Clifford Charles Devlin (Cliff) Thorburn (born January 16, 1948 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a retired professional snooker player. His slow, determined style of play earned him the nickname The Grinder. January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Victoria is a Canadian city, and it is the capital of the province of British Columbia. ... The snooker world rankings are a system of ranking professional snooker players. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In the Billiards game snooker, a break is the total score achieved by a player in a single visit to the table. ... The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, is the climax of snookers annual calendar and the most important snooker event of the year in terms of prestige, prize money and world ranking points. ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Victoria is a Canadian city, and it is the capital of the province of British Columbia. ... Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a large (12 feet × 6 feet) baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. ...

Thorburn's finest moment came in the 1980 World Championship. He met Alex Higgins in the final, two personalities that could hardly be more different. Thorburn won the match 18-16 to take the championship, and rose to number two in the world rankings. The BBC's coverage of the final had been interrupted by the broadcast of live footage of the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy. The following season Thorburn reached the number one spot. In 1977 and 1983 he lost in the World final to John Spencer and Steve Davis respectively. In the latter final his wife had miscarried shortly before the match which may partly explain his very heavy defeat by Davis. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The World Championship is the climax of snookers annual calendar and the most important snooker event of the year in terms of prestige, prize money and world ranking points. ... Alexander Gordon Higgins (born March 18, 1949) is a world-famous snooker player. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The Iranian Embassy Siege of 1980 was a terrorist siege of the Iranian Embassy in London, United Kingdom. ...

In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum 147 break at the World Championships. The achievement took place in a match against Terry Griffiths, and was made more notable by the fact that it stopped the match going on at the tournament's second table: Thorburn's friend and fellow Canadian Bill Werbeniuk wanted to watch the break instead of playing his own match; and joined in the celebrations with Thorburn and Griffiths when the break was completed. That same year, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. During the 2006 World Championships, Thorburn flew to Sheffield to unveil a lifesize painting of his break, by the artist Michael Myers. It is on display at the Macdonald St. Paul's Hotel in Sheffield. [1] 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the Billiards game snooker, a break is the total score achieved by a player in a single visit to the table. ... The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, is the climax of snookers annual calendar and the most important snooker event of the year in terms of prestige, prize money and world ranking points. ... Terry Griffiths (born October 16, 1947, Llanelli) is a retired Welsh snooker player. ... Bill Werbeniuk (January 14, 1947 - January 20, 2003) was a Canadian professional snooker player. ... Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Thorburn was fined by World Snooker for using cocaine in 1989 and retired from professional snooker in 1996, but still plays the game. He enters competitions held in Canada. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

He is the father of two boys, Jamie and Andrew.

Tournament wins

Ranking tournaments

• World Snooker Championship (1980)
• Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985)

Non-ranking tournaments

• Canadian Open (1974, 1978, 1979, 1980)
• Masters (1983, 1985, 1986)
• Scottish Masters (1985, 1986)
• Pot Black (1981)
• Canadian Professional Championship (1984—1987)
• World Cup (1982) with Canadian team

The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, is the climax of snookers annual calendar and the most important snooker event of the year in terms of prestige, prize money and world ranking points. ... The Players Championship is a professional snooker tournament. ... The Masters, formerly the Benson & Hedges Masters is a professional snooker tournament. ... The Scottish Masters, often known by its sponsored names, the Langs Scottish Masters or the Regal Scottish Masters, was a non-ranking professional snooker tournament held every year from 1981-2002 (except 1988). ... Pot Black was a UK television snooker tournament that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game. ... A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities - usually national teams or individuals representing their nation - compete for the title of world champion. ...

External links

• Cliff Thorburn