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Eddie Charlton

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This article is about the Australian snooker player. For the English squash player, see Eddie Charlton (squash player).

Eddie Charlton
AM
Born(1929-10-31)31 October 1929
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Died7 November 2004(2004-11-07) (aged 75)
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Sport country Australia
NicknameSteady Eddie[1]
Professional1963–1995
Highest ranking3 (1976–1981)
Best ranking finishRunner-up (x1)

Edward Francis Charlton, AM (31 October 1929 – 7 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player.[2] 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.

Early life

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Charlton 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 Charlton began playing cue sports when he was nine years old.[3] At the age of eleven, he defeated fellow Australian Walter Lindrum in a wartime snooker exhibition match,[3] and he made his first century break when he was seventeen.[4]

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 league and competitive cricket; he also excelled in speed roller skating, rowing, boxing and tennis.[3] In 1956, he was chosen to carry the Olympic torch on part of its journey to the Melbourne Games.[4]

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.[3] His brother Jim was also a professional snooker player but never joined the world ranks.

Career

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Charlton became a professional player in 1963 at the age of 34 and won his first Australian Professional Championship the following season.[5] 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.[citation needed] 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.

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.[6] He won the BBC's Pot Black competition in 1972, 1973 and 1980.[6] He also recorded the first century break (110) on Pot Black.[6]

In the final of the 1973 World Snooker Championship, played as the best-of-75-frames, Charlton led Ray Reardon 10–5 and 12–10, before the pair were on level terms at both 12–12 and 13–13.[7] Reardon moved into a 17–13 lead, and was 27–25 up after seven sessions of play.[8] At the start of the eighth session, Reardon was affected by the bright lighting that had been installed for the purposes of television coverage, and he lost the first three frames. He complained about the lighting, and two large lights that were focused on the audience were switched off. From 27–28 behind, Reardon won four of the next five frames in the session, and sustained the momentum for an eventual 38–32 victory.[8] According to snooker historian Clive Everton, "Charlton's dogged consistency proved no match for Reardon's flair and wider range of shots."[9]

Charlton faced Reardon in the final of the 1975 World Snooker Championship in a match of 61 frames.[10] Reardon led 16–8, but Charlton then won the next nine frames to take the lead.[11] Reardon was ahead at 22–20, but Charlton won nine of the following ten frames to lead 29–23.[11] Reardon produced a seven-frame winning streak to leave himself needing one further frame at 30–29, then Charlton won the 60th frame.[11] In the deciding frame, Reardon made a 62 break, and secured his victory at 31–30.[11]

He reached the final of the 1991 World Seniors Championship and was a frame away from clinching the title when he led Cliff Wilson 4–2. According to the match report in Snooker Scene magazine, Charlton then "started to falter in a fashion all too familiar with his failures on the brink of other world titles", and he lost 4-5.[12]

His last major achievement at the World Championship 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 World Championship until 2019.[13]

Charlton was known for playing with a very straight cue action and rarely hitting the ball with any sidespin, when a less conservative approach might have paid dividends.[4] In retirement from professional snooker Charlton often commentated during the BBC's world championship coverage.[14]

Personal life

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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 PAL VHS format. In 1993 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[15] He stopped competing in 1995 and died in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 8 November 2004 following an operation.[16]

