Jack McLaughlin

Jack McLaughlin (born 29 January 1959) is a Northern Irish former professional snooker and billiards player from Lurgan. McLaughlin is most notable for winning the 1988 Irish Professional Championship.

For the Australian cricketer and commentator, see Jack McLaughlin (cricketer).

Jack McLaughlin
Born (1959-01-29) 29 January 1959
Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Sport country Northern Ireland
Professional1984–1995
Highest ranking49 (1990–1992)
Best ranking finishQuarter-final (x1)

Career

McLaughlin turned professional in 1985 at the age of 26 after being Northern Ireland Amateur Champion in 1983 and 1984.[1] McLaughlin's most notable moment came in the 1988 Irish Professional Championship in Antrim when he was the surprise winner of the tournament. After defeating Pascal Burke, Paul Watchorn and Joe O'Boye, he faced 1985 World Snooker Champion Dennis Taylor in the final.[2] Despite being a huge underdog, McLaughlin won the match 9–4 to become the first winner other than Taylor or Alex Higgins in sixteen years.[3][4] The following season he came close to defending his title, but lost 7–9 to Higgins.[5]

Outside of this win, McLaughlin's best ranking finish as a professional was reaching the quarter-final of the 1989 Dubai Classic where he was defeated 5-1 by Danny Fowler.[6]

McLaughlin left the professional game in 1995. After continuing to play amateur snooker he took up billiards in 2011, most notably reaching the final of the UK Seniors event in 2014.

Now working as a prison governor, he plays golf in his spare time as a leisure pursuit with his wife Lynne.[7]

Performance and rankings timeline
Tournament 1984/
85		 1985/
86		 1986/
87		 1987/
88		 1988/
89		 1989/
90		 1990/
91		 1991/
92		 1992/
93		 1993/
94		 1994/
95
Ranking[8] [nb 1] 69 71 50 64 58 49 49 54 58 77
Ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic Tournament Not Held NR QF 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ
Grand Prix 1R 1R 2R 1R 3R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ
UK Championship 1R 1R 1R LQ 1R 1R LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ
European Open Tournament Not Held 1R 1R 2R 2R LQ LQ LQ
Welsh Open Tournament Not Held LQ 1R LQ LQ
International Open[nb 2] LQ LQ 1R LQ 1R 1R Not Held LQ 1R LQ
Thailand Open[nb 3] Non-Ranking Event Not Held 1R 3R LQ 1R LQ LQ
British Open LQ 1R 2R LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ
World Championship WD LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters A A A A A A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters Tournament Not Held LQ Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Classic LQ 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 1R 2R Not Held
Strachan Open Tournament Not Held 1R Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Irish Masters Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
World Masters Tournament Not Held LQ Tournament Not Held
Irish Professional Championship LQ QF 1R W F Not Held QF QF Not Held
Performance table legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)		 QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi–finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Heldmeans an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
  2. The event ran under different names such as the Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986).
  3. The event ran under different names such as Asian Open (1991/1992 to 1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994 to 1994/1995).

Career finals

Non-ranking finals: 2 (1 title)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1988 Irish Professional Championship Northern Ireland Dennis Taylor 9–4
Runner-up 1. 1989 Irish Professional Championship Northern Ireland Alex Higgins 7–9

Amateur finals: 2 (2 titles)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1983 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship Northern Ireland John McIntyre 10–4
Winner 2. 1984 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship (2) Northern Ireland Harry Morgan 10–3

References
  1. "Jack Mclaughlin". World Billiards. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  2. "1988 Irish Professional Championship Results". Snooker Database. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  3. "Irish Professional Championship". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  4. "On This Week". Eurosport. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  5. "1989 Irish Professional Championship Results". Snooker Database. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. "Jack McLaughlin". Snooker Database. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  7. "Jack McLaughlin".
  8. "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 10 May 2020.


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