11-26-2025, 03:01 AM
Terence Martin Griffiths (16 October 1947 – 1 December 2024) was a Welsh professional snooker player, coach and pundit. After winning several amateur titles, including the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1975 and back-to-back English Amateur Championships in 1977 and 1978, Griffiths turned professional in June 1978 at the age of 30.
Griffiths's second professional event was the 1979 World Snooker Championship, which he reached as a qualifier. After beating Alex Higgins in the quarter-finals and Eddie Charlton in the semi-finals, he defeated Dennis Taylor in the final by 24 frames to 16, becoming only the second qualifier to win the World Snooker Championship, after Higgins in 1972; only Shaun Murphy in 2005 and Zhao Xintong in 2025 have since emulated the achievement. In 1988, Griffiths reached a second World Championship final. He was tied at 8–8 with Steve Davis but lost the match 11–18.
Griffiths reached at least the quarter-finals of the World Championship for nine consecutive years, from 1984 to 1992. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, completing snooker's Triple Crown. Griffiths was runner-up at the Masters three times and reached the final of the 1989 European Open, where he lost the deciding frame to John Parrott.
Although he also won several other tournaments, Griffiths's determination to match his rival Davis led to changes in technique which commentators said cost him his natural flair for playing. He retired from the professional tour in 1996 to become the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's director of coaching. During his coaching career, he worked with leading players including Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui. After a lengthy battle with dementia, Griffiths died in December 2024, aged 77.
Griffiths's second professional event was the 1979 World Snooker Championship, which he reached as a qualifier. After beating Alex Higgins in the quarter-finals and Eddie Charlton in the semi-finals, he defeated Dennis Taylor in the final by 24 frames to 16, becoming only the second qualifier to win the World Snooker Championship, after Higgins in 1972; only Shaun Murphy in 2005 and Zhao Xintong in 2025 have since emulated the achievement. In 1988, Griffiths reached a second World Championship final. He was tied at 8–8 with Steve Davis but lost the match 11–18.
Griffiths reached at least the quarter-finals of the World Championship for nine consecutive years, from 1984 to 1992. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, completing snooker's Triple Crown. Griffiths was runner-up at the Masters three times and reached the final of the 1989 European Open, where he lost the deciding frame to John Parrott.
Although he also won several other tournaments, Griffiths's determination to match his rival Davis led to changes in technique which commentators said cost him his natural flair for playing. He retired from the professional tour in 1996 to become the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's director of coaching. During his coaching career, he worked with leading players including Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui. After a lengthy battle with dementia, Griffiths died in December 2024, aged 77.
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