| Born | 13 June 1955 Bolton, Lancashire, England |
|---|---|
| Sport country | England |
| Professional | 1980– |
| Highest ranking | 2 (1984/85) |
| Highest <dfn style="border-bottom:1px dotted #0645AD; font-style:inherit;">break</dfn> | 139 (1988 English Professional Championship) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 2 |
| Non-ranking | 1 |
Anthony (Tony) Knowles (born on 13 June 1955, in Bolton, Lancashire) is an English professional snooker player. He was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s.
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The middle of three brothers, Knowles began playing snooker at the age of 9 on the tables at the social club run by his late father, Kevin. He went on to win the UK Junior Championship twice, in 1972 and in 1974, and continued to study graphic art while applying for instatement as a professional player. Knowles's application was twice turned down, leading him to threaten the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association with legal action before being accepted at the third attempt.
Knowles shot to prominence in 1982 when he defeated defending champion Steve Davis 10–1 in the first round of the World Championship, earning him overnight stardom in a period when the sport was reaching the peak of its popularity. His good looks resulted in his relationship exploits featuring in the tabloid press. After some particularly sordid revelations he was fined £5000 by the governing body for "bringing the game into disrepute".[1]
He followed up his strong performance in the World Championship by winning the Jameson International in 1982 against David Taylor, and a year later was victorious in the Professional Players Tournament and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship, leading Cliff Thorburn 15–13 before losing 15–16.[2] As a result, he moved to no. 4 in the 1983/1984 world rankings.
He remained in the top 16 until the 1989/1990 season, peaking at no. 2 (eclipsed only by Davis). He reached the World Championship semi-finals on three occasions (in 1983, 1985 and 1986), but never the final.
In the 1990s, his success waned, and he dropped off the Main Tour in 1997.[3] He was critical of a change to the cloths on competition snooker tables in 1986, which led to the pack breaking open more easily.[4] He was involved in a directorial role for World Snooker in the early 2000s.[5] He enters the qualifying event for the World Championship most years and managed to defeat tour professional Stefan Mazrocis in the first qualifying round in 2009.[6]
In 2009, Knowles won the inaugural Snooker Super 6s tournament at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.[7]
Knowles has begun the 2011/12 season by entering PTC1 [8]
He supports Bolton Wanderers F.C.. One of the suites in the rebuilt Phoenix Club was named after Knowles in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights.[9]
Knowles now owns and runs Churchills Wine Bar in the village of Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District.[10]