Performance and rankings timeline

[edit]
Tournament 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/
96
Ranking[17] No ranking system 3 3 3 3 3 8 5 6 6 12 25 26 19 22 31 27 29 34 60 77
Ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic[nb 1] Tournament Not Held NR 2R 1R LQ 1R LQ LQ A
Grand Prix[nb 2] Tournament Not Held SF 3R 3R 2R 1R 3R 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ A
UK Championship Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 1R LQ A
Welsh Open Tournament Not Held 2R 1R LQ LQ A
International Open[nb 3] Tournament Not Held NR 1R SF 1R 1R 2R QF 1R 2R Not Held 2R LQ LQ A
European Open Tournament Not Held QF 3R 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ A
Thailand Open[nb 4] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event Not Held 1R 3R 2R 1R LQ LQ A
British Open[nb 5] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 1R 3R 2R 1R 1R 1R 2R 3R 2R WD LQ A
World 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 A
Non-ranking tournaments
Australian Masters[nb 6] Tournament Not Held A A A F QF SF QF 1R SF NH R Tournament Not Held QF 1R
The 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 A
Irish 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 A
European League[nb 8] Tournament Not Held RR Not Held A A A A A A A A A A
Pontins 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 A
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters[nb 9] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking 1R Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 10] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event NH 2R Tournament Not Held NR
Classic Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event QF 1R 1R 3R 1R 1R 2R 3R 1R Tournament Not Held
Strachan Open Tournament Not Held 2R Tournament Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
World Championship A A SF SF F Ranking Event
Norwich Union Open Tournament Not Held SF A Tournament Not Held
World Masters Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay Championship Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not Held
Holsten Lager International Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Limosin International Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not Held
Kronenbrau 1308 Classic Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not Held
International Open[nb 11] Tournament Not Held 2R Ranking Event Not Held Ranking Event
Classic Tournament Not Held A A A QF Ranking Event
British Open[nb 12] Tournament Not Held A A A 2R 2R Ranking Event
Tolly Cobbold Classic Tournament Not Held A A A A A QF Tournament Not Held
New Zealand Masters Tournament Not Held SF Not Held A A Tournament Not Held
Pot 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 Held
Australian Professional Championship F W W W W W W W W W W Tournament Not Held W F SF F SF Tournament Not Held
Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held 3R Tournament Not Held
World Seniors Championship Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ 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-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / 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.
  1. ^ The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989)
  2. ^ The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/93–1983/1984)
  3. ^ The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  4. ^ The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987) and Asian Open (1989/1990–1992/1993)
  5. ^ The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
  6. ^ The event was also called the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995)
  7. ^ The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (1974/1975–1976/1977)
  8. ^ The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984) and the Matchroom League (1986/1987 to 1991/1992)
  9. ^ The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
  10. ^ The event was also called the Australian Masters (1979/1980–1987/1988))
  11. ^ The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  12. ^ 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

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Ranking finals: 1

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Legend
World Championship (0–1)
Other (0–0)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1975 World Snooker Championship (3)  Ray Reardon (WAL) 30–31

Non-ranking finals: 33 (24 titles)

