Bill Werbeniuk

Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox snooker player William Alexander Werbeniuk (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; 14 January 1947 – 20 January 2003) was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill". Werbeniuk was a four-time World Championship quarter-finalist and also a UK Championship semi-finalist, reaching a career high world ranking of #8 for the 1983–84 season.

Early life

Werbeniuk was born on 14 January 1947 in Winnipeg.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> His paternal grandfather had immigrated to Canada from Ukraine; his father, according to Werbeniuk, "was one of the biggest fences in Canada" and "committed armed robberies, peddled drugs, every larceny in the language."<ref name=":0" /> His father also owned Pop's Billiards on Logan Avenue in Winnipeg, where Werbeniuk began playing snooker as a child.<ref name=":0" /> Werbeniuk spent a portion of his youth travelling with Cliff Thorburn and playing pool for money.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Werbeniuk won the Amateur Championship in 1973, with a 16–15 victory against Robert Paquette after being 12–15 behind. This qualified him for the North American Amateur Championship.<ref name="CSC73" /> He won the North American Amateur Championship by defeating Cliff Thorburn 26–22, winning five of the last six frames after the pair were level at 21–21.<ref name="NA73" />

His playing record included a 9–8 quarter-final loss to John Pulman in the 1975 Canadian Open and quarter-final losses in the 1978 and 1979 World Championships to Ray Reardon and John Virgo respectively. He reached the semi-finals of the UK Championships (when it opened to non-UK based residents) but lost 9–3 to the reigning world champion Terry Griffiths. He suffered a third World quarter-final defeat to Reardon in 1981 by 13–10.

In the 1983 Lada Classic, Bill reached his first major final, but was beaten by Steve Davis 9–5. Werbeniuk again reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships, in the same year, losing 13–11 to Alex Higgins, and reached his second major final in the summer, losing 7–3 to compatriot Cliff Thorburn in the Winfield Masters in Australia.

Alcohol consumption

Werbeniuk was noted for the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed before and during matches – at least six pints before a match and then one pint for each frame. In total, he drank between 40 and 50 pints of lager per day.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Virgo">Template:Cite web</ref> Doctors advised Werbeniuk to drink alcohol to counteract a familial benign essential tremor.<ref name=MSBCarter>Template:Cite book</ref> Later in his career he also took propranolol, a beta blocker, to cope with the effects of his alcohol consumption on his heart.<ref name="Guardian 880351">Template:Cite news</ref>

Werbeniuk was reported to have successfully claimed the cost of six pints of lager before every match as a tax deductible expense.<ref name=":1" />

Some of Werbeniuk's alleged feats of drinking include: 76 cans of lager during a game with John Spencer in Australia in the 1970s;<ref name=":0" /> 43 pints of lager in a snooker match/drinking contest against Scotsman Eddie Sinclair in which, after Sinclair had passed out following his 42nd pint, Werbeniuk was reported to say "I'm away to the bar now for a proper drink";<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 28 pints of lager and 16 whiskies over the course of 11 frames during a match against Nigel Bond, in January 1990 – after which Werbeniuk then consumed an entire bottle of Scotch to "drown his sorrows" after losing the match.<ref name=":0" />

Split trouser incident

A memorable incident occurred during a televised match against Dennis Taylor in the World Team Tournament. Werbeniuk tried to stretch across the table, but due to his size was having some difficulty. Eventually he split his trousers. The ripping noise it made caused many in the audience, including his opponent, to laugh out loud. Werbeniuk took it in good humour, asking the audience "who did that?" as if insinuating that the noise was attributed to flatulence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Trick shot

In another incident, playing against Joe Johnson, Werbeniuk made what the announcer termed the "pot of the century" when he potted a long red by jumping the cue ball so that it bounced in front of and over an interposing red, knocking the object red in.<ref name="Youtube video">Template:YouTube</ref> Later in the match, he had an unusual fluke, when he missed a simple brown to the top corner, but it cannoned out of the pocket, off the opposite cushion and into the centre pocket on the same side.<ref>Template:YouTube</ref>

Use of propranolol

Werbeniuk was ranked 8th in the world in 1983<ref name="Virgo" /> and reached the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship four times before propranolol was banned in snooker competition, as it was classified as a performance-enhancing drug by the International Olympic Committee, the anti-doping rules of which were adopted by World Snooker.<ref name="Virgo" /> Werbeniuk said that his use was medicinal only and under doctor's orders, but he was fined and sanctioned.<ref name="Virgo" />

His career effectively over, he returned to Vancouver,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> where he lived with his mother and brother.<ref name=":1" /> A bankruptcy order was filed against him in 1991 and he lived on disability benefits.<ref name=":0" />

