Profile: John Spencer

Name: John Spencer

Nationality: English (born Radcliffe, Greater Manchester)

Date of Birth: 18/09/1935

Professional: 1968-1991

Highest Ranking: 2 (1977/78)

Career Highlights: World champion 1969, 1971, 1977; English Amateur champion 1966; Pot Black champion 1970, 1971, 1976; Norwich Union Open champion 1973, 1974; Masters champion 1975, Irish Masters champion 1978; World Cup team winner 1981

John Spencer learned to play snooker on a makeshift table at home but was an almost instant hit when he took to the slate and, at the age of 15, made a break of 115 less than a year after his first ‘proper' game.

But, after three years spent honing his skills at a time when snooker was in decline, Spencer retired from the game for 10 years until being recruited by a friend for a local match.

He went on to win 14 matches in succession and entered the English Amateur Championship, reaching the final two years running before winning the title in 1966.

Spencer turned professional in 1968 and won the world title at the first attempt 12 months later, before repeating the success in 1971 and 1977.

Since 1969 only Ray Reardon, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins have matched Spencer in winning the World Championship more than once.

And, despite Spencer’s obvious class, it was Welshman Reardon who went on to dominate the decade, claiming six world titles including four consecutive triumphs between 1973 and 1976.

Spencer’s contribution to the sport stretched further than the honours he accumulated over his 23-year professional career.

Spencer, Higgins and Reardon revived the fortunes of snooker, transforming it into one of the most popular sports in Great Britain with their skill, friendly rivalry and, ultimately, ability to entertain the crowd.

Best Moment: Spencer proved a formidable opponent at the World Championship following victories in 1969 and 1971 but it was not until 1977 that he completed the hat-trick.

Spencer’s third and final triumph will go down in history as he became the first man to win the world title at the now legendary Crucible Theatre.

That event was also the first World Championship to be held since world rankings were introduced and eighth seed Spencer recorded a famous 13-6 victory over favourite Reardon in the quarter-finals before beating John Pulman in the last four and Cliff Thorburn in the final.

Spencer was also the first player to win the World Championship with a two-piece cue after the cue with which he won his previous two titles was damaged in a car accident.

The thought at the time was that nothing could beat a one-piece cue for accuracy, but Spencer paved the way for modern cue technology with victory in Sheffield.

Worst Moment: Spencer made the shock discovery during the 1984/85 season that he was suffering from double vision because of an incurable eye disease, Myasthenia gravis.

His form on the table deserted him despite taking a daily dose of steroids to arrest the problem and Spencer dropped out of the top 16 for the first time in his illustrious career.

Spencer opened a luxury snooker club called Spencer’s in Bolton in 1985 but it was not until 1991 that he retired from the sport.

He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2003 but refused treatment in order to enjoy the rest of his life free from the effects of chemotherapy and remained an inspiration off the table, taking part in a charity parachute jump in 2005.

Spencer lost his battle with cancer on July 11, 2006 when he died in a hospice in his home town of Radcliffe aged 70.