William Joseph Thorne was an English professional snooker player.
26 Facts About Willie Thorne
1.
2.
Willie Thorne was noted for his break-building, and was among the first players to compile 100 century breaks.
3.
Willie Thorne was born on 4 March 1954 at the family home in Anstey, a village located near Leicester, to Bill Willie Thorne, a Desford Colliery miner, and his wife Nancy.
4.
Willie Thorne was educated at the Thomas Rawlins School in Quorn, and played multiple sports but excelled the most in snooker.
5.
Willie Thorne began playing snooker while holidaying in Eastbourne at the age of 14.
6.
Willie Thorne left school at age 15 and became an estimator for a glass factory while practising snooker in Loughborough and then Leicester's snooker halls.
7.
Willie Thorne became national Under-16 snooker champion in 1970, and won three concesutive National Under-19 Billiards Championship titles from 1971 to 1973.
8.
Willie Thorne turned professional in 1975, but never really converted his early promise into success, only winning one ranking snooker tournament.
9.
Willie Thorne later said that he had "hardly looked" at the blue, considering it a "certainty".
10.
Willie Thorne was runner-up in four other events that season: the British Open, the Scottish Masters, the Irish Masters and the Pontins Professional.
11.
Willie Thorne reached the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship in 1982 and 1986.
12.
Willie Thorne peaked at No 7 in the world rankings in the mid-1980s, while battling a serious gambling problem.
13.
Willie Thorne began gambling when he frequented a billiard hall in central Leicester from the age of 16.
14.
Willie Thorne had stints commentating on snooker for Sky and ITV.
15.
Willie Thorne appeared in the "Romford Rap" video with the rest of the "Matchroom Mob".
16.
Willie Thorne was described as a skilled break-builder and possibly the "missing link" between old-school percentage play and the current aggressive game.
17.
Willie Thorne took 19 seasons to record 100 competitive century breaks.
18.
Willie Thorne was only the third player to achieve this feat and achieved a maximum break at the 1987 UK Championship.
19.
Willie Thorne claimed to have made almost 200 maximum breaks, and was known as "Mr Maximum".
20.
Willie Thorne won the World Seniors Masters in 2000, beating Cliff Thorburn in the final.
21.
The World Seniors Tour was formed in the same year, but Willie Thorne did not enter any events that season.
22.
Willie Thorne was married to former Miss Great Britain winner Jill Saxby and lived in Broughton Astley.
23.
Willie Thorne was previously married to Fiona Walker, with whom he had twin sons and a daughter.
24.
In 2007, Willie Thorne competed in Series 5 of Strictly Come Dancing with professional dance partner Erin Boag.
25.
In June 2015, Willie Thorne was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a psychiatrist ordered routine blood tests and told doctors about the diagnosis and Willie Thorne began treatment.
26.
Willie Thorne tweeted on 18 March 2020 that he had been diagnosed with leukaemia.