Edward FrancisCharlton, AM (31 October 1929 – 8 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title. He later became a successful marketer of sporting goods launching a popular brand of billiard room equipment bearing his name.
He was involved in numerous other sports during his youth: he was a first-grade footballer and played in the Australian First Division Football (soccer) for ten years; he was a champion surfer, and played state-level rugby and competitive cricket; he also excelled in speed roller skating, rowing, boxing and tennis.[1] In 1956, he was chosen to carry the Olympic torch on part of its journey to the Melbourne Games.[2]
Charlton worked as a coal miner until the age of 31. After winning four amateur snooker titles, he decided to turn professional in 1963 on the advice of Fred Davis.[1] His brother Jim was also a professional snooker player but never joined the world ranks.
Career
Charlton became a professional player in 1963 at the age of 34, and won his first Australian Professional Championship the following season. For the next ten years he won the title annually, and made at least the semi-finals in every subsequent meeting through its last edition in 1988. He unsuccessfully challenged Rex Williams for the World Billiards Championship title in 1974 and 1976. His third appearance was in 1984 when he lost by a handful of points to Mark Wildman. Four years later, he lost to two-time champion Norman Dagley in his last World Billiards final.
Charlton was the most successful Australian snooker player until the emergence of Neil Robertson. From the first year of the snooker world rankings in 1976/77, he was ranked number three in the world for the next five consecutive seasons although he never won a ranking tournament (because, in the early years, only the Snooker World Championship counted).
Charlton, who was known for his focused and dogged performances, challenged for the World Championship in 1968, and was the runner-up in the final of the World Championship in 1973 and 1975, losing the 1975 world final by just one frame (30–31) to Ray Reardon. However, his 1972, 1973, and 1980 victories in the BBC's Pot Black competition, with its one-frame-per-match format, gave him a high profile with television audiences. He also recorded the first century break (110) on Pot Black.
Charlton was known for playing with a very straight cue action and rarely hitting the ball with any sidespin.[2]
Although he did not reach the final stages of the World Championship in his later career, Charlton continued to perform at a competitive level. His last major achievement was his 10–9 first round win over Cliff Thorburn at the 1989 World Championship. He qualified for the 1990 and 1991 World Championships but lost in the first round on both occasions. Charlton's final appearance at the Crucible came in 1992 where he was defeated 10–0 by defending champion John Parrott in the first round, the only recorded whitewash in the history of the World Championship until 2019, when Shaun Murphy defeated Luo Honghao 10–0.[3]
Personal life
Always active in the organisation and promotion of the game, Charlton was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1980. He formed the Australian Professional Players Association and was responsible for bringing many of the top players to play in Australia. He released a 30-minute beginners' instructional video, Eddie Charlton's Snooker, Pool & Trick Shots, in PALVHS format. In 1993 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[4] He stopped competing in 1995 and died in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 8 November 2004 following an operation.[5]
^"Eddie 'Mr Snooker' Charlton dies, 75". The Age. 20 November 2004.
^"Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
March 01, 2023
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This article is about the Australian snooker player For the English squash player see Eddie Charlton squash player Edward Francis Charlton AM 31 October 1929 8 November 2004 was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player He remains the only player to have been world championship runner up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title He later became a successful marketer of sporting goods launching a popular brand of billiard room equipment bearing his name Eddie Charlton AMBorn 1929 10 31 31 October 1929Newcastle New South Wales AustraliaDied8 November 2004 2004 11 08 aged 75 Palmerston North New ZealandSport country AustraliaNicknameSteady EddieProfessional1963 1995Highest ranking3 1976 1981 Best ranking finishRunner up x1 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Performance and rankings timeline 5 Career finals 5 1 Ranking finals 1 5 2 Non ranking finals 31 22 titles 5 3 Team finals 2 1 title 6 ReferencesEarly life EditCharlton was born in Newcastle New South Wales Australia and came from a sporting family His grandfather ran a billiards club in Swansea New South Wales and young Eddie began playing cue sports when he was nine years old 1 At the age of eleven he defeated fellow Australian Walter Lindrum in a wartime snooker exhibition match 1 and he made his first century break when he was seventeen 2 He was involved in numerous other sports during his youth he was a first grade footballer and played in the Australian First Division Football soccer for ten years he was a champion surfer and played state level rugby and competitive cricket he also excelled in speed roller skating rowing boxing and tennis 1 In 1956 he was chosen