Inside amazing life of Ray Reardon who nearly died in rockfall before dominating snooker and mentoring Ronnie O’Sullivan
RAY REARDON had an amazing life that went from working in the mines to dominating the world stage in snooker.
The snooker legend has passed away following a battle with cancer.
But he has left behind an incredible legacy thanks to his contribution to the game, which saw him rewarded with an MBE.
Reardon was born in the coal mining community of Tredegar in Monmouthshire, Wales, and followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a miner at the age of 14 – turning down a place at Grammar School to do so.
He had taken up snooker six years prior and played as an amateur alongside his work as a miner.
At the age of 28 Reardon quit mining to become a POLICEMAN after he nearly died after being buried under rubble for three hours following a rock fall.
Ten years later he won the World Snooker Championship for the first time and collected just £1,225 in prize money (the winner this year received £500,000), before going on to dominate the sport throughout the 1970s.
Reardan added five more world titles to his collection – a record not broken until Stephen Hendry won his seventh tournament in 1999.
The Welshman held another record for decades – being the oldest player to win the World Snooker Championship after claiming victory at the Crucible aged 45.
Ronnie O’Sullivan broke that record in 2022 but possibly would not have done so if not for Reardon’s help.
The snooker legend worked with O’Sullivan for two years and played a big role in his World Championship success in 2004.
O’Sullivan credits Reardon for transforming his game, describing his time with the icon as the “best two years” of his life.
The Rocket said of Reardon’s tutelage: “I knew I needed something you know and I kind of felt my game was good but I was always thirsty to see if somebody could make me in to a better player.
“Ray Reardon was that guy and my dad made that phone call and within 24 hours of making a phone call, Ray was up in Sheffield, we met and from then on we had this unbelievable relationship.
“And I always say, I need to be shown what to do on a snooker table. I have this ability to pot balls and this gift that I find all ball sports easy really but I still feel like I’ve needed help and guidance along the way to make me better, better and better. And once I’m shown what to do I can only incorporate that into my game.
“The word was ‘I’m going to make you into an impregnable player’ and I didn’t even know what ‘impregnable’ meant. I thought, alright, well, if that’s what you think I need then we’ll go along those lines. And then it was just slowly after working in some practice sessions I thought we were just going to pot balls.”
Tributes
The tributes that have poured in following the announcement of his death help sum up what he meant to the game of snooker.
Jimmy White, who was one of his rivals during his playing days, said: “Gutted to hear my very good friend Ray Reardon has passed away. A total class act and very kind to me when I was making my way in the game. A giant of the game. Rest in Peace mate.”
His countryman Mark Williams, a three-time world champion, said: “Ray is one of the best sports people ever from Wales and the best snooker player.
“He’s one of the reasons why a lot of us started playing. He put snooker on the map, alongside Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis. Anyone playing now owes them a lot because they brought popularity to the game. He is a real inspiration.”
Another ex-player and BBC commentator John Virgo wrote: “Sad news. Ray Reardon passed away last night, it was an honour to have known him, a true great of our game RIP.”
While SunSport columnist Piers Morgan honoured Reardon, saying: “Sad news. Brilliant player, and such a classy gentleman. RIP.”