Joyce Gardner (1910–1981) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

professional

English billiards English billiards, called simply billiards in the United Kingdom and in many former British colonies, is a cue sport that combines the aspects of carom billiards and pool. Two (one white and one yellow) and a red are used. Each player or team us ...

player. She was the Women's Professional Billiards Champion from 1931 to 1933, and from 1935 to 1938.

Early life

Joyce Winifred Frances Gardner was born on 24 August 1910 in Gloucester. While living in Gloucester Joyce's parents ran the Glevum Billiard hall. But Joyce didn't take up billiards until the family moved to London where her father ran a billiards saloon in Holborn. Initially she took up millinery and dressmaking, but she discovered that she had a skill for potting balls whilst helping her father clear up the billiard tables.

Career

Margaret Lennan Margaret Lennan was a Scottish snooker and billiards player. She was runner-up in the 1936 Women's Professional Billiards Championship. Biography Lennan started playing billiards at the age of 17, and received coaching from Alec Donaldson, ...

beat Joyce Gardner 1000–960 at Hull in September 1928 in a match billed as the British Championship. Billiard manufacturers Howard and Powell provided a silver rose bowl for the winner. This match is omitted from records in the handbooks of the

Billiards and Snooker Control Council The Billiards and Snooker Control Council (B&SCC) (formerly called the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC)) was the governing body of the games of English billiards and snooker and organised professional and amateur championship ...

. In 1930, she started working for cue sports company

Burroughes and Watts Burroughes Hall was an important billiards and snooker venue in Soho Square, London from 1903 until it closed in 1967. The hall was in the premises of Burroughes & Watts Ltd., who had been at 19 Soho Square since 1836. Burroughes & Watts opened a ...

, and received coaching from JP Mannock, Willie Smith and Sidney Smith.

organised the British Women's Billiards Championship in 1930, a competition also known as the Burwat Billiards Cup. The following year, 1931, the

Women's Billiards Association The Women's Billiards Association (WBA), founded in 1931 and based in London, United Kingdom, was the governing body for women's English billiards and snooker, and organised the Women's Professional Billiards Championship and Women's Professi ...

was formed: Gardner was one of the four professional players appointed to a committee to organise the professional championships, the others were

, Eva Collins and

Ruth Harrison Ruth Harrison (; 24 June 1920 – 13 June 2000) was an English animal welfare activist and writer. Biography Harrison was born in London, the daughter of the author Stephen Winsten and the artist Clara Birnberg. She was educated at Bedford ...

. It was agreed that the Association would take over the running of the competition as a world championship, with the same trophy as used in 1930. Her of 96 in the 1930 final was the first break by a woman to receive a certificate of recognition from the

Billiards Association and Control Council The Billiards and Snooker Control Council (B&SCC) (formerly called the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC)) was the governing body of the games of English billiards and snooker and organised professional and amateur championships ...

. and she made the first break in the competition, a 100 in 1934. Gardner was also runner-up six times, so appeared in a total of 13 finals in the 14 times the event was staged. The only year that she was not in the final was 1940, when she was beaten by

Thelma Carpenter Thelma Carpenter (January 15, 1922 – May 14, 1997) was an American jazz singer and actress, best known as "Miss One", the Good Witch of the North in the movie ''The Wiz''. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Fred and Mary C ...

in the semi-final. Gardner's highest break at billiards was 318, and at snooker it was 82. She was a guest on the introductory episode of the second series of the popular British TV snooker show

Pot Black ''Pot Black'' was a snooker tournament in the United Kingdom broadcast on the BBC. Each match was contested over a single , where other tournaments were significantly longer. The event carried no ranking points, but played a large part in th ...

in 1970.

Later life

Joyce married Arthur Williams on 9 October 1937 at St. Marylebone Parish Church in London. She made two film appearances: It Happened in Leicester Square in 1949; and

Jumping for Joy ''Jumping for Joy'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Joan Hickson and Lionel Jeffries. Plot Willie Joy (Frankie Howerd) works at a greyhound track as a cleaner, whic ...

in 1956 where she played a billiards player. It was reported that Joyce tutored the latter film's star

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

who in the film "has a number of hair-raising interludes in a London billiards saloon". She continued playing until her late sixties and became the only woman member of the

World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards based in Bristol, England. It owns and publishes the official rules of the two sports and engages in promotion ...

. Joyce Gardner died on 29 August 1981 in

Pinner Pinner is a London suburb in the London borough of Harrow, Greater London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 31,130 in 2011. Originally a med ...

, London.

Titles and achievements

Snooker Billiards

Notes

: The Championship was played in both February and November 1935, and not in 1936

References

External links

Camera Interviews - Miss Joyce Gardner (1930)
British Pathe (YouTube video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Joyce 1910 births Sportspeople from Gloucester English snooker players English players of English billiards Female snooker players Female players of English billiards World champions in English billiards 1981 deaths