The Welsh storyteller greatness passed from time to eternity at the age of 87.
The snooker world was met with sad news on Friday, when the news commentator Clive Everton of death reached the species. Everton’s memory was honored with a minute’s silence at the British Open.
– Snooker’s voice has fallen silent, but the sport he loves will remember it forever, Eurosport channel commentator Dave Hendon wrote on social media.
Later, in an interview with the umbrella organization World Snooker, Hendon stressed how Everton knew how to give the game space and only speak at carefully measured moments.
Snooker stars shared Hendon’s opinion.
– He was an iconic narrator who captivated the audience with his every word, the 1997 world champion, who has excelled in narration work in recent years Ken Doherty described Everton according to the BBC.
Born in Wales in 1937, Everton was one of the most famous snooker figures. He worked as a snooker commentator for the British broadcasting company BBC for 32 years, including during the sport’s golden age in the 1980s, two other commentator stars, Ted Lowe and By Jack Karnehm with. After the retirement of Lowe and Karnehm, Everton became the BBC’s chief commentator in the 1990s.
Everton and BBC eventually parted ways on bitter terms. In 2009, the BBC informed Everton that he would no longer continue as the channel’s number one commentator.
– I am hurt and angry, Everton said in an interview with The Guardian.
After this, Everton’s role decreased. The employment relationship ended for good in 2011. At that time, the BBC informed Everton that in the future he would only have work as a commentator if the sports legend Stephen Hendry wouldn’t make it to the commentary booth.
After leaving the BBC, Everton continued to report for several more years on the ITV channel. He explained, among other things, the superstar Ronnie O’Sullivan’s and Finland’s snooker pinnacle By Robin Hull match at the Champion of Champions tournament in 2016.
Everton was a teacher by training, but he ended up in journalism already in the 1960s. Although pool games were closest to Everton’s heart, he was also a talented tennis player. He participated, among other things, in the Wimbledon qualifiers.
Everton played a significant role in the revival of amateur snooker both on the misty islands and internationally. He started running the British Junior Championship and was founding the amateur snooker umbrella organization IBSF (International Billiards and Snooker Federation) in 1971.
Everton wrote more than 20 books about snooker and founded Snooker Scene magazine in 1972, of which he served as editor-in-chief until September 2022.
Urheilu had arranged a long telephone interview with Everton for July 2022, but the interview was canceled dramatically. When it was time to call, it wasn’t Everton who answered the phone, but his daughter. The daughter said that her father had fallen and that he was being transferred to the ambulance.
Everton did not respond to an interview request after this.
The British Open championship was decided on Sunday in the final, where two greats of the sport met, the Englishman Mark Selby and Scotch John Higgins. Selby won the match 10–5.
The appreciation of sports circles towards Everton is indicated by the fact that in 2022 the winning post of that competition was named the Clive Everton award.
– It’s an incredible touch of irony that the players are competing for his title trophy this week. He was a master of timing until the end. Rest In Peace Clive, 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy said on Friday, according to the BBC.