Jackie Rea

John Joseph "Jackie" Rea (6 April 1921 – 20 October 2013) was a Northern Irish snooker player.

He was the leading Irish snooker player until the emergence of Alex Higgins.

He won the All-Ireland Snooker Championship in 1947 and also the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship the same year.

Rea became the Irish Professional Champion in 1947 through his defeat of Jack Bates and retained the championship until he was defeated by Alex Higgins in January 1972.

Rea held Higgins to 5–4 after the first session, but Higgins pulled away to win 28–12; the last scheduled session was not required (and was played as an exhibition match).

Rea encouraged Higgins to move to England, and Higgins would rate Rea's help so highly that he described him as "a bit of a father figure".

Higgins would also later move to Cheadle, close to Rea.

Rea first appeared in the World Championship in 1949, when he lost 18–17 to Conrad Stanbury in the second qualifying round.

Rea reached the semi-final of the 1952 World Championship, losing to Fred Davis.

He didn't enter again until 1952 when he won two matches before losing to Fred Davis in the semi-final.

Rea was runner up in the 1952/53 News of the World Tournament.

With a variety of starts, Rea won 5 of his 8 matches with a frames tally of 173 won to 123 lost.

Rea therefore received a cheque for £300.

He lost to John Pulman in the 1953 championship and again in the 1954 championships, losing this latter match just 31–30.

Only Joe Davis had previously won all his eight matches (during the 1953 event).

His win gave him a cheque for £500 and allowed his share of the gate at Leicester Square Hall to rise to 20%.

Rea's victory at the end of the 1954/5 event is noted by Joe Davis, who had been grateful to Rea for presenting him with a silver cigarette stand upon Davis making his 500th century break at Leicester Square on 18 February 1953.

Rea's prime coincided with a huge decline in support for snooker.

He won the 1954/1955 News of the World Snooker Tournament, winning all his eight matches and taking the first prize of £500.

Rea would go one better in 1954/55 and would secure that year's event by winning all his eight matches, with a tally of 174 frames won and 122 lost.

Such a decline was sped up by the closure of Snooker's 'shop window' Leicester Square Hall at the end of January 1955.

Rea was present for the final night of the hall.

Rea was in his prime during a period when snooker players had to rely on exhibition bookings for their income.

He made his exhibitions attractive by using comedy during them, indeed Jack Karnehm described Rea "as much as comedian as a snooker player".

Virgo has admitted his snooker impressions were inspired by Rea.

He lost to Pulman again in 1956, separated by a loss to Fred Davis in a 1955 semi-final after beating Harry Stokes.

With interest in professional snooker in decline, he was one of four entries for the 1957 World Championships, and lost to John Pulman in the final.

By 1957 interest in snooker was ebbing and there just four entries for the World Title.

Rea easily defeated Kingsley Kennerley in the semi-final 25–12 and ran John Pulman close before losing 39–34.

He was one of the eight original players in the first two Pot Black series which started in 1969.

Rea competed in the revived 1969 World Championship, losing 25–17 to Gary Owen.

In the following championship, Rea faced defending champion John Spencer and Spencer achieved a winning lead at 31–15, which he extended to 37–17 as the 'dead' frames were still played out.

Rea responded by winning all 7 of the frames of the last session.

Rea entered the championship for most of the next 20 years, but his appearances became more sporadic from the late 1970s and he enjoyed only modest success.

When Alex Higgins married Lynn Hough on 5 January 1980, Rea was one of six people who held an arch of cues under which the couple walked as they left the United Reformed Church in Wilmslow, Cheshire – the other five being John Virgo, John Smyth, David Taylor, Bruce Donkin and actor Gareth Hunt.

in 1981 (see p. 158).

Rea claimed that once, after Higgins had insulted Rea's wife Betty, Rea (who had been in the Commandos) "laid [Higgins] out".

Higgins later apologised profusely, and Rea said that they remained strong friends.

He continued playing professional snooker for many years, making his final appearances in 1990.

Rea was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, and began playing snooker at the age of 9 in the billiard room of the pub his father managed in Dungannon.