Graham Miles Explained

Graham Miles
Birth Date:11 May 1941
Birth Place:Birmingham, England
Professional:1971–1994
High Ranking:5 (1976/77)
Best Finish:Runner-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.

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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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,[7] 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.[8]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament1971/
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 system58991616182232365268657894101254
Ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic[10] Tournament Not HeldNR1RLQAA
Grand Prix[11] Tournament Not Held1R2R2R2R1R1RLQLQ1RLQLQ
UK ChampionshipTournament Not HeldNon-Ranking EventLQ1R1R2RLQLQLQLQLQ
European OpenTournament Not HeldLQLQLQAA
Welsh OpenTournament Not HeldLQLQ
International Open[12] Tournament Not HeldNRLQ1RLQ1R1RLQ1RLQNot HeldLQ
Thailand Open[13] Tournament Not HeldNon-Ranking EventNot Held1RLQAA
British Open[14] Tournament Not HeldNon-Ranking Event3R1RLQ1RLQ1RLQLQLQ
World ChampionshipNon-RankingF2R1RQFQF1R1R2R2R1R1RLQLQLQLQLQLQLQLQA
Non-ranking tournaments
The MastersNot HeldQFFSFQFAAAAAAAAAAAALQAA
Pontins ProfessionalNot HeldAQFSFSFRRFAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters[15] Not HeldNon-RankingTournament Not HeldNon-RankingLQTournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[16] Tournament Not HeldNon-Ranking EventNHLQNot Held
ClassicTournament Not HeldNon-Ranking EventLQLQLQLQLQ1RLQLQLQNH
Strachan OpenTournament Not HeldLQMR
Former non-ranking tournaments
Men of the MidlandsSFATournament Not Held
World ChampionshipLQQFRanking Event
Norwich Union OpenNot HeldQFQFTournament Not Held
Watney OpenNot HeldQFTournament Not Held
Canadian Masters[17] Not HeldSFSFAAAAATournament Not HeldAAARTournament Not Held
Canadian Club MastersTournament Not HeldQFTournament Not Held
World Matchplay ChampionshipTournament Not HeldSFTournament Not Held
Benson & Hedges Ireland TournamentNot HeldASFRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Holsten Lager InternationalTournament Not HeldFTournament Not Held
Bombay InternationalTournament Not HeldRRTournament Not Held
Golden MastersTournament Not HeldSFFTournament Not Held
Limosin InternationalTournament Not HeldQFTournament Not Held
Pot BlackAAWWRRRRFSFRRAAAAAATournament Not HeldAANH
Padmore Super CrystalateTournament Not HeldQFTournament Not Held
Pontins Camber SandsTournament Not HeldSFTournament Not Held
Champion of ChampionsTournament Not HeldANHRRTournament Not Held
ClassicTournament Not HeldAQFAARanking EventNot Held
International Open[18] Tournament Not HeldQFRanking EventTournament Not Held
Tolly Cobbold ClassicTournament Not HeldAAWSFAATournament Not Held
UK ChampionshipTournament Not HeldQFSF2R1R2R1R1RRanking Event
British Open[19] Tournament Not HeldRRRR2RLQLQRanking Event
Tournament Not HeldQFNot Held1R1R1RLQ1RTournament Not Held
Shoot-OutTournament Not Held1RNot Held
Performance Table Legend
LQlost in the qualifying draw
  1. R
lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QFlost in the quarter-finals
SFlost in the semi-finalsFlost in the finalWwon the tournament
DNQdid not qualify for the tournamentAdid not participate in the tournamentWDwithdrew 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.

Career finals

Ranking finals: 1

Legend
World Championship (0–1)
Other (0–0)

Non-ranking finals: 9 (4 titles)

Legend
The Masters (0–1)
Other (4–4)
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Winner1.1974Pot Black John Spencer
Winner2.1974Burscough ProfessionalUnknownRound–Robin[20] [21]
Winner3.1975Pot Black (2) Dennis Taylor1–0
Runner-up1.1976The Masters Ray Reardon3–7
Runner-up2.1978Pot Black Doug Mountjoy1–2
Runner-up3.1979Holsten Lager International John Spencer7–11
Runner-up4.1979Pontins Professional Doug Mountjoy4–8
Runner-up5.1979Golden Masters Ray Reardon2–4
Winner4.1981Tolly Cobbold Classic Cliff Thorburn5–1

Team finals: 2

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipTeam/partnerOpponent(s) in the finalScore
Runner-up1.1975Ladbroke InternationalRest of the WorldCumulative score
Runner-up2.1979World Challenge Cup3–14

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Birmingham snooker star Graham Miles reveals truth about Alex Higgins.. Paul Suart. Birminghammail.net. 15 October 2014. 1 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121001121240/http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2010/07/29/birmingham-snooker-star-graham-miles-reveals-truth-about-alex-higgins-97319-26952233/. dead.
  2. Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, January 1978, pp23-27.
  3. Everton Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, February 1979, pp13-15.
  4. Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, June 1979, p13.
  5. Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, June 1979, p21.
  6. Everton, Clive (Ed.) Snooker Scene, December 1979, pp5-9.
  7. Web site: Birmingham snooker pundit pays tribute to 'Hurricane' Higgins.. Paul Suart. Birminghammail.net. 15 October 2014. 1 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121001121254/http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2010/07/26/birmingham-snooker-pundit-pays-tribute-to-hurricane-higgins-97319-26929241/. dead.
  8. News: Graham Miles: Former World Snooker finalist dies aged 73. BBC Sport . Clive. Everton. 15 October 2014. 30 December 2018.
  9. Web site: Ranking History. Snooker.org. 7 November 2017.
  10. The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989)
  11. The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/93–1983/1984)
  12. The event was also called the Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  13. The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1993/1994)
  14. The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
  15. The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
  16. The event ran under different names as Australian Masters (1979/1980 to 1987/1988) and the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990).
  17. The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
  18. The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  19. The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
  20. Untitled article . Snooker Scene . December 1974 . 21.
  21. Miles top in best of four . Snooker Scene . January 1975 . 19.
  22. News: Snooker prize for Miles. subscription. Coventry Evening Telegraph. 27 December 1973. 7.