The Grinder — the only Canadian World Champion and the first player to make a maximum 147 at the World Championship.
Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1945. He won the World Snooker Championship in 1980 — the only Canadian to do so. In 1983 he made the first maximum break (147) in the history of the World Championship — a feat that took over five hours. He was nicknamed The Grinder for his painstaking, methodical approach — the opposite of the flamboyant style of Alex Higgins and Jimmy White. He represented the North American influence on a sport that had previously been entirely British. He remains the most successful Canadian player in snooker history.
First maximum 147 break at World Championship, methodical playing style
How They Played
Methodical, safety-oriented, excellent tactical player
Lasting Impact
Pioneered Canadian snooker on world stage, first non-British world champion in modern era
World Champion 1980
Career Honours
- World Champion 1980
- 147 at World Championship 1983