Billy Kelly

Billy Kelly (born 1 May 1945) is an Irish former professional snooker player. He played professionally from 1981 to 1992.

Career Kelly was born on 1 May 1945. In 1977, he won the CIU championship, regarded as the second-most prestigious amateur competition after the English Amateur Championship, and the Autumn Pontins Open.

He was accepted as a member by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in 1981. His first professional tournament was the 1981 International Open, where he lost 1–5 to Murdo MacLeod in the first qualifying round. and the 1982 World Snooker Championship (8-9 to Eddie Sinclair).

In 1990, Kelly was due to lose his professional status after being defeated 7–10 by Jason Ferguson in a play-off match, one of a series of matches where the lowest-ranked professionals faced leading amateurs with places on the professional tour at stake. However, the WPBSA soon opened membership for events to anyone over the age of 16 that paid the relevant fee, and Kelly continued to play in professional tournaments until 1992, finishing the 1991–92 snooker season ranked 188th. He also entered the World Snooker Championships in 2002, 2003,

His highest ranking achieved as a professional was 54.