John Virgo
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- This article is about the snooker player. For other uses of Virgo, see Virgo (disambiguation).
| John Virgo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Born | March 3, 1946 | |
| Nationality |  English |
|
| Professional | 1976–1994 | |
| Highest ranking | 10 (1979/80) | |
| Highest break | ? | |
| Tournament wins | ||
| Non-ranking events | 1 | |
John Virgo (born 3 March 1946, in Salford, Lancashire, England) is an English ex-professional snooker player, commentator, and TV personality.
John Virgo turned professional in 1976. His fortunes peaked in 1979, when he reached the semi-final of the World Championship, and then went on to win the UK Championship (though this was not a ranking event at the time). He reached number 10 in the rankings the next season. This achievement is made all the more incredible as during the 1979 UK Snooker Championship Virgo was controversially docked three frames after an alarm clock failed to go off and Virgo therefore overslept, turning in for the tournament late. This is a fact he likes to pepper his commentary with.
Virgo, as part of his exhibition performances, had long performed trick shots and comedy impressions of other snooker players. During the 1982 World Championship, after one semi-final had finished early, he performed some of his impressions, such as Alex Higgins, Terry Griffiths and Dennis Taylor.
Virgo retired from professional play in 1994. He is now a TV snooker commentator, and was co-presenter of the snooker-based TV game show Big Break with comedian Jim Davidson. During each show, Virgo would participate in the "Trick Shot" segment, where a competitor who had been ousted from the main quiz would try to copy a complicated snooker shot performed by Virgo in order to win a prize. He also arranges snooker-based corporate events with Jimmy White.
Virgo was once gunged on Noel's House Party.
Contents |
[edit] Tournament wins
[edit] Other wins
- UK Championship (snooker) - 1979 (Did not become a ranking event until 1984)
[edit] Where's the Cue Ball going?!
Invariably in or close to a pocket.
[edit] External links
- John Virgo's website
- [1]John Virgo receives a gunging on Noel's House Party
- John Virgo's myspace page
