John Virgo

John Virgo ( born March 3, 1946 in Salford ) is a retired English snooker player and television presenter, commentator and author.

Career

Virgo began his professional career in 1976 at the age of 30 years. In 1977, he made ​​it through two wins in the first knockout round qualification at the World Snooker Championship, the first held in that year at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. There was a quarter-finals of the UK Championship in 1978.

The best results of his career, he scored in the following year: the semi-finals at the World Snooker Championship in 1979 followed the victory in the UK Championship in 1979 against the reigning world champion Terry Griffiths. He won the final with 14:13 and thus the biggest tournament victory of his career. In only recently been introduced Snooker world rankings he rose to 10th place.

In the Eighties, he played consistently in the range between # 10 and 20 in the world rankings. At the World Championships, however, he never came over the last sixteen out. With the beginning of the nineties and the ever -increasing competition from structural changes on the main tour he fell in the rankings back a little and ended his professional career in 1995.

Other Activities

From 1991 to 2002 he was co-host of snooker based game show Big Break on BBC1. He is also a co- presenter on the BBC snooker broadcasts in use to this day.

Virgo was a popular trick shot player and has two books written on this subject. Another book by him dedicated to the biography of Alex Higgins.

Publications

• John Virgo 's Book of Snooker Trick Shots (1994 ) - Boxtree Ltd - ISBN 978-0752209999
• Let Me Tell You About Alex: Crazy Days and Nights on the Road with the Hurricane (2011) - John Blake Publishing Ltd - ISBN 978-1843588825
• Amazing Snooker Trick Shots - Secrets from the Best! (2012 ) - Wilkinson Publishing - ISBN 978-1921804670