Graham Miles

Graham Miles
Born(1941-05-11)11 May 1941
Birmingham, England
Died12 October 2014(2014-10-12) (aged 73)
Sport country England
Professional1971–1994
Highest ranking5 (1976/77)
Best ranking finishRunner-up (x1)

Graham Miles (11 May 1941 – 12 October 2014) was an English snooker player.[1]

Career

Miles turned professional in 1971. He first gained recognition in 1974, when he reached the final of the World Championship, losing 12–22 to Ray Reardon. As he was left-eye dominant, the right-handed Miles developed an idiosyncratic sighting style with his cue crossing his chin on the left side. This style became more pronounced over time, to the point where the cue ran beneath his left ear.[2]

Miles became one of the best known players in Britain, in an era when there was little televised snooker other than the Pot Black series. He won this tournament at his first attempt in 1974 (after entering as a late replacement for Fred Davis, who withdrew because of illness) and again in 1975. Other notable moments in his career included reaching the final of the 1976 Masters, where he again lost to Reardon.

The 1978/79 season saw something of a purple patch for Miles. At the 1978 UK Championship he defeated Rex Williams 9–8 and then easily beat Willie Thorne 9–1, which included what was then a championship record break of 139 in the last frame. However, he was then dispatched 1–9 by eventual winner Doug Mountjoy.[3]

This form continued in January 1979, when he reached the final of the Holsten Lager International by defeating John Pulman, Dennis Taylor and Alex Higgins. He led John Spencer 7–6 in the final, having made a break of 107, but eventually lost 7–11 to take £2,000 as runner-up.[4]

Miles led defending champion Ray Reardon 3–0 and 5–3 in the first round of the 1979 World Championship, but he came down with flu and lost 8–13.[5] Straight after this, Miles defeated Doug Mountjoy 4–3 and Perrie Mans 5–2 in the group stages of the Pontins Professional Event. Miles then beat Steve Davis 4–0 in the semi-final but lost 4–8 in the final to Doug Mountjoy.[6]

At the inaugural World Team Cup, Miles represented England along with John Spencer and Fred Davis, where they reached the final only to be beaten 3–14 by Wales.[7] His last major victory was the 1981 Tolly Cobbold Classic, when he beat Cliff Thorburn 5–1 in Ipswich. During the 1980s he slid down the rankings, and 1984 saw his last appearance at the World Championship.

Personal life

After retiring from the game in 1992, he ran two snooker clubs at Sandwell, West Midlands,[8] and one in Crewe, Cheshire. He came out of retirement to play at the Seniors Pot Black competition in 1997.

