Ray Reardon: The world-beating cueman who swapped coal mine for Crucible

Ray Reardon ruled snooker in the 1970s when the man known fondly as ‘Dracula’ became a household name.

Yet his story almost ended long before the Welshman with the widow’s peak found stardom.

On April 30, 1957, the world collapsed around the ears of the 24-year-old Reardon as a mining accident almost claimed his life.

He was fortunate to see the next day, let alone land six World Championship titles – his last in 1978 aged 45.

Reardon, who has died at the age of 91, was born on October 8, 1932 in Tredegar.

He left Georgetown Secondary School at 14 and, after a brief stint as an apprentice motor mechanic, he followed his father Ben down the pits, firstly at nearby Ty Trist and later at the Pochin Colliery.

Practise

The teenage Reardon displayed an aptitude for snooker and was spared evening shifts to allow him to practise. Unlike in the modern game, however, there was little money to be made from potting balls.

Cutting coal underground was the career choice, and when Welsh mines began to close the Reardon family uprooted to North Staffordshire. Ben and Ray Reardon found work at the Florence Colliery in 1956 and in the following year disaster almost struck.

The future world-beating cueman was developing a pit roadway when a “trickle of dirt” fell on his helmet. Sensing danger, he hurled himself down and when a 12-foot girder crashed down along with a deluge of rubble, Reardon was trapped.

He was rescued after three hours, Reardon drawing on memories of playing marbles with brother Ron – 17 years his junior – to avoid panicking.

In his 1982 autobiography, Reardon recalled: “My ordeal had left me looking and feeling a bit like a dirty dishcloth and when the blood started to circulate in my numb legs it had me screaming in pain for a moment or so, but they gave me sips of water and soon I was all right.”

Natural talent

During war time, mother Cynthia had bought the young Ray a 4ft x 2ft billiard table for Christmas and he exhibited natural talent.

One afternoon, after attending a headmaster’s funeral, Reardon ducked out of a school line and into the Tredegar Workmen’s Institute Society, where he won a frame against venue manager Tommy Biggs, who had a wooden leg. Reardon was swiftly collared by his maths teacher.

From a young age he played cue sports for money. His father frowned on this, until learning his son was winning.

By the age of 13 Reardon was representing the Institute’s men’s team in the Sirhowy Valley Billiards and Snooker League. He was soon champion of all Wales.

As a miner, Reardon wore white gloves similar to those of a snooker referee, but after meeting future wife Sue his career moved above ground.

Ray and Sue married on Easter Monday in 1959 and Reardon joined the Stoke-on-Trent police force a year later, staying for almost eight years.

He won the English amateur championship in 1964, beating John Spencer, and a year later became a father when Sue gave birth to their son Darren. Daughter Melanie followed in 1969.

Pot black

Reardon considered staying with the police, but snooker won out. The BBC television show Pot Black was a hit, even while many watched in black and white, and Reardon defeated Spencer to win the first edition in 1969.

He lost his opener at the World Championship in the same year 25-24 to the 55-year-old Fred Davis. But a year later, the 37-year-old Reardon ruled the snooker world for the first time, beating John Pulman 37-33 in the final. He said that “nothing will ever surpass the wonder” of the moment.

Reardon’s first car was a Ford Prefect he labelled the ‘Gutless Wonder’. Later, after upgrading, he owned the 1 PRO licence plate.

Manchester staged the 1974 World Championship and, come the closing session of the final against Graham Miles, Reardon introduced the outfit that would forever associate him with Bram Stoker’s blood-sucking Count Dracula.

Stoke-based Marsden’s Tailors sponsored Reardon and he emerged attired in cape, top hat and scarlet silk jacket.

“Someone decided the outfit made me look like Dracula and that name stuck to me more than most,” Reardon later said.

Reardon for many years played exhibitions in South Africa during the apartheid era, explaining the trips by saying: “The only world I was trying to change was the world of snooker.”

The Crucible

He won four straight world titles from 1973 to 1976. Then, as defending champion, Reardon had the honour of playing on the first morning when the tournament moved to Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in 1977. He beat Patsy Fagan before falling to eventual champion Spencer.

Twelve months later and Reardon reigned at the Crucible when a 25-18 victory over Perrie Mans clinched a sixth world title at the age of 45 years and 203 days.

Four years later he returned to the final but was beaten 18-15 by Alex Higgins.

Reardon remained competitive until the mid-1980s and retired in 1991.

His marriage to Sue ended in divorce during the twilight years of his playing career.

Reardon made Brixham, and later Torquay, his home, and spent many happy years as president of Churston Golf Club.

In 2004 he teamed up with Ronnie O’Sullivan in a mentoring role at the World Championship and helped to steer the Rocket to his second world title. He had received a call from O’Sullivan’s imprisoned father, Ronnie snr, to encourage the union.

Reardon, who is survived by his second wife Carol, saw the Welsh Open trophy named in his honour in 2016 but savoured his quiet retirement in Devon, saying: “It’s nice on the golf course.”