View source for Jim Wych

{{short description|Canadian sports commentator and snooker player (born 1955)}}
{{Infobox snooker player
|name         = Jim Wych
|image        = 
|caption      = 
|birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1955|1|11|mf=y}}
|birth_place   = [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| Sport country = {{CAN}}
| Professional = 1979–1997
| High ranking = 17 (1980–1982)
| Official maximums = 
| Best finish  = Quarter-final (x4)
| Ranking wins = 
}}
'''Jim Wych'''{{efn|Pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|aɪ|tʃ}} {{respell|WYCHE}}}} (born 11 January 1955)<ref name="87HALE">{{cite book |last=Hale |first=Janice |date=1987 |title=Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1987–88  |location=Aylesbury |publisher=Queen Anne Press |pages=198–199 |isbn=0356146901 }}</ref><ref name="WHOWHO" /> is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] sports commentator and former professional [[snooker]] and [[pocket billiards]] player. He turned professional in 1979<ref name="87HALE" /> and reached the quarter-final of the [[1980 World Snooker Championship]] in his debut year,<ref name="WHOWHO">{{cite book |last=Morrison |first=Ian |date=1988 |title=Hamlyn Who's Who in Snooker  |location=London |publisher=Hamlyn |isbn=0600557138 }}</ref> and reached the world championship quarter-final stage again in 1992.<ref name="KOBY">{{cite book |last=Kobylecky |first=John |date=2019 |title=The Complete International Directory of Snooker Players – 1927 to 2018 |publisher=Kobyhadrian Books |pages=267–268 |isbn=978-0993143311  }}</ref> Wych also reached the quarter-finals of two other [[Snooker world rankings|ranking]] tournaments, the [[1986 British Open]] and the [[1989 European Open (snooker)|1989 European Open]]. He reached the final of the men's doubles at the [[1991 World Masters]], playing with [[Brady Gollan]].<ref name="PMJW" />

A two-time [[Canadian Amateur Championship (snooker)|Canadian amateur champion]], in 1979<ref>{{cite web|title=Jim Wych knock off champion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19790924&id=QaMyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3957,1818930|work=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> and 1999,<ref>{{cite web|title=CBSA Past Champions|url=http://www.cbsa.ca/cbsa-champions-list.php|work=cbsa.ca|publisher=Canadian Billiards & Snooker Association|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420051857/http://www.cbsa.ca/cbsa-champions-list.php|archive-date=2010-04-20|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Amateur Snooker Champions|url=http://www.snookerline.com/Can/opensnookchamps.htm|work=cbsa.ca|publisher=snookerline.com|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529050615/http://www.snookerline.com/Can/opensnookchamps.htm|archive-date=29 May 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Wych retired from professional snooker in 1997 and now works mainly as a television [[pocket billiards|pool]] and snooker commentator, including for [[Sky Sports]], where he started working in the early 1990s.<ref name="PMJW" />

Wych was ranked in the top 64 players each year for 15 consecutive seasons, from [[Snooker world rankings 1980/1981|1980/1981]] to [[Snooker world rankings 1994/1995|1994/1995]]. His highest career ranking was 17, in the snooker world ranking lists for [[Snooker world rankings 1980/1981|1980/1981]] and [[Snooker world rankings 1981/1982|1981/1982]].<ref name="PMJW">{{cite magazine |last=Yates |first=Phil |title=Past masters: Jim Wych |magazine=Snooker Scene |page=19 |publisher=Everton's News Agency |issue=May 2010 }}</ref>

==Career finals==
===Non-ranking finals: 4===
{| class="wikitable"
! Outcome
! No.
! Year
! Championship
! Opponent in the final
! Score
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
|1.
| [[1980 Canadian Professional Championship|1980]]
| [[Canadian Professional Championship]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Cliff Thorburn]]
| style="text-align: center" | 6–9<ref name=CAJT1>{{cite web|title=Canadian Professional Championship|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/natpro.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107161810/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/natpro.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 January 2012|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|access-date=30 October 2017}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
|2.
| [[1981 Pot Black|1981]]
| [[Pot Black]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Cliff Thorburn]]
| style="text-align: center" | 0-2<ref>{{cite web|title=Pot Black History|url=http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/History/tourn_hist_potblack.htm|publisher=Global Snooker Centre|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224154719/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/History/tourn_hist_potblack.htm|archive-date=24 December 2008}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
|3.
| [[1986 Canadian Professional Championship|1986]]
| [[Canadian Professional Championship]] <small>(2)</small>
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Cliff Thorburn]]
| style="text-align: center" | 2–6<ref name=CAJT1/>
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
|4.
| [[1988 Canadian Professional Championship|1988]]
| [[Canadian Professional Championship]] <small>(3)</small>
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Alain Robidoux]]
| style="text-align: center" | 4–8<ref name=CAJT1/>
|}

===Team finals: 1===
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col" width="80"|Outcome
!scope="col" width="20"|No.
!scope="col" width="50"|Year
!scope="col" width="100"|Championship
!scope="col" width="100"|Team/partner
!scope="col" width="120"|Opponent(s) in the final
!scope="col" align="center" width="70"|Score
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| [[1991 World Masters|1991]]
| [[World Masters]]
| {{nowrap|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Brady Gollan]]}}
| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Mike|Hallett}}<br/>{{flagicon|SCO}} {{sortname|Stephen|Hendry}}
| align="center"|5–8<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/wmasters.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228200111/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/wmasters.html|archivedate=28 February 2012|title=Mita / Sky World Masters|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|work=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|accessdate=17 May 2010}}</ref> 
|}

===Amateur finals: 2 (2 titles)===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
!width="80"| Outcome
!width="20"| No.
!width="50"| Year
!width="250"| Championship
!width="200"| Opponent in the final
!width="100"| Score
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Winner
| 1.
| 1979
| {{nowrap|[[Canadian Amateur Championship (snooker)|Canadian Amateur Championship]]}}
| {{flagicon|CAN}} {{sort|Paquette|Bob Paquette}}
| 10–7<ref name=CBSA1>{{cite web|title=CBSA Past Champions|url=http://www.cbsa.ca/cbsa-champions-list.php|work=cbsa.ca|publisher=Canadian Billiards & Snooker Association|accessdate=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420051857/http://www.cbsa.ca/cbsa-champions-list.php|archive-date=2010-04-20|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Winner
| 2.
| 1999
| {{nowrap|[[Canadian Amateur Championship (snooker)|Canadian Amateur Championship]]}} <small>(2)</small>
| {{flagicon|CAN}} {{sort|Finstad|Tom Finstad}}
| 6–4<ref name=CBSA1/>
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wych, Jim}}
<!--COMMENTED OUT UNTIL SOURCED: [[Category:Canadian pool players]]-->
[[Category:Canadian snooker players]]
[[Category:Canadian players of English billiards]]
[[Category:Snooker commentators]]
[[Category:Cue sports commentators]]
[[Category:Canadian sports announcers]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Calgary]]


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