John Roberts Sr.

John Roberts Sr (12 June 1823 – 27 March 1893) was a Welsh champion player of English billiards.

Biography Roberts was born in Liverpool on 12 June 1823 to a Welsh family. Before taking up English billiards, he worked as a carpenter. He managed the Union Club billiards room in Manchester from 1845 to 1852 after spending some time in Oldham as a billiard marker, a role that involved keeping the score of billiards matches. He then became landlord of a hotel, The Griffin.

In 1847, his son John Roberts Jr was born.

Edwin Kentfield, known as Jonathan Kentfield, was the self-declared champion of billiards when Roberts challenged him for the title in 1849. Kentfield declined to play, and so Roberts styled himself as champion, a title he held unchallenged until 1870, when he lost to William Cook.

Roberts embarked on a playing tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1864–65.

Roberts died on 27 March 1893 at Stratford, London.