Roger Bales (born 15 August 1948) is an English former professional

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

player.

Career

Born in Birmingham on 15 August 1948, Bales first played competitive snooker in 1974, playing in that year's Pontin's Spring Open, a pro-am event, where he lost his first match 0–4 to Mario Berni. In the 1978 edition of that event, he whitewashed

Cliff Wilson Clifford Wilson (10 May 1934 – 21 May 1994) was a Welsh people, Welsh professional snooker player who reached his highest Snooker world rankings, ranking of 16 in Snooker world rankings 1988/1989, 1988–89. He was the 1978 IBSF World Snooke ...

4–0, but was defeated in the next round 3–4 by

Dennis Taylor Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He turned professional in 1972 and won the 1985 World Snooker Championship, in which he lost the first eight frames of 1985 W ...

. Partnering with

Clive Everton Clive Harold Everton (7 September 1937 – 27 September 2024) was an English sports commentator, journalist, author and professional snooker and English billiards player. He founded '' Snooker Scene'' magazine, which was first published (as ...

, Bales won the national pairs snooker championship in 1977. He won the Pontins Autumn Open in 1983. Having gained experience in the amateur game, Bales turned professional in 1984, aged 35. At the International Open, his first professional tournament, he defeated Dessie Sheehan, Tommy Murphy, and

Mick Fisher Mick Fisher (born 12 July 1944) is an English former professional snooker player. He appeared once at the main stage of the World Snooker Championship during his career, and attained a highest professional ranking of 37th, in the Snooker worl ...

to reach the last 48, where he led

Dean Reynolds Dean Reynolds (born 11 January 1963 in Grimsby) is an English former professional snooker player whose career spanned twenty years from 1981 to 2001. Early and personal life From Grimsby, Reynolds is a left-handed player and started playing ...

4–2 but could not prevent Reynolds from coming back to beat him 4–5. Despite winning eight matches in his first professional season, he did not gain any

ranking A ranking is a relationship between a set of items, often recorded in a list, such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than", or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak ...

points, and was ranked 100 at the season's end. In the 1985/1986 season, Bales reached the last 32 in a ranking event for the first time at the 1986 British Open; there, he beat

Maurice Parkin Maurice Parkin is an English former professional snooker player. Career Parkin turned professional in September 1968, entering the 1972 World Championship that season. He won his first qualifying round match 11–10 against Geoff Thompson, ...

5–1 and Taylor, now the incumbent World Champion, 5–4, to set up a meeting with the veteran

Rex Williams Desmond Rex Williams (born 20 July 1933) is an English retired professional billiards and snooker player. He was the second player to make an official maximum break in snooker, achieving this in an exhibition match in December 1965. Williams ...

. In their match, Bales again led 4–2 but went on to lose 4–5. Although he began the following season inside the top 64 of the rankings, at 57th, Bales earned only £1,695 in prize money during 1986–87, due to a sole last-32 finish which came at the International Open; he had beaten Fred Davis 5–4 and

Kirk Stevens Kirk Stevens (born August 17, 1958) is a Canadian former professional snooker player. Career Stevens started playing young, achieving his first aged just 12. He turned professional aged 20, and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship ...

5–3 to qualify, but was eliminated 1–5 by Wilson. Over the course of the next five years, Bales' ranking declined steadily as he was able to produce only intermittently good results. He reached the last 32 in three more ranking events - the 1987 Grand Prix, where he lost 2–5 to

Willie Thorne William Joseph Thorne (4 March 195417 June 2020) was an English professional snooker player. He won one ranking title, the 1985 Classic. He also reached the final of the 1985 UK Championship, losing 16–14 to Steve Davis after leading 13– ...

, the 1989 British Open, where

Mike Hallett Mike Hallett (born 6 July 1959) is an English former professional snooker player and commentator. He won the 1989 Hong Kong Open. Career Hallett was born in Grimsby on 6 July 1959. Having won the British Junior Snooker Championship, national ...

whitewashed him 5–0, and the 1989 International Open, where he was beaten 5–1 by

Alain Robidoux Alain Robidoux (born July 25, 1960) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Robidoux played on the sport's main tour from 1987 to 2004 and reached the final of the 1996 German Open, which he lost 7–9 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. Career R ...

- but, having begun the 1991–92 season ranked 116th, he finished it, having lost 1–10 to Chris Cookson in qualifying for the 1992 World Championship, without a ranking. Bales entered ten tournaments during the 1992/1993 season, but won only one match - in the sixth round of qualifying for the International Open. He lost 3–5 to Mark O'Sullivan in the seventh qualifying round for the 1993 World Championship, and did not play competitive snooker thereafter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bales, Roger Living people 1948 births English snooker players Sportspeople from Birmingham, West Midlands