Player Profile: Ross Porter

Life on the Fast Track

Ross Porter

Ross Porter will cheerfully admit to some seventy or so years on this planet as he reckons he was born in Toronto, Canada, sometime during 1923. Though Ross has had, and still has, many sporting interests, he did not start playing billiards until he was 34, The nearest he got to the three ball game before that time was in 1932 when he became the Los Angeles boys marbles champion. But though Ross was a late starter he is a very proficient player as the Editor of this magazine can testify having been walloped by him in a Mini-prix at Leeds just three or four years ago. It is not too surprising that Ross, despite the late start, has become a good player when considering that he learned a great deal about the all-round game from Jack Wright, brother of Norman Dagley's teacher Reg Wright, and has studied top-of-the-table play with Mark Wildman. He made his first century in 1960 and it was against Jack Wright that Ross made his highest practice break of 151. This is in itself rather unusual in as much as this break almost exactly equals his highest break in competition; most players make much bigger breaks in practice than they do in competition. Ross's best match effort of 152 was made in 1970 in the semi-final of a local competition and which won the, "Snooker Scene," break of the month prize. Ross has been five times the Spalding League scratch champion, and has won the Lincolnshire Intermediate Championship. He has reached the last sixteen of the English Amateur, but he reckons that his best performance was in beating Jack Karnehm in a Mini-Prix held in Peterborough. His next best was in once beating Ken Shirley (by a single point,) and he has had wins over such good players as Stephen Naisby, David Rees, Steve Hardcastle, and Dennis McGuigan.

Champion Cue

If Ross himself has never won a major tournament he is very proud of the fact that his cue has! This Burwat Champion, sixteen-and-a-half ounce piece of timber holds the world record one-and-a-half hour session average of 176, a three-hour match record average of 126, and has made breaks of 499 and 411. Not many players could say that of their cues. Ross will not mind readers knowing that these feats stand to the credit of Mark Wildman who borrowed Ross's cue for the 1977 World Open Billiards Championship held in New Zealand. With figures like that I am surprised that he ever got the cue back. Wildman, incidentally, reached the final of that tournament but was beaten by Michael Ferreira.

Ross tries to get some practice every day and still has ambitions for a double century. He plays Peterborough professional Roxton Chapman a 1000 up most weeks and has recently fielded out breaks of 839, 621, and 557, but considered this a pleasure.

The players he admired most include Wright and Barrie, whilst of those still active he will travel fair distances to watch Wildman, Dagley, Ferreira. He is a great supporter of Roxton Chapman predicting, along with Wildman, that this young player will one day be professional champion.

The Spalding man has never been quite as enthusiastic about snooker as billiards but is nevertheless no mean performer at the 22 ball game. He has a top break of 64 and is the only player ever to have won all of the Spalding League's four individual championships. With the addition of a new Seniors Event there are now five individual championships and Ross might have added that one as he reached the final this year but had to scratch as he was called into hospital for major surgery.

Ross's billiard activities are not confined to just playing the game. He is secretary of the Spalding League, its Press Officer, and an Honorary Life Vice President. A tireless enthusiast and worker for the game.

Z-o-o-m. B-r-o-o-m

Though Ross's first love is now billiards it was not always so. As a young man he was an enthusiastic motor-cyclist of international class. His first race was in 1947 at Cadwell Park and his last was in the International T.T. on the Isle-of-Man when his racing career came to a 95mph violent finish and a spell in hospital. In between he had many wins in various trials, grass track events, and sprints. His most successful moments came in 1955 when in just one weekend he was a winner at Snetterton, second at Brands Hatch, and third at Oulton Park. But his best result, also in 1955, was in finishing sixth in the International T.T. His first machines were a 1923, 493cc Longstroke Lion and a 1938 Sunbeam. Later he rode such machines as an M. V. Augusta, MV Norton, NSU, Velocette, BSA, Triumph, and Royal Enfield. Motor cycling was more than a sport for Ross as for many years he earned his living selling motor cycles and cars.

All Round Sportsman

Motor cycling and billiards is by no means the end of the story. Ross was also a very keen footballer. He played as a schoolboy in the Spalding League scoring 52 goals in the 36/37 season. During the war he played for R.A.F. teams in England, Gibraltar, India, and Burma, and on his return to civilian life had four seasons with Spalding Athletic. A little later he took up golf getting his handicap down to eight, having a best competition round of 74, and achieving every golfer's dream of a hole-in-one.

Its a bit difficult to see how he managed to fit in photography, gardening, whilst at the same time claiming that his chief occupation is reading! Not to mention being married for 49 years to his beloved Greta, raising three sons and one daughter, and now playing an active role as grandfather to six grandchildren.

Not Finished yet

Ross has three remaining targets. To celebrate his Golden Wedding in the year 2004; to continue playing into the next century and make that 200 break; to beat his age at golf hopefully with a score of 89 on his ninetieth birthday.