Geoff Foulds

Geoff Foulds (born 20 November 1939) is an English former professional snooker player. He is the father of fellow professional snooker player Neal Foulds.

Geoff Foulds
Born (1939-11-20) 20 November 1939
Sport country England
Professional1981–1992
Highest ranking62 (1987/1988)
Career winnings£13,356
Highest break107:
1989 World Championship (qualifying)
Century breaks1
Best ranking finishLast 32 (1986 International Open)

Career

Born in 1939, Foulds turned professional in 1981[1]:62–64 after a successful amateur career that included winning the London championship in 1971 and each year from 1975 to 1979.[2]

His first two seasons brought little success, but in the 1983–84 snooker season, he reached the last 32 at the UK Championship, where he defeated Steve Duggan 9–8 and Les Dodd 9–7, before losing 1–9 to Steve Davis.[1]:62–64

The next season saw Foulds progress to the last 48 at the 1985 Classic, beating Bob Chaperon, Frank Jonik and Jack Fitzmaurice to set up a meeting with Mike Hallett.[3] Their match was closely fought, with Foulds leading 4–3 before succumbing 4–5. A run to the same stage of the 1985 World Championship, featuring victories over Maurice Parkin, Clive Everton and Colin Roscoe, concluded his 1984/1985 season with a 6–10 loss to Joe Johnson.[3]

Foulds' son, Neal,[4] had joined him in the professional ranks in 1983 and the two met in competition at the 1986 English Professional Championship;[1]:64–65 Geoff held Neal to 6–4, but the latter made consecutive breaks of 53, 71 and 76 to prevail 9–4.[5]

At the 1986 International Open, Foulds defeated Leon Heywood, Vic Harris and Bill Werbeniuk, but was beaten in the last 32, again by his son. This time the match was less evenly contested, as Neal won 5–0.[3] Runs to the last 64 at several other tournaments meant Geoff Foulds entered the next season ranked 62nd, a career best.

However, after breaking into the top 64, Foulds' form declined sharply. He earned no prize money during the following three seasons, recording his final victory in the last 128 at the 1990 Dubai Classic, defeating Mark Rowing 5–4.

A 5–10 loss to Australian Greg Jenkins in qualifying for the 1990 World Championship was Foulds' last match as a professional; finishing the 1989/1990 season ranked 129th, he left competitive snooker at its conclusion, aged 50.

He was a director of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) from December 1989[6] to 11 April 1997[7] and served as the Association's chair from December 1996 until 1 April 1997.[8] In 1995 Foulds was part of a three-man expert panel that adjudicated on a WPBSA panel that ruled against Peter Francisco who had been accused of match fixing to manipulate a 10–2 defeat to Jimmy White at the 1995 World Snooker Championship. Francisco was subsequently banned from snooker activity for five years.[9]

Foulds was the snooker consultant for the 1985 British musical film Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire.[10]

References
  1. Hale, Janice (1987). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1987–88. Aylesbury: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0356146901.:62–64
  2. Karnehm, Jack (1982). World Snooker with Jack Karnehm: No. 2. Pelham Books. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0720713985.
  3. Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Rose Villa Publications. pp. 429–430. ISBN 978-0954854904.
  4. Steve Davis (9 April 2015). Interesting: My Autobiography. Ebury Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-4735-0248-2.
  5. http://cuetracker.net/Players/Geoff-Foulds/1985-1986
  6. "Virgo is ousted from board". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 30 December 1989. p. 13 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  7. "Snooker chief ousted". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 12 April 1997. p. 37 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  8. Hodgson, Guy (2 April 1997). "Foulds resigns but still director". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  9. Everton, Clive (21 December 2008). "Maguire vs Burnett: the key moments under scrutiny". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  10. "Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire (1985)". bfi.org.uk. British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
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