Bill Oliver (snooker player)

Bill Oliver

Born	(1948-12-03) 3 December 1948 (age 76)
Sport country	England
Professional	1983–1994
Highest ranking	77

Bill Oliver (born 3 December 1948) is an English former professional snooker player.

Biography

Bill Oliver was born on 1 December 1948.[1] As an amateur player, Oliver beat Ian Williamson 7–5 in the final of the 1981 Pontins Autumn Open.[2] He became a professional snooker player in 1983[1] but never reached the last-16 of a major tournament. His highest ranking was 77.[3] He owns a snooker club in Plymouth.[4]

He made his television debut as a player in the 1984 World Doubles Championship, partnering Roger Bales in a 4–5 loss to Terry Griffiths and John Parrott in a match that finished at 12:30 am.[5][6]

Oliver beat former champion Ray Reardon in the second qualifying round of the 1988 World Snooker Championship.[7] Later that year he joined the board of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), taking the place of Rex Williams.[4] In September 1990 he withdrew from the 1990 Shoot-Out after the car he was driving to the venue skidded and went off the road into a ditch. Oliver required 15 stitches and had to wear a neck brace, but his passenger Mike Hallett was uninjured.[8][9]

He entered the 2010 World Snooker Championship under an arrangement where members of the WPBSA who were not on the main World Snooker Tour could participate if they paid a fee of £200. He was beaten 1–5 by Nic Barrow[10] in what was Oliver's first world championship match since 1994.[11]

References

1. Hale, Janice (1991). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1991–92. Aylesbury: Queen Anne Press. pp. 200–202. ISBN 0356197476.
2. "Brief History of the Pontins Open and Professional". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
3. Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. pp. 769–770. ISBN 0-9548549-0-X.
4. "Moving up – Bill Oliver". The Times. London. 14 July 1998 – via NewsBank. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
5. "Snooker Stars of future". Reading Evening Post. England. 7 December 1984. p. 20 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
6. "Into the Unknown". Reading Evening Post. England. 11 December 1984. p. 18 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
7. "Davis looks to world title after Irish win". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 28 March 1988. p. 16 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
8. "Hallet in driving seat after car scare". Grimsby Evening Telegraph. 28 September 1990. p. 22.
9. "International one-frame shoot-out". Snooker Scene. Everton's News Agency. November 1990. pp. 6–7.
10. "On the Crucible path to glory". Snooker Scene. No. April 2010. Everton's News Agency. p. 9.
11. Kobylecky, John. The Complete International Directory of Snooker Players – 1927 to 2018. Kobyhadrian Books. p. 181. ISBN 978-0993143311.