Jonathan Barron (born 2 March 1937) is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1970 World Amateur Snooker Championship and was the first player to win the English Amateur Championship in three consecutive years.
| Born | 2 March 1937 |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  England |
Career
editBarron was born on 2 March 1937. He started playing snooker when he was about 10, on a three-quarter size table above his father's shop in the village of Mevagissey.[1]
He first reached the final of the English Amateur Championship in 1962,[2] where he was defeated 9–11 by Ron Gross.[3] He won the 1962–63 Television Tournament, a pro–am event, and also a televised amateur tournament the following season.[2] He was runner-up again in 1969, 9–11 to Ray Edmonds.[3] He gained the title in 1970 by defeating Sid Hood 11–10 in the final, and retained it in 1971 with an 11–7 defeat of Doug French.[3] In 1972, he was again the champion, prevailing 11–9 against Edmonds,[3] thereby becoming the first player to win the title in three consecutive years.[4] He was the first English Amateur champion since 1961 not to turn professional.[5] Barron travelled with Ray Reardon to South Africa in 1967. Reardon played Jimmy van Rensberg in the South African Challenge. Reardon beat van Rensberg winning by two matches to one.[6]
Barron represented England at the 1970 World Amateur Snooker Championship, winning five of his six group matches to reach the final, where he defeated Gross 11–7 to win the title.[7] Attempting to defend his title at the 1972 World Amateur Snooker Championship, he won all three of his group matches, but then lost 6–8 to Edmonds in the semi-finals.[7]
According to Barron, he retired from most competitive snooker after the 1972 World Amateur Championship (held in January 1973) to allow more time to focus on his family and business,[1] although he did continue to play in local league games until 2000.[8] He ran a curio shop in Mevagissey.[4]
Career highlights
edit| Outcome | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1962 | English Amateur Championship | Ron Gross (ENG)
|
9–11 | [3] |
| Winner | 1963 | Television Tournament | Ron Gross (ENG)
|
4–3 | [9] |
| Runner-up | 1969 | English Amateur Championship | Ray Edmonds (ENG)
|
9-11 | [3] |
| Winner | 1970 | English Amateur Championship | Sid Hood (ENG)
|
11–10 | [3] |
| Winner | 1970 | World Amateur Championship | Sid Hood (ENG)
|
11–7 | [10] |
| Winner | 1971 | English Amateur Championship | Doug French (ENG)
|
11–9 | [3] |
| Winner | 1972 | English Amateur Championship | Ray Edmonds (ENG)
|
11–9 | [3] |
References
edit- ^ a b Barron, Jonathan (10 January 2013). "Cornish Snooker Legends – Jonathan Barron". St Blazey & District Snooker League. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Jonathan Barron, Mevagissey". Billiards and Snooker. Billiards and Snooker Control Council. May 1971. p. 10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Everton, Clive (1985). Snooker: The Records. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 122. ISBN 0851124488.
- ^ a b Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 12. ISBN 0600501922.
- ^ Everton, Clive (1981). The Guinness Book of Snooker. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 116. ISBN 0851122302.
- ^ Everton, Clive (1986). The History of Snooker and Billiards. Haywards Heath: Partridge Press. ISBN 1852250135.
- ^ a b Everton, Clive (1981). The Guinness Book of Snooker. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 150. ISBN 0851122302.
- ^ Smallcombe, Mike (10 June 2018). "Cornwall's 50 greatest living sports men and women". cornwalllive.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Snooker: Barron has revenge in ITV final". Cornish Guardian. 28 February 1963. p. 11.
- ^ "Barron takes snooker title". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 1970. p. 29.