Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn

Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn, snooker player (b at Victoria 16 Jan 1948). Since leaving school after grade 10, Cliff Thorburn has played snooker and pool virtually full-time. In 1971 he won the North American Snooker championship and since then has played in 33 different countries.

Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn, snooker player (b at Victoria 16 Jan 1948). Since leaving school after grade 10, Cliff Thorburn has played snooker and pool virtually full-time. In 1971 he won the North American Snooker championship and since then has played in 33 different countries. In 1980 he became the first player from outside the UK to win the world professional championship. He has been North American champion twice and has won 13 Canadian snooker championships. Other major titles include the Australian Masters, the World Team (twice) and the World Mixed Pairs. On 22 April, 1983 he became the first player to make the perfect 147 run in the world snooker championships.

In 1984 he was awarded the Order of Canada. In 1995 he was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame.