 1931) is a South African former professional

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

player. He won the

South African Professional Championship The South African Professional Championship was a professional snooker tournament which was open only for South African players. History South Africa held a professional championship beginning in 1948. As with Australia it was originally held as ...

in 1984. He was a record 12-time winner of the South African Amateur Championship.

Career

Born in 1931, van Rensberg turned professional in 1978 at the relatively advanced age of 46. He entered few tournaments in his first several seasons on tour, reaching the final of the 1979 South African Professional Championship after beating

Silvino Francisco Silvino Francisco (born 3 May 1946) is a South African former professional snooker player, most notable for winning the 1985 British Open. Snooker career Francisco comes from a snooker-playing family. His brother Manuel and nephew Peter both ...

in the semi-finals; this was van Rensberg's first match in the event, and he lost the final 6–9 to Derek Mienie. After losing 1–9 to

Tony Meo Anthony Christian Meo (born 4 October 1959) is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1989 British Open by defeating Dean Reynolds 13–6 in the final, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1984 Classic. He won four World Doubles Cham ...

in qualifying for the 1980 World Championship, van Rensberg next played a competitive match in the 1984 edition of the tournament. There, he beat Vic Harris 10–7 and in his last-64 match, came to trail

Ray Edmonds Ray Edmonds (born 25 April 1936 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire) is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985. Pla ...

0–7. He won the next three frames, but Edmonds took the eleventh and twelfth to leave van Rensberg 3–9 behind; however, from there the latter won seven consecutive frames to prevail 10–9. In the last 48, he faced Francisco again, but a 0–9 deficit proved too much to recover, and he lost 3–10. The 1985 World Championship saw van Rensberg himself fall victim to a comeback, as the Canadian

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recovered from 0–3 and 6–9 to defeat him 10–9. Van Rensberg was able to enter six tournaments in the 1985/1986 season, and recorded his first last-32 finish at the 1986 Classic, where he beat Wayne Jones 5–4 and

John Parrott John Stephen Parrott, (born 11 May 1964) is an English former professional snooker player and television personality. He was a familiar face on the professional snooker circuit during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, and remained within ...

5–3 before

Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...

ended his run with a 1–5 loss. Ranked 59th, a career-best, for 1986/1987, van Rensberg registered three last-64 finishes therein; at the International Open, he lost 3–5 to

Barry West Barry West (24 October 1958 – 15 December 2022) was an English professional snooker player. Biography West was born on 24 October 1958, and became a professional snooker player in 1985. He reached the last 32 of a ranking tournament on fift ...

, while Francisco beat him 5–4 in the 1987 Classic and his World Championship qualifying attempt culminated in a 0–10 whitewash by Tony Jones. Poor form followed in the next few years, and during the 1988/1989 season, van Rensberg lost all nine of the matches he played. In the 1989 Hong Kong Open, he made a break of 104 - his first and only century break - in a match against

Alain Robidoux Alain Robidoux (born July 25, 1960) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Robidoux played on the sport's main tour from 1987 to 2004 and continues to play in events in Canada. Career He was born in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec and joined ...

, but lost 1–5; his best performance that season, and best for several years, was a run to the last 64 at the 1990 Dubai Classic. There, he was beaten 5–4 by

John Virgo John Virgo (born 4 March 1946) is an English former professional snooker player who has since developed a career as a snooker commentator and TV personality. Snooker career Early professional career (1973–1978) Virgo's first notable appea ...

. A 1–5 loss to

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder o ...

of the Isle of Man, in the 1990 British Open, would be van Rensberg's final at competitive level; he never played again, and was relegated from the tour in 1991, aged 59.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rensburg, Jimmy van South African snooker players 1931 births Living people