Willie Smith (25 January 1886 – 2 June 1982) 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 ...

professional player of

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in ...

and

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 ...

. Smith was, according to an article on the English Amateur Billiards Association's website, "by common consent, the greatest all-round billiards player who ever lived". Claude Falkiner and Willie Smith, players of English billiards, 1949

Claude Falkiner and Willie Smith, players of English billiards, 1949

He studied previous Billiard players such as

Melbourne Inman Melbourne Inman (15 July 1878 – 11 August 1951) was the World Billiards Champion in 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1914 and 1919. Biography He was born on 15 July 1878 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, to Robert Withy Inman (1844–1919) and Annie ...

, Harry Stevenson,

Tom Reece Tom Reece (12 August 187316 October 1953) was an English professional player of English billiards. He was six times runner-up in the professional billiards championship, now regarded as the world championship, losing three times to Melbourne I ...

, Edward Diggle and George Gray, describing his play as "the combination of Gray's striking and Diggle's top-of-the-table play". Smith became a professional player in 1913. He entered the World Billiards Championship in 1920 and then again in 1923, winning it on both occasions. Arguments with the governing body prevented him from taking part in the competition more often. In 1930 he started writing for ''The Burwat Billiard Review'', a magazine published by the

Cue Sport Manufacturer Cue or CUE may refer to: Event markers *Sensory cue, in perception (experimental psychology) *Cue (theatrical), the trigger for an action to be carried out at a specific time, in theatre or film *Cue (show control), the electronic rendering of the ...

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 ...

. These were instructional articles with accompanying illustrations and photographs. He turned to snooker for purely monetary reasons but never really took to the game. His natural talent as a billiards player still enabled him to reach the

World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the wealthiest, with total prize money in 2022 of £2,395,000, including £500,000 for the winner. First held in 1927, it ...

final in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

and

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

where he was beaten by

Joe Davis Joseph Davis (15 April 190110 July 1978) was an English professional snooker and English billiards player. He was the dominant figure in snooker from the 1920s to the 1950s, and has been credited with inventing aspects of the way the game is ...

References

1886 births 1982 deaths English snooker players English players of English billiards Sportspeople from Darlington World champions in English billiards {{billiards-bio-stub