Terry Griffiths obituary: The postman who became a world champion
His Llanelli accent – soft, quiet tone – and dry humor make him instantly recognizable to viewers.
While many will remember Griffith for his on-air quips and cautious playing style in his early days, he also had notable success as a coach after retiring in 1997.
He has coached many top players, including world champions such as Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams, Ken Doherty and John Parrott.
Griffiths was born in Llanelli in 1947 and worked as a postman, insurance salesman, miner and bus conductor during a long and successful amateur career.
He won the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1975 and the English Amateur Championship in 1977 and 1978, turning professional in 1978.
Griffiths had to qualify for his first World Championship in 1979, before defeating Perry Manns in the first round and the great Alex Shee in the quarter-finals. Kings.
After defeating Eddie Charlton in an epic semi-final, Griffiths declared in his post-match interview: “I’m in the final now, you know that!”
Griffith then defeated 1985 champion Taylor 24-16 in the final to win the coveted world title for the first time.
Later in 1979, he teamed up with Ray Reardon and Doug Mountjoy to win the first Snooker World Cup with Wales, beating England 14-3.
Griffiths’ victories at the 1980 Masters and 1982 British Championship meant he was one of only 11 players to complete snooker’s Triple Crown.
Although this was Griffith’s last ranking title, he reached his second World Championship final in 1988, but was defeated by his old rival, six-time world champion Steve Davis.
Griffiths never beat Davies in seven games at the Crucible, but both players were standouts from snooker’s golden era.
In the 1980s, the players appeared on prime-time television shows such as Griffiths’ 1984 winning Pot Black, making them household names.
The 1990s were relatively lean for Griffiths, but he retired on his own terms and is still ranked 23rd in the world.
His last match was in the first round of the 1997 World Championships, where he was beaten in the final decider by fellow Welshman and world champion Mark Williams, whom he eventually coached.