to carry the Olympic torch on part of its journey to the Melbourne Games 2 Charlton worked as a coal miner until the age of 31 After winning four amateur snooker titles he decided to turn professional in 1963 on the advice of Fred Davis 1 His brother Jim was also a professional snooker player but never joined the world ranks Career EditCharlton became a professional player in 1963 at the age of 34 and won his first Australian Professional Championship the following season For the next ten years he won the title annually and made at least the semi finals in every subsequent meeting through its last edition in 1988 He unsuccessfully challenged Rex Williams for the World Billiards Championship title in 1974 and 1976 His third appearance was in 1984 when he lost by a handful of points to Mark Wildman Four years later he lost to two time champion Norman Dagley in his last World Billiards final Charlton was the most successful Australian snooker player until the emergence of Neil Robertson From the first year of the snooker world rankings in 1976 77 he was ranked number three in the world for the next five consecutive seasons although he never won a ranking tournament because in the early years only the Snooker World Championship counted Charlton who was known for his focused and dogged performances challenged for the World Championship in 1968 and was the runner up in the final of the World Championship in 1973 and 1975 losing the 1975 world final by just one frame 30 31 to Ray Reardon However his 1972 1973 and 1980 victories in the BBC s Pot Black competition with its one frame per match format gave him a high profile with television audiences He also recorded the first century break 110 on Pot Black Charlton was known for playing with a very straight cue action and rarely hitting the ball with any sidespin 2 Although he did not reach the final stages of the World Championship in his later career Charlton continued to perform at a competitive level His last major achievement was his 10 9 first round win over Cliff Thorburn at the 1989 World Championship He qualified for the 1990 and 1991 World Championships but lost in the first round on both occasions Charlton s final appearance at the Crucible came in 1992 where he was defeated 10 0 by defending champion John Parrott in the first round the only recorded whitewash in the history of the World Championship until 2019 when Shaun Murphy defeated Luo Honghao 10 0 3 Personal life EditAlways active in the organisation and promotion of the game Charlton was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia AM in 1980 He formed the Australian Professional Players Association and was responsible for bringing many of the top players to play in Australia He released a 30 minute beginners instructional video Eddie Charlton s Snooker Pool amp Trick Shots in PAL VHS format In 1993 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame 4 He stopped competing in 1995 and died in Palmerston North New Zealand on 8 November 2004 following an operation 5 Performance and rankings timeline EditTournament 1968 69 1969 70 1970 71 1971 72 1972 73 1973 74 1974 75 1975 76 1976 77 1977 78 1978 79 1979 80 1980 81 1981 82 1982 83 1983 84 1984 85 1985 86 1986 87 1987 88 1988 89 1989 90 1990 91 1991 92 1992 93 1993 94 1994 95 1995 96Ranking 6 No ranking system 3 3 3 3 3 8 5 6 6 12 25 26 19 22 31 27 29 34 60 77Ranking tournamentsDubai Classic nb 1 Tournament Not Held NR 2R 1R LQ 1R LQ LQ AGrand Prix nb 2 Tournament Not Held SF 3R 3R 2R 1R 3R 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ AUK Championship Tournament Not Held Non Ranking Event 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 1R LQ AWelsh Open Tournament Not Held 2R 1R LQ LQ AInternational Open nb 3 Tournament Not Held NR 1R SF 1R 1R 2R QF 1R 2R Not Held 2R LQ LQ AEuropean Open Tournament Not Held QF 3R 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ AThailand Open nb 4 Tournament Not Held Non Ranking Event Not Held 1R 3R 2R 1R LQ LQ ABritish Open nb 5 Tournament Not Held Non Ranking Event 1R 3R 2R 1R 1R 1R 2R 3R 2R WD LQ AWorld Championship Non Ranking Event 2R F SF QF SF SF QF 2R SF QF 2R 2R 2R LQ 2R 2R 1R 1R 1R WD LQ LQ ANon ranking tournamentsAustralian Masters nb 6 Tournament Not Held A A A F QF SF QF 1R SF NH R Tournament Not Held QF 1RThe Masters Tournament Not Held SF SF A A QF QF 1R QF SF 1R 1R QF A A A A LQ LQ LQ A A AIrish Masters nb 7 Tournament Not Held A A A A A A A A QF 1R QF A A A A A A A A A A AEuropean League nb 8 Tournament Not Held RR Not Held A A A A A A A A A APontins Professional Tournament Not Held QF A A RR A A SF A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A AFormer ranking tournamentsCanadian Masters nb 9 Tournament Not Held Non Ranking Tournament Not Held Non Ranking 1R Tournament Not HeldHong Kong Open nb 10 Tournament Not Held Non Ranking Event NH 2R Tournament Not Held NRClassic Tournament Not Held Non Ranking Event QF 1R 1R 3R 1R 1R 2R 3R 1R Tournament Not HeldStrachan Open Tournament Not Held 2R Tournament Not HeldFormer non ranking tournamentsWorld Championship A A SF SF F Ranking EventNorwich Union Open Tournament Not Held SF A Tournament Not HeldWorld Masters Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not HeldWorld Matchplay Championship Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not HeldHolsten Lager International Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not HeldLimosin International Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not HeldKronenbrau 1308 