Video – Photo Gallery – World Snooker Champion Cliff Thorburn Delights Legion Members in Cobourg

Pete Fisher
2 days ago
• Categories: Editor Choice, Local, Photo Gallery

‘The Grinder’ shares stories from a legendary career, performs trick shots and reflects on a lifetime in snooker

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A world snooker champion returned to familiar territory on Sunday, October 25, giving members of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133 in Cobourg an opportunity to test their skills against one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.

Cliff Thorburn, 78, who captured the World Snooker Championship in 1980, visited the Legion to the delight of local snooker enthusiasts. A longtime friend of Cobourg’s Scott Tuttle, Thorburn has made several visits to the Legion over the years, where his presence has become a welcome occasion for players.

Several Legion members took their chances at beating the Canadian snooker legend, but none managed to overcome Thorburn on Sunday.

Thorburn graciously posed for photographs before demonstrating a series of trick shots that thrilled those watching.

In an interview with Today’s Northumberland, Thorburn reflected on his remarkable career, his ongoing work as a snooker coach and the friendships he has built through the game.

“I’m Canada’s national snooker coach,” Thorburn said, explaining that he continues to coach players and welcomes opportunities to share his knowledge.

Although he no longer competes regularly in tournaments, Thorburn said he still loves playing and helping others improve.

“The guys still want to beat me,” he said with a smile, noting that players have been trying to defeat him for decades.

Thorburn said he is happy with what he is doing today, but believes more people could benefit from asking questions and learning from his experience.

He also spoke warmly about his visits to Cobourg, crediting Tuttle and Legion members for helping bring him back to the community.

“They bring me down here once every year or two years,” Thorburn said. “Time’s running out. You know, they’ve got to maybe make it yearly or something.”

For Thorburn, however, the visits are about much more than snooker.

“It’s nice to matter,” he said, describing how much he enjoys meeting people and making them happy through the game.

He recalled a sports quote that has stayed with him throughout his career. The story concerned baseball great Joe DiMaggio, who was asked why he continued to take the game so seriously late in his career.

The answer, Thorburn explained, was that a person watching might be seeing him play for the first time — or the last.

Thorburn said that philosophy has stayed with him, even if he operates on a smaller scale than some of the world’s biggest sporting stars.

He knows that a visit to a Legion or a few minutes at a snooker table can create a lasting memory for someone watching.

“We have a good time,” he said.

Thorburn also believes snooker is a game people can enjoy throughout their lives, comparing it to golf.

“It keeps you nimble. It’s good for the mind,” he said, pointing to the concentration, scoring and strategy involved.

A champion who made history

Born in 1948, Thorburn became one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes through his achievements on the international snooker circuit.

Known as “The Grinder” for his patient, determined playing style, he made history in 1980 when he defeated Alex Higgins 18-16 in the World Snooker Championship final.

The victory established Thorburn as the first world champion from outside the United Kingdom in the modern era of the championship, and he remains the only world snooker champion from the Americas.

He reached the world championship final on two other occasions, losing to John Spencer in 1977 and Steve Davis in 1983.

The 1983 championship also secured Thorburn another place in snooker history when he recorded the first maximum 147 break in a World Championship match during his second-round encounter with Terry Griffiths.

Thorburn explained to Today’s Northumberland that the achievement remains a significant milestone in the sport.

A maximum break requires a player to pot all 15 reds with a black after each red, followed by the six remaining colours in sequence, for a total of 147 points.

Thorburn was also ranked world number one during the 1981-82 season, becoming the first player from outside Britain to top the world rankings.

He won the prestigious Masters tournament three times, in 1983, 1985 and 1986, becoming the first player to claim the title three times and the first to successfully defend it.

His accomplishments earned him induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Snooker Hall of Fame in 2014.

Remembering the journey

Despite the championship trophies and international recognition, Thorburn said the road to the top was not always glamorous.

He recalled a time when the sport offered little of the financial reward available to many professional athletes today.

“When I was first doing it, there wasn’t too much money around,” he said, remembering that some of the early trophies he won were little more than plastic.

Winning the world championship, however, was different.

Thorburn said one of his first thoughts after lifting the trophy was of his father, who had supported him throughout his sporting journey.

He remembered first discovering snooker and his father’s initial response: “Don’t go down there.”

Thorburn ultimately followed his instincts, and what began as an interest became a career that carried him to the pinnacle of the sport.

He also reflected on the evolution of snooker, noting improvements in playing cloth, cues and equipment while emphasizing that the fundamentals of the game remain unchanged.

Thorburn was particularly proud of winning the world championship using a Canadian-made cue.

He also spoke about the growing international popularity of snooker, including the increasing strength of Asian players and the importance of examining how players are trained.

With tournaments now streamed around the world and more snooker rooms opening in Ontario, Thorburn sees opportunities for the game to continue growing.

For him, the appeal remains simple: the challenge of the table, the friendships formed along the way and the chance to pass his knowledge on to another generation.

Sunday’s visit to Cobourg offered a reminder that, while world championships and record-breaking performances define a sporting legacy, the connection between a champion and the people who admire him can be just as meaningful.

For the Legion members who tried their luck against Thorburn, watched his trick shots or simply had their photograph taken with the Canadian legend, it was an opportunity to spend time with a man whose name is permanently etched in snooker history.