Tony Meo
 | An automated process has detected links on this page on the local or global blacklist. |
| Born | (1959-10-04) 4 October 1959 Tooting, London[1] |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  England[1] |
| Nickname | The Cat Meo, Meo[1] |
| Professional | 1979–1997[1] |
| Highest ranking | 10 (1984–1986)[1] |
| Career winnings | £621,126[2] |
| Highest break | 147 (1988 Matchroom League)[3] |
| Century breaks | 54[4] |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 1 |
| Non-ranking | 7 |
Tony Meo (born 4 October 1959) is a retired English snooker player.
Contents
1 Career
2 Performance and rankings timeline
3 Career finals
3.1 Ranking finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
3.2 Non-ranking finals: 9 (7 titles, 2 runners-up)
3.3 Team finals: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
3.4 Pro-am finals: 1 (1 runner-up)
3.5 Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)
4 References
Career
Meo was a schoolfriend of Jimmy White in Tooting, South London, and the pair regularly skipped school to play snooker together.[5] At 17 Meo became the then youngest person known to have made a maximum break of 147. He turned professional in 1979. In 1980 he made his World Championship debut and was only defeated 10-9 by Alex Higgins.
In 1984, Meo reached the final of the Classic, facing world number one Steve Davis. The match went to the deciding frame, and Meo only needed to clear the colours to win the title, but missed after being distracted by a shout of encouragement from a spectator. Davis went on to win the frame and match, and used his winning speech to call for an audience ban on alcohol.
With Davis, Meo won four World Doubles titles, and was also part of the victorious England team at the 1983 World Team Classic. His only ranking title came at the 1989 British Open, beating Dean Reynolds 13–6 after beginning the tournament as a 200–1 outsider. In the same year, he reached the semi-final of the World Championship, losing 16–7 to John Parrott.
In 1986, Meo was one of five players under Barry Hearn's management (along with Davis, Terry Griffiths, Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor) who appeared on "Snooker Loopy", a hit single about the game recorded by Chas & Dave.[1]
Slipping rapidly down the rankings, Meo retired from professional snooker in 1997 and now runs a watch and jewellery shop in Hatton Garden.
Performance and rankings timeline
Tournament | 1978/ 79 | 1979/ 80 | 1980/ 81 | 1981/ 82 | 1982/ 83 | 1983/ 84 | 1984/ 85 | 1985/ 86 | 1986/ 87 | 1987/ 88 | 1988/ 89 | 1989/ 90 | 1990/ 91 | 1991/ 92 | 1992/ 93 | 1993/ 94 | 1994/ 95 | 1995/ 96 | 1996/ 97 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranking[6] | [nb 1] | [nb 1] | [nb 2] | 18 | 24 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 14 | 15 | 34 | 38 | 51 | 69 | 75 | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asian Classic[nb 3] | Tournament Not Held | NR | A | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Prix[nb 4] | Tournament Not Held | 3R | SF | 1R | 3R | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UK Championship | Non-Ranking Event | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German Open | Tournament Not Held | LQ | WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welsh Open | Tournament Not Held | 2R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International Open[nb 5] | Not Held | NR | LQ | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | Not Held | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
European Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 1R | 2R | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | WD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thailand Open[nb 6] | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | Not Held | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
British Open[nb 7] | NH | Non-Ranking Event | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | W | 2R | 3R | LQ | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World Championship | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | SF | 2R | 2R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Scottish Masters | Not Held | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Masters | A | A | A | SF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | A | A | 1R | QF | WD | LQ | LQ | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Irish Masters | A | A | A | QF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
European League[nb 8] | Tournament Not Held | A | Not Held | RR | RR | RR | RR | RR | RR | A | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Canadian Masters[nb 9] | Non-Ranking | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking | LQ | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hong Kong Open[nb 10] | NH | Ranking Event | NH | 2R | Tournament Not Held | Ranking | NH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classic | NH | Non-Ranking Event | F | 1R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | LQ | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strachan Open | Tournament Not Held | 3R | MR | NR | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Canadian Masters[nb 11] | F | 2R | QF | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International Open[nb 12] | Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UK Championship | A | 2R | QF | SF | SF | QF | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
British Open[nb 13] | NH | SF | LQ | RR | RR | LQ | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thailand Open[nb 14] | Tournament Not Held | W | RR | RR | A | Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pot Black | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Masters[nb 15] | NH | A | A | W | SF | QF | SF | W | QF | A | NH | R | Tournament Not Held | A | A | NH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asian Classic[nb 16] | Tournament Not Held | SF | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matchroom Professional Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 1R | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
English Professional Championship | Not Held | F | Not Held | SF | W | W | QF | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World Matchplay | Tournament Not Held | A | 1R | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament 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 Held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | means an event is/was a ranking event. | |||
^ ab He was an amateur.
