Welsh snooker legend Ray Reardon to be honoured

The freedom of Blaenau Gwent will be given posthumously to Welsh snooker legend Ray Reardon, who was born in Tredegar.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council on Thursday, September 26, councillors discussed a report from the cross party freedom of the borough working group, which recommended awarding Mr Reardon the honour.

Council leader Labour’s Cllr Steve Thomas said: “Members agreed that in recognition of his great contribution to snooker, Ray should be awarded the freedom of the borough posthumously.”

Plaque

Opposition Independent group leader Cllr Wayne Hodgins said: “I fully support it and is it possible to go a stage further and put up a plaque where he lived or was born.”

Presiding member Cllr Chris Smith (Labour) who chaired the freedom of the borough working group said that this had already been brought up and could “possibly” be pursued.

Cllr Smith said: “It’s a good idea.”

Cllr Malcolm Cross (Labour) said: “If it’s not possible to put a plaque where Ray Reardon once lived another option is that some recognition could be put in the Tredegar snooker centre which is owned by Mark Williams. ”

He added that he had been at the snooker centre on Wednesday (September 25) and had watched Mr Williams practice against fellow snooker professional Jackson Page who is ranked 39th in the world.

Proud

Cllr Cross said: “Ray was very proud of his heritage and saying he was from Tredegar.”

Cllr David Wilkshire (Labour) said: “The unfortunate thing is that it’s late in the day and should have been done many years ago when he was the world champion.”

Cllr Thomas told council that the second part of the recommendation, that the committee meets “more frequently” recognises this need to discuss applications more quickly.

Cllr Smith urged councillors to have a think of who “deserves” the freedom of the borough and bring their names to the group so that it can be discussed at their next meeting.

Cllr Smith said: “We can award people the freedom of the borough while they are still alive.”

Council unanimously approved the report, and an extraordinary council meeting will need to be “convened” to bestow the honour.

Born in 1932, Reardon worked as a coal miner and a police officer.

He won six consecutive Welsh amateur snooker championships in the 1950s and went on to win the English amateur championship in 1964 before turning professional in 1967.

He won his first world championship in 1970 and became the dominant force in the 1970s winning a further five world championships, his last coming in 1978 at the age of 45.

In 2016, the trophy awarded to the winner of snooker’s Welsh Open was named the Ray Reardon Trophy in his honour.

He died on July 19 at the age of 91.

Blaenau Gwent’s other snooker legend, three time world champion Mark Williams was awarded the freedom of the borough in 2019.