[edit]
Legend
World Championship (0–2) [nb 1]
Other (24–7)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1964 Australian Professional Championship  Warren Simpson (AUS) Round-robin
Runner-up 1. 1965 Australian Professional Championship  Norman Squire (AUS) Round-robin
Winner 2. 1965 Commonwealth Snooker Championship  Warren Simpson (AUS) Aggregate Score
Winner 3. 1966 Australian Professional Championship (2)  Warren Simpson (AUS) 7–4
Winner 4. 1967 Australian Professional Championship (3)  Warren Simpson (AUS) 7–1
Runner-up 2. 1968 World Snooker Championship  John Pulman (ENG) 34–39
Runner-up 3. 1968 Australian Professional Championship (2)  Warren Simpson (AUS) 10–11
Winner 5. 1968 World Open Matchplay Championship  Rex Williams (ENG) 43–30
Winner 6. 1969 Australian Professional Championship (4)  Warren Simpson (AUS) 11–6
Winner 7. 1970 Australian Professional Championship (5)  Norman Squire (AUS) Round-robin
Winner 8. 1971 Australian Professional Championship (6)  Warren Simpson (AUS) 15–7
Winner 9. 1971 Hunter Valley Championship  Warren Simpson (AUS) 5–4
Winner 10. 1972 Pot Black  Ray Reardon (WAL) 1–0
Winner 11. 1972 Marrickville Professional  Alex Higgins (NIR) 19–17
Winner 12. 1972 Australian Professional Championship (7)  Gary Owen (WAL) 19–10
Winner 13. 1973 Pot Black (2)  Rex Williams (ENG) 1–0
Runner-up 4. 1973 World Snooker Championship (2)  Ray Reardon (WAL) 32–38
Winner 14. 1973 Australian Professional Championship (8)  Gary Owen (WAL) 31–10
Winner 15. 1974 Australian Professional Championship (9)  Warren Simpson (AUS) 44–17
Winner 16. 1975 Australian Professional Championship (10)  Dennis Wheelwright (AUS) 31–10
Winner 17. 1976 Australian Professional Championship (11)  Paddy Morgan (AUS) Walkover
Winner 18. 1976 World Professional Match-play Championship  Ray Reardon (WAL) 31–24
Winner 19. 1977 Australian Professional Championship (12)  Paddy Morgan (AUS) 25–21
Winner 20. 1978 Australian Professional Championship (13)  Ian Anderson (AUS) 29–13
Winner 21. 1979 Kronenbrau 1308 Classic  Ray Reardon (WAL) 7–4
Winner 22. 1979 Limosin International  John Spencer (ENG) 23–19
Winner 23. 1980 Pot Black (3)  Ray Reardon (WAL) 2–1
Runner-up 5. 1982 Pot Black  Steve Davis (ENG) 0–2
Runner-up 6. 1982 Australian Masters  Steve Davis (ENG) 100–254 points
Winner 24. 1984 Australian Professional Championship (14)  Warren King (AUS) 10–3
Runner-up 7. 1985 Australian Professional Championship (3)  John Campbell (AUS) 7–10
Runner-up 8. 1987 Australian Professional Championship (4)  Warren King (AUS) 7–10
Runner-up 9. 1991 World Seniors Championship  Cliff Wilson (WAL) 4–5
  1. ^ The World Championship did not become a ranking event until 1974

Team finals: 2 (1 title)

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Outcome No. Year Championship Team/partner Opponent(s) in the final Score
Winner 1. 1975 Ladbroke International Rest of the World  England Cumulative score
Runner-up 1. 1988 World Cup  Australia  England 7–9

References

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  1. ^ "Eddie Charlton". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  2. ^ Everton, Clive (9 November 2004). "Eddie Charlton". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Eddie Charlton Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2004. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Everton, Clive (9 November 2004). "Eddie Charlton Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  5. ^ Morrison 1988, p. 14.
  6. ^ a b c Morrison 1987, p. 22.
  7. ^ "Reardon's championship". Snooker Scene. Birmingham: Everton's News Agency. May 1973. pp. 16–17.
  8. ^ a b Everton 1993, pp. 35–36.
  9. ^ Everton 1993, p. 36.
  10. ^ Hayton & Dee 2004, p. 11.
  11. ^ a b c d Everton 1986, pp. 102–103.
  12. ^ "How Cliff Wilson became king of the golden oldies". Snooker Scene. Birmingham: Everton's News Agency. November 1991. pp. 18–19.
  13. ^ "Murphy Scores Rare Crucible Whitewash". World Snooker. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Eddie Charlton. Resolutely determined snooker player". The Independent. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  15. ^ "Eddie Charlton | Sport Australia Hall of Fame".
  16. ^ "Eddie 'Mr Snooker' Charlton dies, 75". The Age. 20 November 2004.
  17. ^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

Books

  • Everton, Clive (1986). The History of Snooker and Billiards. Haywards Heath: Partridge Press. ISBN 978-1-85225-013-3.
  • Everton, Clive (1993). The Embassy Book of World Snooker. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-0-7475-1610-1.
  • Everton, Clive (2012). Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-78057-568-1.
  • Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. ISBN 978-0-9548549-0-4.
  • Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker (Revised ed.). Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-600-55604-6.
  • Morrison, Ian (1988). Hamlyn Who's Who in Snooker. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 978-0-600-55713-5.
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