^ New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
^ The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Dubai Classic (1989/90–1994/1995) and Thailand Classic (1995/1996)
^ The event was also called the Professional Players Tournament (1982/83–1983/1984)
^ The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
^ The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987 & 1991/1992) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1992/1993)
^ The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
^ The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984) and the Matchroom League (1986/1987–1991/1992)
^ The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
^ The event was also called the Australian Masters (1979/1980–1987/1988) and Australian Open (1994/1995)
^ The event was also called the Canadian Open (1978/1979–1980/1981)
^ The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
^ The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
^ The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987 & 1991/1992) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1992/1993)
^ The event was also called the Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995)
^ The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Dubai Classic (1989/90–1994/1995) and Thailand Classic (1995/1996)
Career finals
Ranking finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1984 | The Classic | Steve Davis | 8–9 |
| Winner | 1. | 1989 | British Open | Dean Reynolds | 13–6 |
Non-ranking finals: 9 (7 titles, 2 runners-up)
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1978 | Canadian Open |  Cliff Thorburn | 15–17 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1981 | English Professional Championship | Steve Davis | 3–9 |
| Winner | 1. | 1981 | Australian Masters | John Spencer | 3–0 |
| Winner | 2. | 1983 | Pontins Brean Sands |  Silvino Francisco | 9–7 |
| Winner | 3. | 1983 | Thailand Masters | Steve Davis | 2–1 |
| Winner | 4. | 1985 | Australian Masters (2) |  John Campbell | 7–2 |
| Winner | 5. | 1986 | English Professional Championship | Neal Foulds | 9–7 |
| Winner | 6. | 1987 | English Professional Championship (2) | Les Dodd | 9–5 |
| Winner | 7. | 1990 | International League | Jimmy White | Round-Robin |
Team finals: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team/partner | Opponent(s) in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1982 | World Doubles Championship | Steve Davis |  Terry Griffiths Doug Mountjoy | 13–2 |
| Winner | 2. | 1983 | World Team Classic | England | Wales | 4–2 |
| Winner | 3. | 1983 | World Doubles Championship (2) | Steve Davis | Tony Knowles Jimmy White | 10–2 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1985 | World Cup | England A | Ireland | 7–9 |
| Winner | 4. | 1985 | World Doubles Championship (3) | Steve Davis | Tony Jones Ray Reardon | 12–5 |
| Winner | 5. | 1986 | World Doubles Championship (4) | Steve Davis | Mike Hallett Stephen Hendry | 12–3 |
Pro-am finals: 1 (1 runner-up)
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1978 | Pontins Spring Open | Steve Davis | 6–7 |
Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1978 | British Under-19 Championship |
References
^ abcdef
Eurosport. 2010. Then and Now: Tony Meo. [Online] Yahoo! and Eurosport (Updated 6 May) Available at: http://eurosport.yahoo.com/06052010/58/tony-meo.html Archived 2012-07-23 at the Wayback Machine. [Accessed 16 March 2010]. Archived at https://www.webcitation.org/5pXh2Uqhp.
^ http://cuetracker.net/Players/Tony-Meo/Career-Total-Statistics
^ http://cuetracker.net/Players/Tony-Meo/Career-Total-Statistics
^ http://cuetracker.net/Players/Tony-Meo/Career-Total-Statistics
^ [1]; on Wayback Machine accessed May 7, 2010
^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 7 December 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