Miles died on 12 October 2014, aged 73.[2]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 1971/
72 		1972/
73 		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 		1993/
94
Ranking[9] No ranking system 5 8 9 9 16 16 18 22 32 36 52 68 65 78 94 101 254
Ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic[nb 1] Tournament Not Held NR 1R LQ A A
Grand Prix[nb 2] Tournament Not Held 1R 2R 2R 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ
UK Championship Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event LQ 1R 1R 2R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ
European Open Tournament Not Held LQ LQ LQ A A
Welsh Open Tournament Not Held LQ LQ
International Open[nb 3] Tournament Not Held NR LQ 1R LQ 1R 1R LQ 1R LQ Not Held LQ
Thailand Open[nb 4] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event Not Held 1R LQ A A
British Open[nb 5] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 3R 1R LQ 1R LQ 1R LQ LQ LQ
World Championship Non-Ranking F 2R 1R QF QF 1R 1R 2R 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ A
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters Not Held QF F SF QF A A A A A A A A A A A A LQ A A
Pontins Professional Not Held A QF SF SF RR F A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters[nb 6] Not Held Non-Ranking Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking LQ Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 7] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event NH LQ Not Held
Classic Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ LQ NH
Strachan Open Tournament Not Held LQ MR
Former non-ranking tournaments
Men of the Midlands SF A Tournament Not Held
World Championship LQ QF Ranking Event
Norwich Union Open Not Held QF QF Tournament Not Held
Watney Open Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Canadian Masters[nb 8] Not Held SF SF A A A A A Tournament Not Held A A A R Tournament Not Held
Canadian Club Masters Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay Championship Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament Not Held A SF RR A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Holsten Lager International Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Bombay International Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
Golden Masters Tournament Not Held SF F Tournament Not Held
Limosin International Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Pot Black A A W W RR RR F SF RR A A A A A A Tournament Not Held A A NH
Padmore Super Crystalate Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Pontins Camber Sands Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Champion of Champions Tournament Not Held A NH RR Tournament Not Held
Classic Tournament Not Held A QF A A Ranking Event Not Held
International Open[nb 9] Tournament Not Held QF Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Tolly Cobbold Classic Tournament Not Held A A W SF A A Tournament Not Held
UK Championship Tournament Not Held QF SF 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R Ranking Event
British Open[nb 10] Tournament Not Held RR RR 2R LQ LQ Ranking Event
English Professional Championship Tournament Not Held QF Not Held 1R 1R 1R LQ 1R Tournament Not Held
Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held 1R 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.
  1. ^ The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989)
  2. ^ The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/93–1983/1984)
  3. ^ The event was also called the Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  4. ^ The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1993/1994)
  5. ^ The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
  6. ^ The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
  7. ^ The event ran under different names as Australian Masters (1979/1980 to 1987/1988) and the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990).
  8. ^ The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
  9. ^ The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  10. ^ The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)

Career finals

Ranking finals: 1

Legend
World Championship (0–1)
Other (0–0)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1974 World Snooker Championship Wales Ray Reardon 12–22

Non-ranking finals: 9 (4 titles)

Legend
The Masters (0–1)
Other (4–4)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1974 Pot Black England John Spencer 2-0
Winner 2. 1974 Burscough Professional Unknown[a] Round–Robin[11][10]
Winner 3. 1975 Pot Black (2) Northern Ireland Dennis Taylor 1–0
Runner-up 1. 1976 The Masters Wales Ray Reardon 3–7
Runner-up 2. 1978 Pot Black Wales Doug Mountjoy 1–2
Runner-up 3. 1979 Holsten Lager International England John Spencer 7–11
Runner-up 4. 1979 Pontins Professional Wales Doug Mountjoy 4–8
Runner-up 5. 1979 Golden Masters Wales Ray Reardon 2–4
Winner 4. 1981 Tolly Cobbold Classic Canada Cliff Thorburn 5–1

Pro-am finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1973 Castle Open England Jim Meadowcroft 4–1[12]

Team finals: 2

Outcome No. Year Championship Team/partner Opponent(s) in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1975 Ladbroke International  England Rest of the World Cumulative score
Runner-up 2. 1979 World Challenge Cup  England  Wales 3–14

Notes

  1. ^ Round-robin with Ray Reardon, John Spencer, and John Pulman[10]

References

  1. ^ Paul Suart. "Birmingham snooker star Graham Miles reveals truth about Alex Higgins". Birminghammail.net. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b Everton, Clive (15 October 2014). "Graham Miles: Former World Snooker finalist dies aged 73". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  3. ^ Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, January 1978, pp23-27.
  4. ^ Everton Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, February 1979, pp13-15.
  5. ^ Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, June 1979, p13.
  6. ^ Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, June 1979, p21.
  7. ^ Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, December 1979, pp5-9.
  8. ^ Paul Suart. "Birmingham snooker pundit pays tribute to 'Hurricane' Higgins". Birminghammail.net. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Miles top in best of four". Snooker Scene. January 1975. p. 19.
  11. ^ "Untitled article". Snooker Scene. December 1974. p. 21.
  12. ^ "Snooker prize for Miles". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 27 December 1973. p. 7.