Clark McConachy (15 April 1895 – 12 April 1980), often known simply as Mac, was a New Zealand professional player of English billiards and

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in Ind ...

Life and career

McConachy was born at Glenorchy in

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

in 1895. He was the New Zealand professional billiards champion from 1914 until 1980. He was runner-up in the Professional Billiards Championship to Joe Davis in 1932, and became champion in 1951 by defeating John Barrie 9,274-6,691. He also held the title unchallenged from 1951 until 1968, when at the age of 73 and afflicted by

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

, he was narrowly defeated 5,234-5,499 by Rex Williams. His highest break at billiards was 1,943. He was the runner-up in the World Snooker Championships of 1932 (losing to Davis, as he did in that year's world billiards championship) and 1952. McConachy scored one of the early snooker maximum breaks. He achieved it on Tuesday 19 February 1952 in a practice frame against Pat Kitchen at the Beaufort Club in London on a table reserved for professionals. An official of the Billiards Association and Control Council later examined the table and found it slightly over the standard size and so the break was not accepted as official. At the time Joe Davis held the record for the highest official break of 146. The match between McConachy and Horace Lindrum for the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

started the following Monday. McConachy was a keen advocate of physical fitness and regularly ran up to four miles every day. A strict teetotaller and non-smoker, he attributed his continued success well into his senior years to these things. He was also well known for walking around the table on his hands before the match started. He is a member of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. In the

1964 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, for community and charitable services. He died at his residence in the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

suburb of Greenlane on 12 April 1980.

World championship finals

Billiards

indicates challenge matches

Snooker

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConachy, Clark 1895 births 1980 deaths New Zealand snooker players New Zealand players of English billiards New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire World champions in English billiards People from Otago