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At the start of December, 2024, it was confirmed that the former world snooker champion and Triple Crown-winner, Terry Griffiths, had died at the age of 77. The affable Welshman was admired by fans and fellow pros alike, and the world of snooker mourns his passing.
In this article, we’ll look back at the remarkable achievements of the man from Llanelli, both as a player and later as a coach of several top players including Mark Williams, Ali Carter and Barry Hawkins. Let’s begin with what is sure to be remembered as Griffiths’ greatest achievement in the game: winning the World Championship.
1979 World Snooker Championship
Some very sad news to bring you this evening
Former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths has died aged 77 pic.twitter.com/WoUHrPDRLr
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) December 1, 2024
Griffiths, or “Griff” as he was affectionately known, had only turned professional in 1978 (after having worked as a miner, a bus conductor and a postman), so expectations were not high as he went into qualifying for the 1979 World Championship. He made it through the qualifying rounds, coming back from 2-0 down in his first match against Bernard Bennett to secure a commanding 9-2 victory. He then beat Jim Meadowcroft 9-6 to qualify for the World Championship for the first time, along with a man who also became rather famous: Steve Davis.
Opening Rounds
Griffiths had a tough first-round draw against South African Perrie Mans, the losing finalist from the 1978 World Championship. But the Welshman did the business and won 13-8 to set up a tasty tie against the fiery 1972 world champion, Alex Higgins. The best-of-25-frame quarter-final was a real test for Griffiths, especially after Higgins won the first session 6-2.
Never one to appear particularly flustered, Griffiths went about his task with poise and grace and battled back to 8-8 after a fine break of 121. Although it could have gone either way, with both players having chances, it was the Welshman who won the day, his century break clinching the deciding frame as he won the match 13-12.
Semi-Final
In the semi-final, Griffiths faced third-seed Eddie Charlton, the Australian player, who had previously lost the 1975 World Championship final to Ray Reardon. It was another close game but Griff came back from 17-16 to win the last three frames to triumph 19-17 in the best-of-37 match. That meant an almost disbelieving Griffiths was through to the final to face Northern Irishman Dennis Taylor.
The Final
The final was played over a marathon best-of-47-frames and Griffiths got off to a fast start (despite several miscues in a nervous first frame). The Welshman opened up a 5-1 lead over Taylor, but his opponent clawed it back to 7-7. In a nip-and-tuck match, Taylor then took an 11-9 lead and then 14-12, but Griffiths never let Taylor get away from him and at 15-15 it was anyone’s game. As it turned out, Griffiths displayed grit and stamina, grinding out several consecutive frame wins. He eventually secured the match victory by a convincing scoreline of 24-16.
First & Only World Championship Win
Griffiths became the first player to win the World Championship at the Crucible having come through qualifying (though Higgins became world champion after qualifying in 1972 in the pre-Crucible days, at the Selly Park British Legion in Birmingham).
As it turned out, it was the only time Griffiths won the World Championship (in no small part because of Steve Davis’s dominance of the game in subsequent years). He lost in the final in 1988 (18-11 to Davis) and the semi-final in 1992 (16-4 to Stephen Hendry). He also went out at the quarter-final stage eight times.
Other Career Highlights
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Although Griffiths never emulated his 1979 success at the Crucible, he is one of just 11 players to have won snooker’s prestigious Triple Crown of tournaments during his career: the World Championship, the Masters, and the UK Championship. Indeed, he was only the second player to achieve the feat, after that man Davis, who pipped Griffiths to it by winning the Masters in 1982, not long before Griff won his third of the Triple Crown events, the UK Championship.
A Master of Masters
Griffiths also won the Irish Masters three times, the Welsh Professional Championship three times, and various other tournaments including the Malaysian Masters, the Belgian Classic, and the Singapore Masters.
Coaching & Commentating
Once he’d hung up his cue, Griffiths moved into coaching and helped many top pros including Ding Junhui, Marco Fu, Barry Hawkins, Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire, Mark Williams, Mark Allen, and Ali Carter (among others). He also worked as a commentator for the BBC offering his thoughts and insights on many tournaments over the years. He was awarded an OBE for services to snooker in 2007.
Tributes from the World of Snooker
Griffiths’ son, Wayne, himself a snooker coach, made the announcement on social media:
To our friends and snooker followers in general, we are deeply saddened to share the news of our loss. Terry Griffiths OBE passed away peacefully on 1st December after a lengthy battle with dementia. He was surrounded by his family in his beloved hometown in South Wales. A proud Welshman, Terry was born in Llanelli, brought pride to Llanelli and now he has found peace in Llanelli. He would not have had it any other way.
Judd Trump, the 2019 world champion, who just won the UK Championship, said after the event:
It is very, very sad news. It is tough for the family and they have such a history in snooker. Terry was a witty guy. He was always very funny and quick, and a legend of the game.
Dennis Taylor, the man Griffiths beat for his one and only World Championship, summed it up brilliantly when he said:
He was a very, very special person and a brilliant snooker player and probably one of the best coaches snooker has ever had. He just loved snooker and he never changed.
Griffiths will be remembered as a fantastic player and coach, and as one of the nicest men in the game, always willing to offer a helping hand to new and established players alike.