Doug Mountjoy

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Doug Mountjoy
Born	June 8, 1942 Glamorgan
Nationality	Welsh
Professional	1976–1997
Highest ranking	#5 (1990/91)
Highest break	145
Tournament wins
Ranking events	2
Non-ranking events	11

Doug Mountjoy (born 8 June 1942) is a retired Welsh snooker player.

Originally a miner, Mountjoy was brought up just outside Eddw Vale. A well known player in the valleys. He won many amateur tournaments includig 2 Welsh Amateur titles and the World Amateur title in 1976 beating Malta's Paul Mifsud 11-1. After the World Amateur victory, He turn professional.

Mountjoy's first sucess was in the 1977 Masters at the New London Theatre as a late replacement. He beat former world champions Fred Davis, Alex Higgins and the then current champion Ray Reardon 7-6. At the world championship a couple of months later, He beat Higgins again in the first round but lost to Dennis Taylor in the quarter-final 11-13. At the end of 1977, He made the final of the first ever 1977 UK Snooker Championship losing to Patsy Fagan 9-12. He did the title a year later beating David Taylor 15-9 and in the same season, He beat Ray Reardon to with the Irish Masters 6-5.

After winning the first two World Cups for Wales in 1979 and 1980, He made it to the final of the World Snooker Championship in 1981. After suffering an illness which left part of his face paralysed, The problem cleared up when he had a great run beating Eddie Charlton, Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon in the semi-final which he made a record championship break at the time, A 145. He then played Steve Davis in the final but lost to the Nuggett 12-18.

After that run at the World Championship, He only had a short run of titles and he won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1982 and 1984 to go with his 1980 title but was back in the final of a major again in the 1985 Masters Snooker Masters losing to Cliff Thorburn. Mountjoy also reclaimed his Pot Black title in March that year he also won in 1978.

His career stuggled including a 1-9 defeat to Steve Longworth in the 1986 UK Snooker Championship but he won another Welsh title in 1987. By 1988, He was out of the top 16 in the World Rankings.

The 1988/89 season was to be a turning point for Mountjoy when he made it to the final of the UK Snooker Championship where he met the young pretender Stephen Hendry in the final. He won 16-12 giving him his first major ranking tounament and after the match praised Hendry as a future talent. In January, He won the Mercantile Credit Classic beating fellow Welshman Wayne Jones in the final and that gave him his second ranking title. All in two months and during his 12 years as a professional. He then won the Welsh Professional title the following month for the fifth time. He was back in the Top 16 the season later and by 1990, He was No 5 in the World. He stayed in the World Rankings until 1993.

In 1993 not long after coming out of the Top 16, He was dignosed with lung cancer after being a smoker for many years but later beat it and continued to play snooker until 1997. Although he only won 2 ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments.

His daughter, Yvette, also achieved brief fame, appearing nude in men's magazine Mayfair (magazine).