Peter Mans (1915 – September 1975) was a South African professional snooker player.[1][2] He was the first South African Professional Champion and held title, which was contested on a challenge basis, from 1948 to 1950.[3][4] Professional and coach Jack Karnehm, in a 1981 book, called Mans "South Africa's outstanding player of the past" and stated that he had won 13 national-level titles from 1939 to 1952.[5]
| Born | 1915 |
|---|---|
| Died | September 1975 |
| Sport country | South Africa |
Horace Lindrum played Mans in South Africa in 1947, and suggested that he make a playing tour of Australia.[6] Mans arrived in Sydney in September 1947, planning to spend the next year and a half touring Australia and New Zealand.[7] At the time, he held the South African record for the highest break, having made one of 104.[7]
Mans later travelled to England and participated in the eight-player 1949/1950 News of the World Snooker Tournament, for which he was seeded 7th; he finished 5th.[1][8] At the 1950 World Snooker Championship he lost 32–36 to George Chenier; the score was 34–37 after dead frame.[1] Mans, whose highest breaks in the match were 54 and 53, had won six successive frames to recover from 26–34 to 32–34.[1]
He played Joe Davis several times.[5] Journalist and author Ivor Brown watched Mans playing Davis in London, and wrote that "[Mans] has a detached look when not actually concentrating on the shot; he might be musing on the eternal problems of mankind."[9] Lindrum commented in 1959 that "Unfortunately, inconsistency of form has prevented Mans from really hitting the top ranks in world-class play."[10] He was the owner of the St James Clubs snooker hall in Jameston and Springs, Eastern Transvaal.[5] His son Perrie Mans, runner-up at the 1978 World Snooker Championship, learnt to play the game there.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kobylecky, John (2019). The Complete International Directory of Snooker Players – 1927 to 2018. Kobyhadrian Books. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-9931433-1-1.
- ^ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker - revised edition. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-600-55604-6.
- ^ "Other National Professional Championships". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker – revised edition. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 124-125. ISBN 978-0-600-55604-6.
- ^ a b c Karnehm, Jack (1981). World snooker. Pelham. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7207-1328-2.
- ^ Lindrum, Horace (1974). Horace Lindrum's Snooker, Billiards and Pool. Dee Why West, Australia: Paul Hamlyn Pty. ISBN 978-0-7271-0105-1.
- ^ a b "South African snooker star". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 September 1947. p. 10.
- ^ "Davis surprises himself". Western Daily Press. 23 January 1950. p. 3.
- ^ Brown, Ivor (1951). Winter in London. London: Collins. p. 199.
- ^ Lindrum, Horance (14 February 1959). "Play your shots the Mans way". Evening Sentinel. p. 3.
- ^ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker – revised edition. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-600-55604-6.