Natalie Stelmach (1957/1958 – 8 July 2011) was a Canadian snooker player. She was runner-up in the 1984 Amateur

World Women's Snooker Championship The World Women's Snooker Championship (formerly known as the Women's World Open Championship from 1976 to 1981 and the World Ladies Snooker Championship from 1983 to 2018) is the leading tournament on the World Women's Snooker Tour. The reigning ...

Biography

Stelmach started playing in 1973, at a newly established family recreation centre. The owner, Gabe Tarini, introduced Stelmach to snooker and later became her coach. At the age of 16, Stelmach was one of two Canadian entrants to the 1976 Women's World Open, held in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. She lost in her first match. According to an article in

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

magazine in April 1979, Stelmach had never lost a match to another woman in Canada. She had won the Canadian national title each of the four times that it had been staged. In April 1981, Stelmach made the first by a woman in competition, on the way to winning her sixth Canadian Open title. She has a claim to be the first woman to make a century break, scoring a 109 in 1977. Also in 1981, Stelmach and her playing partner

Cliff Thorburn Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn (born 16 January 1948) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Nicknamed "The Grinder" because of his slow, determined style of play, he won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, defeating Alex Hi ...

won the World Mixed Pairs Championship. They beat Vera Selby and

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 ...

on total points scored, 262–239 in the final, after beating Grace Cayley and

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 ...

267–200 in the semi-final. Stelmach reached the final of the 1984 Amateur

, defeating

Lynette Horsburgh Lynette Horsburgh ( ; born 1974) is a Scottish-English semi-professional, world champion pool and national champion snooker player, as well as an international-class player of English billiards. In sport, she represents Scotland. Outside sport, ...

3–0, Maggie Beer 3–1, Gaye Jones 4–0 and then Caroline Walch 4–0. She lost in the final 1–4 to the 15-year-old

Stacey Hillyard Stacey Hillyard (born 5 September 1969) is an English former professional snooker player, who won the 1984 amateur World Women's Snooker Championship at the age of 15, making her the youngest winner of the tournament. She reached the final of t ...

Titles and achievements

*Canadian Open Women's Champion 1976 *Canadian Open Women's Champion 1977 *Canadian Open Women's Champion 1978 *Canadian Open Women's Champion 1979 *Canadian Open Women's Champion 1980 *Canadian Open Women's Champion 1981 *1981 World Mixed Pairs Championship (with

) *1984 Amateur

runner-up.

References

External links

Natalie Stelmach and Sheila King in Middlesbrough, 1976.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stelmach, Natalie Canadian snooker players Female snooker players Sportspeople from Greater Sudbury 2011 deaths