Eddie Charlton

Infobox Snooker player
Name = Eddie Charlton


Caption =
Born = birth date|1929|10|31|mf=y
Birthplace = Merewether, New South Wales, Australia
Died = Death date and age|2004|11|7|1929|10|31
Deathplace = Palmerston North, New ZealandClarifyme|date=March 2008
Nationality = Flagicon|Australia Australian
Nickname = "Steady Eddie"
Professional = 1963–1995
High ranking = #3 (4 years)
Current rank =
Prize money =
High break = 124 (1984 Irish Masters) [http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Players/Global_Oceania/Australia/aus_eddie_charlton.htm]
Best finish =
Ranking wins =
Other wins = 4Clarifyme|date=March 2008
World champ =

Edward Francis ("Eddie") Charlton AM (31 October, 1929 – 7 November, 2004) was a top-class Australian snooker and billiards player.

Charlton was born in Merewether, New South Wales, Australia and came from a sporting family. His brother Jim was also a professional snooker player but never joined the world ranks. Eddie himself was a senior grade footballer, a champion surfer, a good cricketer and boxer. One of his proudest moments was when he carried the Olympic torch on part of its journey to the 1956 Games in Melbourne.

Having been a coal miner, he turned professional in 1963 at the age of 34 and the following season he won the Australian Professional Championship, a title which he went on to win, with one exception, every year for the next 20. Charlton was the most successful snooker player ever to come out of Australia. He was ranked number three in the world for five consecutive seasons from 1976/77, the first year of the rankings, though surprisingly he never won a ranking tournament (in those first few seasons only the World Championship counted). The popular Australian reached the world final in 1968, 1973 and 1975, losing agonisingly 31-30 to Ray Reardon on the last occasion.

In 1972, 1973, and 1980, he was victorious in the BBC's "Pot Black" competition, giving him a high profile with television viewers. He also recorded the first century break (110) in that tournament, quite an achievement in a one-frame per match format. Also highly proficient at billiards, he twice, unsuccessfully, challenged Rex Williams for the world title in 1974 and 1976, and reached a third final only to lose by a handful of points to Mark Wildman in 1984. Four years later he made the final again but found Norman Dagley too strong.

Charlton was well known for playing with a very straight cue action and rarely hit the cue-ball with side. Yet his contribution to cue sports was immense and he is the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title.

Always active in the organisation and promotion of the game, Charlton was awarded the Order of Australia in 1980. He formed the Australian Professional Players Association and was responsible for bringing many of the top players to play in Australia. He stopped competing in 1995 and died in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 7 November 2004 following an operation. [ [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/08/1099781322504.html Eddie 'Mr Snooker' Charlton dies, 75] , "The Age", 20 November 2004.]

Tournament wins

Non-ranking wins

*Pot Black - 1972, 1973, 1980
*World Matchplay - 1976

References