Legendary Welsh snooker great and household name Ray ‘Dracula’ Reardon dies aged 91

Ray Reardon ruled snooker in the 1970s when the man known fondly as ‘Dracula’ became a household name.

Yet his story almost ended long before the Welshman with the widow’s peak found stardom.

On April 30, 1957, the world collapsed around the ears of the 24-year-old Reardon as a mining accident almost claimed his life.

He was fortunate to see the next day, let alone land six world championship titles - his last in 1978 aged 45.

Reardon, who died at the age of 91, was born on October 8, 1932 in Tredegar.

He left Georgetown Secondary School at 14 and, after a brief stint as an apprentice motor mechanic, he followed his father Ben down the pits, firstly at nearby Ty Trist and later at the Pochin Colliery.

The teenage Reardon displayed an aptitude for snooker and was spared evening shifts to allow him to practice.

Cutting coal underground was the career choice, and when Welsh mines began to close the Reardon family uprooted to North Staffordshire. Ben and Ray Reardon found work at the Florence Colliery in 1956 and in the following year disaster almost struck.

The future world-beating cueman was developing a pit roadway when a “trickle of dirt” fell on his helmet. Sensing danger, he hurled himself down and when a 12-foot girder crashed down along with a deluge of rubble, Reardon was trapped.

He was rescued after three hours, Reardon drawing on memories of playing marbles with brother Ron - 17 years his junior - to avoid panicking.

Reardon won the English amateur championship in 1964, beating John Spencer, and in 1969 won the first edition of the hit television show Pot Black.

He lost his opener at the world championship in the same year to 55-year-old Fred Davis. But a year later, the 37-year-old Reardon ruled the snooker world for the first time, beating John Pulman in the final.

Manchester staged the 1974 World Championship and, come the closing session of the final against Graham Miles, Reardon introduced the outfit that would forever associate him with Bram Stoker’s blood-sucking Count Dracula.

Stoke-based Marsden’s Tailors sponsored Reardon and he emerged attired in a cape, top hat and scarlet silk jacket.

“Someone decided the outfit made me look like Dracula and that name stuck to me more than most,” Reardon later said.

He won four straight world titles from 1973 to 1976. Then, as defending champion, Reardon had the honour of playing on the first morning when the tournament moved to Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in 1977. He beat Patsy Fagan before falling to eventual champion Spencer.

Twelve months later Reardon reigned at the Crucible when victory over Perrie Mans clinched a sixth world title at the age of 45.

Reardon remained competitive until the mid-1980s and retired in 1991.