Ruth Harrison (snooker player)


Ruth Harrison was an English snooker and billiards player. She won the Women's Professional Snooker Championship each year from its inception in 1934 to 1940, and again when it was next held, in 1948. She also won the Women's Professional Billiards Championship three times.

Biography

Harrison was born on 10 May 1909 in Lintz and was a coalminer's daughter and learnt to play at the institute in her village in County Durham.
She entered the 1931 World Ladies Billiards Championship, which was the first time she had played against women, and won the tournament. She turned professional straight afterwards. When the Women's Billiards Association was formed in 1931, Harrison was one of the four professional players appointed to a committee to organise the professional championships, along with Margaret Lennan, Eva Collins and Joyce Gardner.
She won the Women's Professional Snooker Championship each year from its inception in 1934 to 1940, and again when it was held after an interval of several years, in 1948.
Harrison also won the Women's Professional Billiards Championship three times, in 1934, 1935, and 1939. Her break of 197 in the 1937 championship is still the women's world record break in competition.
She received coaching from Willie Smith and Sidney Smith.
Harrison qualified as a referee for billiard and snooker in 1937.
She died in 1991, aged 82.

Titles and achievements

Snooker
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponentScoreRef.
Winner11934Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipJoyce Gardner7–6
Winner21935Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipJoyce Gardner7–5
Winner31936Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipThelma Carpenter7–3
Winner41937Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipJoyce Gardner9–4
Winner51938Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipThelma Carpenter11–2
Winner61939Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipThelma Carpenter8–5
Winner71940Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipAgnes Davies11–2
Winner81948Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipAgnes Morris 16–14

Billiards
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponentScoreRef.
Winner11931World Women’s Billiards Championship Mrs. Eddowes1,000-581
Runner-up21932Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipJoyce Gardner2,000–1,713
Runner-up31933Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipJoyce Gardner1,306–2,000
Winner41934Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipJoyce Gardner2,000–1,608
Winner51935Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipJoyce Gardner3,000–2,708
Runner-up61937Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipJoyce Gardner2,204–2,223
Winner71939Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipJoyce Gardner2,559–1,792
Runner-up81940Women's Professional Billiards ChampionshipThelma Carpenter1,641–2,184