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JOHN PARROTT MBE
BBC TV's "Question of Sport" captain John Parrott has been playing snooker since he was thirteen years old and was enthusiastically encouraged by his father. At the age of fifteen his talent was recognised by Phil Miller who guided him through his amateur career and became his Manager in 1980 the partnership now being the second longest next to Hearn Davis in the game of snooker.
As an amateur John Parrott certainly made a name for himself. In 1981 he won the Pontins Junior Championship; in 1982 he became the
Pontin's Open Champion and also won BBC's Junior Pot Black.
He repeated the Junior Pot Black win in 1983. There were many more victories and in his last year as an amateur he won a record 14 tournaments.
In 1988, John won the Pontin's Professional Championship. This win created a record, which has never been equalled, John having won all grades of tournaments at Pontins.
The 1988 season was a notable one, which firmly established him at Number Seven in the World rankings, and also saw him win the Kent Cup in Peking, China and reaching several other finals.
1989 saw John win his first major ranking title the European Open in Deauville France defeating Terry Griffiths 9-8 in the final. He also reached several other finals. In two of them defeating Jimmy White 9-6 in the Belgian Humo Masters in Antwerp and Steve Davis 4-2 in the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.
Remarkably John, also in 1990 won the highest break prize in six major competitions, including the World Championships 140 - the Stormshield 140, and the Matchroom League 142, these feats quicky saw him christened the 'Entertainer'.
On a more personal front, John is a Liverpudlian with that typical sense of humour. He has many other interests, one being a very strong liking for horse racing with a love for horses and the racing atmosphere, particularly national hunt racing.
He supports both Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs. He is also a very good golfer playing off a current seven handicap, and an excellent crown green bowls player.
He loves cars, Chinese food, American soul and funk music and lists his music favourites as Luther Vandross, Alexander O'Neal, Freddie Jackson and Maze.
John Parrott is a natural classy player with a 'Rolls Royce' cue action who possesses charisma, flair and a witty
Liverpool sense of humour - gifts which put him amongst the great entertainers.
In 1996 he was honoured with an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
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