Tom Dennis (snooker player)
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox snooker player Thomas Arthur Dennis (1882 – January 1940)<ref name=obit>Template:Cite news</ref> was an English professional snooker and English billiards player.
Career
Dennis won the Billiard Professionals' Association (BPA) English billiards championship in 1914, 1921, 1922, and 1924, and also won the BPA Snooker Championship in 1923, 1924 and 1929.<ref name ="BP25">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1925 he was ill in hospital for several months, which meant he ws unable to defend his BPA titles and also faced the prospect of losing the two billiard saloons that he ran.<ref name ="BP25"/>
He reached the final of the World Snooker Championship in 1927, 1929, 1930, and 1931, but was beaten every time by Joe Davis.<ref name=obit/> The closest Dennis came to defeating Davis was in the 1931 tournament, when the pair were the only two entrants. The match, played in the back room of his own pub in Nottingham, saw Dennis lead 14-10 and 19–16, before losing 21–25. He competed in two more championships, making his last appearance in 1933. He also reached the final of the tournament in 1927, losing to Davis in the final 11–20. After his final loss in 1931, he played in the event twice more, losing in the semi-final on both occasions, to Clark McConachy, and Willie Smith respectively.
Dennis had to withdraw from the 1936 World Snooker Championship after having an operation on his right eye.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
He had three sons: Thomas Leslie, William Henry by his first wife and David<ref>England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005, Births registered in Jul, Aug & Sept 1939</ref> with his second wife, Kathleen.<ref>England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005, Marriages registered in Jan, Feb, March 1939</ref> William was a successful amateur snooker player, reaching the final of the 1937 English Amateur Championship, losing 5–3 to Kingsley Kennerley.<ref name=obit/>
Career finals
Career Finals: 7 (3 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1 | 1923 | BPA Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 4–1 |
| Winner | 2 | 1924 | BPA Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 1 | 1927 | World Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 11–20 |
| Runner-up | 2 | 1929 | World Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 14–19 |
| Winner | 3 | 1929 | BPA Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 4–1 |
| Runner-up | 3 | 1930 | World Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 12–25 |
| Runner-up | 4 | 1931 | World Snooker Championship | Template:Flagathlete | 21–25 |
References
Template:England-snooker-bio-stub
Template:Billiards-bio-stub