Kingsley Kennerley

Kingsley Kennerley (27 December 1913 – 26 June 1982) was an English billiards and snooker player. From 1937 to 1940, he appeared in each English Amateur Snooker Championship and English Amateur Billiards Championship final. He won the Billiards Championship for those four consecutive years, and the Snooker title in 1937 and 1940. His billiards break of 549 in the 1937 event remained the championship record until 1978. In 1938, he was runner-up in the Empire Amateur Billiards Championship, losing to Bob Marshall in the final, but making the championship record break of 472.

He turned professional in 1945, at a time when there was little public interest in professional billiards. He was runner-up in the UK Professional English Billiards Championship in 1950 and 1951. He entered the World Snooker Championship regularly in the 1940s and 1950s, and played twice in the tournament in the 1970s. After several years of not competing professionally, he played in both snooker and billiards tournaments in 1980. He died on 26 June 1982 after having his third heart attack.

Early life Kingsley Kennerley was born on 27 December 1913 in Congleton, Cheshire. He was the son of Sam Kennerley, who played bowls for Cheshire County; his son also represented the county at the game. This lasted for about four years; when he lost that job, aged 21, he started playing again, using a cue that Tom Newman had given him. In 1935, when he was unemployed, his friends collected money for him to enter the English Amateur Billiards Championship; he lost in the Midlands area final to Frank Edwards. One of the spectators at the final, Mr. J.C. Pitchford, employed Kennerley, who had relevant experience, in the garage of his engineering firm Richard Lloyd. In the following year's Championship, he defeated Edwards in the Midlands area final, Kennerley's billiards break of 549 in the 1937 event remained the championship record until 1978, and he held the record break in the snooker tournament, 69, in 1939. In 1938 he travelled to Melbourne and was runner-up in the Empire Amateur Billiards Championship, losing to Bob Marshall in the final, but making the championship record break of 472. On a tour of India later that year, he set Indian national record breaks in both billiards (1,118) and snooker (77).

He announced in 1945 that he intended to become a professional after completing his national service as a munitions worker that year. The Billiard Player described him as "one of the greatest amateurs the world has ever seen... a welcome addition to the professional ranks." He finished fourth of the nine players in the tournament, where players were handicapped.

He was runner-up in the UK Professional English Billiards Championship in 1950, losing 5,069–9,046 to John Barrie, and again the following year when he was defeated 6,011–8,120 by Fred Davis.

After 1957, a decline in public interest meant that the World Snooker Championship was not played as a full tournament again until the 1969 tournament, which started in November 1968. In 1969, the BBC2 started showing Pot Black, which led to a great increase in the popularity of snooker. Kennerley played in the first three series of Pot Black from 1969 to 1971. He missed his scheduled match against Jim Meadowcroft at the 1973 Championship due to being hospitalised following a heart attack. He played Meadowcroft in the first round of the 1974 edition and lost 5–8. After 1974, his next competitive match was at the 1980 World Championship qualifying, when he lost 2–9 to Mike Hallett. He was defeated 1–9 by Eddie Sinclair in the qualifying for the 1980 UK Championship, after a walkover against Rea, and by the same score by Pat Houlihan in the following year's qualifying.

In 1980, the World Professional Billiards Championship was contested as a knockout tournament for the first time since 1934. Steve Davis eliminated Kennerley in the qualifying round, 1,859–965. In the preliminary round of the 1981 UK Professional English Billiards Championship, he lost 879–1,078 to John Pulman. At the 1982 World Billiards Championship, the next time it was held after 1980, he lost his first match 753–1,500 against Ray Edmonds. Kennerley died at home in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham on 26 June 1982 after having his third heart attack.

Snooker performance timeline +Post-war tournament performance Tournament 1945/46 1946/47 1947/48 1948/49 1949/50 1950/51 1951/52 1952/53 1953/54 1954/55 1955/56 1956/57 1957/58 1958/59 1959/60 Sunday Empire News TournamentNot Held LQTournament Not Held World Professional Match-play Championship Tournament Not HeldQFQFQF A ASFNot Held News of the World Snooker Tournament Tournament Not Held A LQ LQ LQ A4th/9 A A A A A World Championship LQ LQQFQFQFQF A Tournament Not Held

Performance Table LegendLQ lost in qualifying draw#R lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round)QF advanced to but not past the quarterfinalsSF advanced to but not past the semi-finalsA did not participate in the tournamentWD withdrew from the tournament?? no reliable source available for progress

Career titles Snooker English Amateur Championship: 1937, 1940

Billiards English Amateur Billiards Championship: 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940