Player Profile: Harry Welch
It was that great enthusiast, Robert Bader of Cornwall, who drew my attention to the fact that Harry Welch was still alive and well and about to celebrate his eightieth birthday. Robert wrote: "My father and I had the pleasure of practising; with Harry on many occasions when we lived in London. What a fine player with such finesse and a wonderful touch."
Harry Welch was one of group of very good players who came to billiards prominence in the years immediately following the war. The more familiar names being those of Joe Thompson, Alf Nolan, Jack Karnehm, together with Beetham, Driffield, and Edwards. It was a golden era for the amateur game.
Harry Welch originated from that great nursery of billiard players now known as Teesside and he won the Newcastle area of the Amateur Championship in 1948 reaching the semi-final of the competition proper losing to Harold Terry (no relation) who was beaten by Joe Thompson in the final.
Harry went to live in Cheshunt where he still lives. He won the Home Counties section of the Amateur eight times, eventually retiring from the game - as he thought - in 1965. One of his best years was 1958. He had a fine win over Donald Cruickshank - another Newcastle man - who was considered to be a better player than Welch. In the next round Harry was defeated by Jack Wright, but by not many points, and he made breaks of 215 and 116. His break of 215 was described as being, "almost without a flaw," and, "as good a break of all-round play as you could hope to see." Clearly Harry Welch was a fine amateur player. Harry disappeared from the billiards scene for some years until, in 1983, at the age of 69 he came out of retirement to play for the Herts County Championship team leading them to the final where they were quite narrowly beaten by the very strong Cleveland side of Bob Close, Martin Goodwill, and Kenny Cockerill. Harry played a great game beating Goodwill 308 - 147, making an 88 break and giving his side a 59 points advantage going into the last game. Last man for Cleveland was the redoubtable Bob Close and Herts had to be satisfied with the runner-up prizes.
Harry again entered the Amateur Championship and twice won the London area. He was beaten in the competition proper by Ken Shirley in 1984 and by G.M. (Nip) Wright in 1985, in matches in which he was able to return double figure averages, which, as Ross Porter would very quickly tell you, is not too bad for any amateur other than those at the very top, and excellent for a player in his seventies. At his best Harry Welch was an elegant cueman, That he did not quite get right to the top of the amateur game was perhaps less to do with ability than, like many players, a lack of that obsessive drive so necessary to produce the champion. Mr Welch doubtless realised that there was more to life than billiards. The very greatest players become what they become largely because of this obsession, and they fade not because of any great decline in their powers, but because of a decline in their ambition. Once at the top there is only one way to go. Harry Welch is now 80 years of age. There will be those readers who will have heard of him, there will be some who will remember him, and there will be some who actually played the game with him. Billiards Quarterly Review together, surely, with all enthusiasts, wishes him well and hopes that he may reach a century of a different kind.