Classic Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not HeldInternational Open nb 11 Tournament Not Held 2R Ranking Event Not Held Ranking EventClassic Tournament Not Held A A A QF Ranking EventBritish Open nb 12 Tournament Not Held A A A 2R 2R Ranking EventTolly Cobbold Classic Tournament Not Held A A A A A QF Tournament Not HeldNew Zealand Masters Tournament Not Held SF Not Held A A Tournament Not HeldPot Black A A A W W SF RR SF RR SF RR W SF F SF QF 1R 1R Tournament Not Held A A A Not HeldAustralian Professional Championship F W W W W W W W W W W Tournament Not Held W F SF F SF Tournament Not HeldShoot Out Tournament Not Held 3R Tournament Not HeldWorld Seniors Championship Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not HeldPerformance Table LegendLQ lost in the qualifying draw R lost in the early rounds of the tournament WR Wildcard round RR Round robin QF lost in the quarter finalsSF lost in the semi finals F lost in the final W won the tournamentDNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournamentNH Not Held means an event was not held NR Non Ranking Event means an event is was no longer a ranking event R Ranking Event means an event is was a ranking event The event was also called the Dubai Masters 1988 1989 The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament 1982 93 1983 1984 The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy 1985 1986 The event was also called the Thailand Masters 1983 1984 1986 1987 and Asian Open 1989 1990 1992 1993 The event was also called the British Gold Cup 1979 1980 Yamaha Organs Trophy 1980 1981 and International Masters 1981 1982 1983 1984 The event was also called the Hong Kong Open 1989 1990 and Australian Open 1994 1995 The event was also called the Benson amp Hedges Ireland Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 The event was also called the Professional Snooker League 1983 1984 and the Matchroom League 1986 1987 to 1991 1992 The event was also called the Canadian Open 1978 1979 1980 1981 The event was also called the Australian Masters 1979 1980 1987 1988 The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy 1985 1986 The event was also called the British Gold Cup 1979 1980 Yamaha Organs Trophy 1980 1981 and International Masters 1981 1982 1983 1984 Career finals EditRanking finals 1 Edit LegendWorld Championship 0 1 Other 0 0 Outcome No Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreRunner up 1 1975 World Snooker Championship 3 Ray Reardon 30 31Non ranking finals 31 22 titles Edit LegendWorld Championship 0 2 nb 1 Other 22 7 Outcome No Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreWinner 1 1964 Australian Professional Championship Warren Simpson Round robinRunner up 1 1965 Australian Professional Championship Norman Squire Round robinWinner 2 1965 Commonwealth Snooker Championship Warren Simpson Aggregate ScoreWinner 3 1966 Australian Professional Championship 2 Warren Simpson 7 4Winner 4 1967 Australian Professional Championship 3 Warren Simpson 7 1Runner up 2 1968 World Snooker Championship John Pulman 34 39Runner up 3 1968 Australian Professional Championship 2 Warren Simpson 10 11Winner 5 1968 World Open Matchplay Championship Rex Williams 43 30Winner 6 1969 Australian Professional Championship 4 Warren Simpson 11 6Winner 7 1970 Australian Professional Championship 5 Norman Squire Round robinWinner 8 1971 Australian Professional Championship 6 Warren Simpson 15 7Winner 9 1972 Pot Black Ray Reardon 1 0Winner 10 1972 Australian Professional Championship 7 Gary Owen 19 10Winner 11 1973 Pot Black 2 Rex Williams 1 0Runner up 4 1973 World Snooker Championship 2 Ray Reardon 32 38Winner 12 1973 Australian Professional Championship 8 Gary Owen 31 10Winner 13 1974 Australian Professional Championship 9 Warren Simpson 44 17Winner 14 1975 Australian Professional Championship 10 Dennis Wheelwright 31 10Winner 15 1976 Australian Professional Championship 11 Paddy Morgan WalkoverWinner 16 1976 World Professional Match play Championship Ray Reardon 31 24Winner 17 1977 Australian Professional Championship 12 Paddy Morgan 25 21Winner 18 1978 Australian Professional Championship 13 Ian Anderson 29 13Winner 19 1979 Kronenbrau 1308 Classic Ray Reardon 7 4Winner 20 1979 Limosin International John Spencer 23 19Winner 21 1980 Pot Black 3 Ray Reardon 2 1Runner up 5 1982 Pot Black Steve Davis 0 2Runner up 6 1982 Australian Masters Steve Davis 100 254 pointsWinner 22 1984 Australian Professional Championship 14 Warren King 10 3Runner up 7 1985 Australian Professional Championship 3 John Campbell 7 10Runner up 8 1987 Australian Professional Championship 4 Warren King 7 10Runner up 9 1991 World Seniors Championship Cliff Wilson 4 5 The World Championship did not become a ranking event until 1974 Team finals 2 1 title Edit Outcome No Year Championship Team partner Opponent s in the final ScoreWinner 1 1975 Ladbroke International Rest of the World England Cumulative scoreRunner up 1 1988 World Cup Australia England 7 9References Edit a b c d Eddie Charlton Obituary The Telegraph 9 November 2004 Retrieved 11 April 2019 a b c Everton Clive 9 November 2004 Eddie Charlton Obituary The Guardian Retrieved 28 January 2015 Murphy Scores Rare Crucible Whitewash World Snooker 22 April 2019 Retrieved 22 April 2019 Eddie Charlton Sport Australia Hall of Fame Eddie Mr Snooker Charlton dies 75 The Age 20 November 2004 Ranking History Snooker org Retrieved 5 December 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eddie Charlton amp oldid 1121568383, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