Death

Werbeniuk died of heart failure on 20 January 2003, aged 56.<ref>"Snooker mourns Werbeniuk" BBC Sport website (22 January 2003)</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament	1973/ 74	1974/ 75	1975/ 76	1976/ 77	1977/ 78	1978/ 79	1979/ 80	1980/ 81	1981/ 82	1982/ 83	1983/ 84	1984/ 85	1985/ 86	1986/ 87	1987/ 88	1988/ 89	1989/ 90	1990/ 91	1991/ 92
Ranking<ref name="Ranking history">Template:Cite web</ref>	No ranking system			14	17	12	12	10	9	9	8	14	17	24	33	47	UR	UR	146
Ranking tournaments
Grand Prix<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/93–1983/1984)</ref>	Tournament Not Held									QF	2R	1R	1R	1R	2R	WD	A	A	LQ
UK Championship	Tournament Not Held				Non-Ranking Event							1R	1R	1R	1R	LQ	A	A	LQ
Classic	Tournament Not Held						Non-Ranking Event				1R	1R	3R	2R	1R	WD	A	A	LQ
British Open<ref group="nb">The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)</ref>	Tournament Not Held						Non-Ranking Event					1R	QF	1R	LQ	WD	A	LQ	LQ
Template:Nowrap	2R	2R	2R	A	QF	QF	2R	QF	2R	QF	2R	2R	1R	LQ	1R	WD	LQ	LQ	WD
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters	NH	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	1R	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
Irish Masters<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (1974/1975–1976/1977)</ref>	NH	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
Matchroom League<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984)</ref>	Tournament Not Held										RR	Not Held		A	A	A	A	A	A
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)</ref>	NH	Non-Ranking							Tournament Not Held				Non-Ranking			LQ	Not Held
International Open<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)</ref>	Tournament Not Held								NR	2R	1R	1R	2R	1R	2R	LQ	A	Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Norwich Union Open	A	QF	Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay Championship	Not Held			QF	Tournament Not Held
Holsten Lager International	Tournament Not Held					1R	Tournament Not Held
Canadian Masters<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)</ref>	NH	1R	QF	QF	QF	2R	QF	A	Tournament Not Held				A	A	A	R	Not Held
Padmore Super Crystalate	Tournament Not Held						QF	Tournament Not Held
Pontins Camber Sands	Tournament Not Held						QF	Tournament Not Held
International Open<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)</ref>	Tournament Not Held								1R	Ranking Event								Not Held
UK Championship	Tournament Not Held				A	A	SF	2R	QF	A	A	Ranking Event
Classic	Tournament Not Held						A	A	A	F	Ranking Event
Tolly Cobbold Classic	Tournament Not Held					A	A	A	A	SF	A	Tournament Not Held
British Open<ref group="nb">The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)</ref>	Tournament Not Held						RR	RR	RR	RR	RR	Ranking Event
New Zealand Masters	Tournament Not Held										W	QF	Not Held			A	A	Not Held
Australian Masters<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995)</ref>	Tournament Not Held						A	A	A	A	F	1R	1R	A	A	NH	A	Not Held
Pot Black	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	QF	Tournament Not Held

Performance Table Legend
LQ	lost in the qualifying draw	#R	lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)	QF	lost in the quarter-finals
SF	lost in the semi-finals	F	lost in the final	W	won the tournament
DNQ	did not qualify for the tournament	A	did not participate in the tournament	WD	withdrew from the tournament

NH / Not Held				means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event				means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event				means an event is/was a ranking event.

Career finals

Non-ranking finals: 4 (2 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Template:Abbr
Winner	1.	1973	Canadian Professional Championship			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Runner-up	1.	1983	The Classic	Template:Flagicon Steve Davis	5–9	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Winner	2.	1983	New Zealand Masters	Template:Flagicon Doug Mountjoy	1–0	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Runner-up	2.	1983	Australian Masters	Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn	3–7	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Team finals: 4 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Team/partner	Template:Nowrap	Score	Ref.
Runner-up	1.	1980	World Challenge Cup	Template:Flagicon Canada	Template:Flagicon Wales	5–8	<ref name="FACTST">Template:Cite book</ref>
Winner	1.	1982	Template:Sort	Template:Flagicon Canada	Template:Flagicon England	4–2	<ref name="a0g5u">Template:Cite news</ref>
Runner-up	2.	1986	World Cup (2)	Template:Flagicon Canada	Template:Flagicon Ireland "A"	7–9	<ref name="FACTST">Template:Cite book</ref>
Runner-up	3.	1987	World Cup (3)	Template:Flagicon Canada	Template:Flagicon Ireland "A"	2–9	<ref name="FACTST">Template:Cite book</ref>

Amateur finals: 7 (5 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Template:Abbr
Winner	1.	1973	Canadian Amateur Championship	Template:Flagicon Robert Paquette	16–15	<ref name="CSC73">Template:Cite news</ref>
Winner	2.	1973	North American Amateur Championship	Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn	26–22	<ref name="NA73">Template:Cite news</ref>
Winner	3.	1974	North American Amateur Championship (2)
Runner-up	1.	1975	Canadian Amateur Championship	Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn	1–11	<ref name="OJ75">Template:Cite news</ref>
Winner	4.	1975	North American Amateur Championship (3)	Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn	11–9	<ref name="C76">Template:Cite news</ref>
Runner-up	2.	1976	Canadian Amateur Championship (2)	Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn	2–9	<ref name="C76" />
Winner	5.	1976	North American Amateur Championship (4)	Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn	11–10

External links

• Template:Snooker.org player
• The Life and Death of Bill Werbeniuk
• Obituary in The Daily Telegraph