Maryann McConnell
| Born | Canada |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  Canada |
| Highest ranking | 2 (Women's snooker) |
Maryann McConnell is a Canadian snooker and pool player. She was runner-up in the 1984 Professional World Women's Snooker Championship and has won numerous pool tournaments in Canada.
Biography
[edit]McConnell started playing at the age of 24, at the University of Guelph in Ontario where she studied from 1974 to 1980.[1] She later drove daily to a pool hall in nearby Kitchener, where she played snooker, practicing for as much as eight hours a day.[2]
In 1980, 1981, and 1983, she was a quarter-finalist in the World Women's Snooker Championship. In 1984, separate amateur and professional events were staged. McConnell entered the professional event, and reached the final, losing 2–4 to Mandy Fisher. At one time, McConnell was the second-ranked woman player.[2][3]
She was the runner-up in the 1984 National Express Grand Prix ladies snooker series,[4] and spent the summer of 1985 living in Saudi Arabia.[5]
In 1991, she took part in the 1991 World Masters, losing in her first matches in both the women's singles, and the women's doubles (with J. Page). In the mixed doubles she fared slightly better, partnering Alain Robidoux to wins over Neal Foulds and J. Page, and over seeded Terry Griffiths and Mandy Fisher, before losing to James Wattana and S. Smith.[6][7]
In 1992, she beat Sherri Richardson 4–2 in the semi-final, and Rhondda Jackman in the final to win the Canadian Women's Championship, retaining the title that she had won at the previous staging in 1983.[8]
McConnell has a degree in fine art[1] and runs a pool hall, Alberni Valley Billiards.[2] She has four children. Her late husband Robin Woodward died in 2013, and had worked with McConnell managing the business.[9]
Titles and achievements
[edit]Snooker
- 1983 Canadian Women's Champion
- 1984 Professional World Women's Snooker Championship runner-up.[3]
- 1984 National Express Ladies Grand Prix runner-up
- 1992 Canadian Women's Champion
- 1997 Canadian Women's Champion
- Canadian Women's Championship runner-up 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
Nine-ball Pool
- 1997 Canadian Women's Nine-ball Champion
- 2004 Canadian Women's Nine-ball Championship runner-up
- 2010 Canadian Women's Nine-ball Championship runner-up
- 2011 Canadian Women's Nine-ball Champion
- 2013 Canadian Women's Nine-ball Championship runner-up
- 2016 Canadian Women's Nine-ball Champion
Eight-Ball Pool
- 2004 Billiard Congress of America amateur Seniors Eight-ball champion[10]
- 2010 Canadian Women's Eight-ball Champion
- 2013 Canadian Women's Eight-ball Champion
- 2016 Canadian Women's Eight-ball Championship runner-up
- British Columbia Eight-ball Women's Champion 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018
- Western Canada Eight-ball Women's Champion 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017. (Runner-up 2006, 2007, 2016)
Scotch Doubles (Pool)
- 2012 Canadian Scotch Doubles runner-up (with Wayne Dwyer)
- 2015 Canadian Scotch Doubles runner-up (with Wayne Dwyer)
- 2016 Canadian Scotch Doubles Champion (with Wayne Dwyer)
References
[edit]- ^ a b "University of Guelph Alumni". University of Guelph. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Quinn, Susan (April 11, 2013). "Cue-ing up the accolades in Alberni". Alberni Valley News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "World Champions". womenssnooker.com. World Women's Snooker Collection. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Everton, Clive (1985). Guinness Snooker – The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 154–156. ISBN 0851124488.
- ^ John Mahler (photographer) and Maryann McConnell (subject) (1985). Right on cue: Maryann McConnell (photograph). Toronto Reference Library. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ Everton, Clive (January 15, 1991). "Motorway mayhem fails to ruffle Parrott: Lucky breaks can occur even before arrival at the Mita World Masters". The Guardian. p.15 – via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian and The Observer. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Hale, Janice (1991). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1991–92. Queen Anne Press. pp. 364–366. ISBN 0-356-19747-6.
- ^ "Women's Circuit: Canada". Snooker Scene. No. July 1992. Everton's News Agency. p. 24.
- ^ "Obituary – Robin Adaire Woodward". remembering.ca. October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ Billiard Congress of America (May 1, 2005). Billiards, Revised and Updated: The Official Rules And Records Book. Lyons Press. pp. 165–. ISBN 978-1-4617-4992-9.
