Sport country Wales Name Marcus Owen Career winnings £1,500 | Highest ranking 17 (1976–1977) Professional 1973–1985 | |
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Highest break 102 (1974 World Championship) | ||
Marcus Willoughby Owen (4 April 1935 – December 1987) was a Welsh professional snooker player.
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Career
Before turning professional, Owen won the English Under-16 Championship in 1949, and reached the final in 1950. Owen also won the English Amateur Championship on four occasions in 1958, 1959, 1967 and 1973
Owen followed his brother Gary into professional snooker in 1973, entering the 1974 World Championship. As an unknown quantity, Marcus was not expected to progress far; however, he beat Dennis Taylor and Maurice Parkin to set up a last-16 meeting with Gary. Gary held Marcus to 5–5 at one point, but could not prevent him from pulling away to reach the quarter-final with a 15–8 victory. There, Marcus faced Ray Reardon, but having recovered from 3–9 to 7–9, was eventually defeated 11–15.
Owen next reached a quarter-final at the 1982 Welsh Professional Championship, which was itself an eight-man event. He lost his first match 0–6 to Cliff Wilson.
Owen had no further success in the professional game, his last match being a 0–6 loss to Tony Chappel in the first round of the 1985 edition of the Welsh Professional Championship; having held 17th place in the inaugural world rankings in 1976, he had not occupied a position on the list since 1980.
Personal life
Owen died in hospital in December 1987, under 'tragic circumstances'. His older brother Gary was also a professional snooker player.