Terry Griffiths


Born: 16th October 1947
Died: 1st December 2024
Age: 77
Category: Sport

Terence Martin Griffiths OBE was a Welsh professional snooker player, coach and pundit. After winning several amateur titles, Griffiths turned professional in June 1978 at the age of 30.

In his second professional tournament, he qualified for the 1979 World Snooker Championship. He reached the final of the event where he defeated Dennis Taylor by 24 frames to 16. This was only the second time a qualifier had won the World Snooker Championship, after Alex Higgins in 1972; only Shaun Murphy in 2005 has since emulated the achievement. In 1988, Griffiths again reached the final of the competition. He was tied with Steve Davis, 8–8, but lost the match 11–18.

Although he also won several other tournaments, Griffiths's determination to match his rival Davis led to changes in technique which commentators said cost him his natural flair for playing. He retired from the professional tour in 1996 to become the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's director of coaching. During his coaching career, he worked with leading players including Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui.

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