Douglas James Mountjoy (8 June 1942 – 14 February 2021) was a Welsh snooker player. He was a member of the professional snooker circuit from the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for 11 consecutive years. He began his professional snooker career by taking the 1977 Masters, which he entered as a reserve player. He won both the 1978 UK Championship and the 1979 Irish Masters. Mountjoy reached the final of the 1981 World Snooker Championship where he was defeated by Steve Davis. He was also runner-up at the 1985 Masters losing to Cliff Thorburn, but by 1988 he had dropped out of the top 16.
Mountjoy enjoyed a resurgence in his 40s, and at the age of 46 he defeated Stephen Hendry in the final of the 1988 UK Championship. He followed up by also winning the next ranking event, the 1989 Classic, and by the end of the 1988–89 season he was back in the top 16, where he remained until 1992. His world ranking peaked at number five in 1990–1991. He also won five Welsh Professional Championship titles during his career.
Diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993, Mountjoy qualified for the World Championship at the age of 50, just weeks before having a lung surgically removed. He continued to play professionally until 1997, and he was coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999 and appeared sporadically at the World Snooker Championship until 2002. Mountjoy died in February 2021 after a stroke.
Early life Mountjoy was born on 8 June 1942,'Snooker. Mountjoy takes two frames to level scores'. The Times, 12 February 1977. Retrieved 12 November 2024 in Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Glamorgan, Wales. He was brought up just outside Ebbw Vale and worked for some years as a coal miner, playing snooker in his spare time. At the age of 17 an underground accident trapped him for several hours when the roof collapsed; he was fortunate to escape.
A popular player in the South Wales Valleys as a junior, he won many amateur tournaments including two Welsh Amateur titles and the World Amateur title in 1976, after defeating Paul Mifsud 11–1. After the World Amateur victory he turned professional at the age of 34.
Career Mountjoy's first professional tournament, which he entered as a late replacement, was the 1977 Masters at the New London Theatre. After defeating former world champions John Pulman, Fred Davis, and Alex Higgins to reach the final, he beat the defending Masters champion and reigning world champion Ray Reardon 7–6 to win the title.
At the 1977 World Championship a couple of months later, he defeated Higgins again in the first round but lost to Dennis Taylor in the quarter-final 11–13. At the end of 1977, he reached the final of the first UK Snooker Championship, losing to Patsy Fagan 9–12. He won the title at the 1978 UK Championship, however, beating David Taylor 15–9, and he defeated Ray Reardon in the same season to win the Irish Masters 6–5. He won the 1980 Champion of Champions, with a 10–8 victory over John Virgo in the final. Mountjoy also won the 1978 Pot Black event.
After being part of the winning Wales team in the first two snooker World Challenge Cups, in 1979 and 1980, and winning the 1980 Welsh Professional Championship he had an attack of Bell's palsy which partially paralysed his face. Recovering from the attack, he reached the final of the 1981 World Championship, defeating Eddie Charlton, Dennis Taylor and, in the semi-final, Ray Reardon (against whom he made a 145 break, a championship record at the time). He then played Steve Davis in the final. Davis was favourite to win his first world title, and appeared to be racing to an easy victory by winning the first six frames of the match. However, Mountjoy recovered and came close to drawing level on several occasions. Trailing 11–13, and with the score at 60–63 in the 25th frame, he looked certain to cut Davis's lead to one frame but missed a simple blue from its spot; Davis went on to clear the colours, the final black. Mountjoy won only one more frame as Davis won the match 18–12.
After that run at the World Championship, he had only a short run of titles; he won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1982 and 1984 to go with his 1980 title. He was back in the final of a major again in the 1985 Masters tournament, losing to Cliff Thorburn 9–6. Mountjoy also reclaimed the Pot Black title in March that year.
He won another Welsh title in 1987 but otherwise struggled to regain his previous form, including a 1–9 defeat to Steve Longworth in the first round of the 1986 UK Championship. By 1988 he was out of the top 16 in the world rankings. In the 1988–89 snooker season, however, he reached the final of the 1988 UK Championship where he met Stephen Hendry. He won 16–12 and gained his first ranking tournament victory, having at one stage scored centuries in three consecutive frames. In January 1989 he won the Classic, beating fellow Welshman Wayne Jones in the final, to win consecutive ranking titles. This was enough for him to return to the top 16 the next season, and by 1990 he was number five in the world. He remained in the top 16 until 1992.
Mountjoy was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993, having been a smoker for many years. That year, at the age of 50, he defeated Alain Robidoux 10–6 in the first round of the World Championship, only weeks before an operation to remove his left lung. This was his last appearance in the final stages of the championship and for fifteen years he was the last player aged over 50 to appear at The Crucible. He survived the cancer and continued to play snooker until 1997, after which he concentrated on snooker coaching. He would coach in the United Arab Emirates, but did appear in qualifying for the 2002 World Snooker Championship.
Personal life and death He married Mary (née Richards), a hairdresser and the couple had two children. He died on 14 February 2021, aged 78, following a stroke.
In a joint statement, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn and World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Jason Ferguson said: "Doug was first and foremost a lovely man, who had great friendships with many players on the tour throughout the 1970s and onwards."
