Jonathan Barron

{{Infobox snooker player

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Jonathan Barron (born 2 March 1937) is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1970 World Amateur Snooker Championship and was the first player to win the English Amateur Championship in three consecutive years.

Career

Barron was born on 2 March 1937. He started playing snooker when he was about 10, on a three-quarter size table above his father's shop in the village of Mevagissey.{{cite web |last=Barron |first=Jonathan |title=Cornish Snooker Legends – Jonathan Barron |url=https://stblazeysnooker.co.uk/cornish-snooker-legends-jonathan-baron/ |publisher=St Blazey & District Snooker League |date=10 January 2013 |access-date=15 December 2020 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130014901/https://stblazeysnooker.co.uk/cornish-snooker-legends-jonathan-baron/ |url-status=live }}

He first reached the final of the English Amateur Championship in 1962,{{cite magazine |title=Jonathan Barron, Mevagissey |magazine=Billiards and Snooker |publisher=Billiards and Snooker Control Council |date=May 1971 |page=10}} where he was defeated 9–11 by Ron Gross. He won the 1962–63 Television Tournament, a pro–am event, and also a televised amateur tournament the following season. He was runner-up again in 1969, 9–11 to Ray Edmonds. He gained the title in 1970 by defeating Sid Hood 11–10 in the final, and retained it in 1971 with an 11–7 defeat of Doug French. In 1972, he was again the champion, prevailing 11–9 against Edmonds, thereby becoming the first player to win the title in three consecutive years.{{cite book |last=Morrison |first=Ian |date=1986 |title=The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker |location=Twickenham |publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group |isbn=0600501922 |page=12}} He was the first English Amateur champion since 1961 not to turn professional.{{cite book |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=1981 |title=The Guinness Book of Snooker |publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd |location=Enfield |isbn=0851122302 |page=116}} Barron travelled with Ray Reardon to South Africa in 1967. Reardon played Jimmy van Rensberg in the South African Challenge. Reardon beat van Rensberg winning by two matches to one.{{cite book|last=Everton |first=Clive |date=1986 |title=The History of Snooker and Billiards|publisher=Partridge Press |location=Haywards Heath |isbn=1852250135}}

Barron represented England at the 1970 World Amateur Snooker Championship, winning five of his six group matches to reach the final, where he defeated Hood 11–7 to win the title.{{cite book |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=1981 |title=The Guinness Book of Snooker |publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd |location=Enfield |isbn=0851122302 |page=150}} Attempting to defend his title at the 1972 World Amateur Snooker Championship, he won all three of his group matches, but then lost 6–8 to Edmonds in the semi-finals.

According to Barron, he retired from most competitive snooker after the 1972 World Amateur Championship (held in January 1973) to allow more time to focus on his family and business, although he did continue to play in local league games until 2000.{{cite news |last=Smallcombe |first=Mike |title=Cornwall's 50 greatest living sports men and women |url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwalls-50-greatest-living-sports-1646801 |website=cornwalllive.com |date=10 June 2018 |access-date=15 December 2020 |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231013915/https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwalls-50-greatest-living-sports-1646801 |url-status=live }} He ran a curio shop in Mevagissey.

Career highlights

class="wikitable"

! Outcome !! Year !! Championship !! Opponent in the final !! Score !! Ref.

style="background:#ffa07a;" |Runner-up

| 1962

| English Amateur Championship

| {{flagathlete|Ron Gross|ENG}}

| align = "center" |9–11

|{{cite book |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=1985 |title=Snooker: The Records |publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd |location=Enfield |isbn=0851124488 |page=122}}

style="background:#98FB98" |Winner

| 1963

| Television Tournament

| {{flagathlete|Ron Gross|ENG}}

| align = "center" | 4–3

|{{cite news |title=Snooker: Barron has revenge in ITV final |work=Cornish Guardian |date=28 February 1963 |page=11}}

style="background:#ffa07a;" |Runner-up

| 1969

| English Amateur Championship

| {{flagathlete|Ray Edmonds|ENG}}

| align = "center" | 9-11

style="background:#98FB98" |Winner