Performance and rankings timeline
Tournament 1976/77 1977/78 1978/79 1979/80 1980/81 1981/82 1982/83 1983/84 1984/85 1985/86 1986/87 1987/88 1988/89 1989/90 1990/91 1991/92 1992/93 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 RankingNew players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.1414131467121515141424105102630263659 Ranking tournaments Asian ClassicThe event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Dubai Classic (1989/90–1994/1995) and Thailand Classic (1995/1996)Tournament Not HeldNRFQF1R2RWDLQLQLQ Grand PrixThe event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/83–1983/1984)Tournament Not Held1R1RQF2R3R1R3RQF1R2R1R1R2R1RLQ UK ChampionshipNHNon-Ranking Event2R2R2R1RW1R2R1R2R2R1R1RLQ German OpenTournament Not HeldLQLQ Welsh OpenTournament Not Held1R2R1R1RLQ1R International OpenThe event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)Tournament Not HeldNR1RQF1R2R2R1R2R1RNot Held1R1R1RLQLQ European OpenTournament Not Held3RQFQF2R3RLQ1RLQLQ Thailand OpenThe event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987 & 1991/1992) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1992/1993)Tournament Not HeldNon-Ranking EventNot Held3R3R1R1RLQ1RLQLQ British OpenThe event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)Not HeldNon-Ranking Event1R1R3R1R3R3R2RQF1RQF1RLQLQ World ChampionshipQF1R1R2RF2R2RQF2R2R2R2R1R2R1R1R2RLQLQLQLQ Non-ranking tournaments Scottish MastersTournament Not HeldQFAAAAAANHAQFAAAAAA The MastersWQFSFAQFQFSF1RF1RQF1RAQF1R1RLQLQAAA Seniors Pot Black Tournament Not HeldQF Irish MastersThe event was also called the Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (1974/1975–1976/1977)AFWFQFQFQFAAAAAA1R1RAAAAAA Pontins ProfessionalRRRRWASFSFWQFAAAAQFASFSFAAAAA European LeagueThe event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984) and the Matchroom League (1986/1987 to 1991/1992)Tournament Not HeldRRNot HeldAAARRRRAAAAAA Former ranking tournaments Canadian MastersThe event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)Non-Ranking EventTournament Not HeldNon-Ranking2RTournament Not Held Hong Kong OpenThe event was also called the Australian Masters (1979/1980–1987/1988 & 1995/1996) and Australian Open (1994/1995)Not HeldNon-Ranking EventNH3RTournament Not HeldNRNH ClassicNot HeldNon-Ranking Event1R1RSF1R2RW1R2R1RTournament Not Held Strachan OpenTournament Not Held1RMRNRNot Held Former non-ranking tournaments Canadian MastersA1RAAATournament Not HeldAAARTournament Not Held Holsten Lager InternationalNot Held1RTournament Not Held Forward Chemicals TournamentNot HeldRRTournament Not Held Golden MastersNHWSFTournament Not Held Padmore Super CrystalateNot HeldQFTournament Not Held Bombay InternationalNot HeldARRTournament Not Held Pontins Camber SandsNot HeldSFTournament Not Held Champion of ChampionsNot HeldSFNHWTournament Not Held International OpenTournament Not Held2RRanking EventNot HeldRanking Event Northern Ireland ClassicTournament Not HeldSFTournament Not Held ClassicNot HeldQFAAQFRanking EventTournament Not Held Tolly Cobbold ClassicNot HeldRRAAAQFATournament Not Held Thailand MastersTournament Not HeldSFAAANot HeldRanking Event UK ChampionshipNHFW2R1R2R2R2RRanking Event British OpenNot HeldRRRRRR2RRRRanking Event New Zealand MastersTournament Not HeldFQFNot HeldAATournament Not Held Australian MastersThe event was also called the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995)Not HeldAAAA1R1RAAANHRTournament Not HeldAANH Norwich Union Grand PrixTournament Not HeldQFTournament Not Held FNot HeldWSFWFWFFWSFWFATournament Not Held Hong Kong ChallengeThe event was also called the Hong Kong Masters (1983/1984–1988/1989)Tournament Not HeldWFAAAANHQFATournament Not Held Belgian MastersTournament Not HeldQFAANot HeldANH Shoot-OutTournament Not Held1RTournament Not Held World MatchplayTournament Not HeldAQF1RAATournament Not Held World MastersTournament Not Held1RTournament Not Held Pot BlackFWFSFASFA1RW1RTournament Not HeldSFAANot Held Tournament Not HeldQFTournament Not Held
Performance Table LegendLQ lost in the qualifying draw#R lost in the early rounds of the tournament(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)QF lost in the quarter-finalsSF lost in the semi-finalsF lost in the finalW won the tournamentDNQ did not qualify for the tournamentA did not participate in the tournamentWD withdrew from the tournament NH / Not Held means an event was not held.NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
Career finals Ranking finals: 4 (2 titles) Legend World Championship (0–1) UK Championship (1–0) Other (1–1)
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScoreRunner-up 1. 1981 World Snooker Championship Steve Davis 12–18Winner 1. 1988 UK Championship (2) Stephen Hendry 16–12Winner 2. 1989 The Classic Wayne Jones 13–11Runner-up 2. 1989 Dubai Classic Stephen Hendry 2–9
Non-ranking finals: 28 (15 titles) Legend UK Championship (1–1)The UK Championship did not become a ranking event until 1984 The Masters (1–1) Other (13–11)