Cliff Samborn was one of the snooker heroes of the 1980s, and from Canada, he also promoted snooker in other countries and regions as a representative of non-British players. On Wednesday, during the Old England Championship, Kuwamoto announced his retirement, ending more than five decades of his sporting career.
Kuwamoto won the World Championship in 1980 and secured world number one position in the following season, and he also lifted the Masters trophy three times. A perfect score against Terry Griffiths in 1983 made Kuwamoto the first player to score 147 points in Crucible.
After winning the North American Snooker Championship in 1971, Kuwamoto turned pro and worked on the tour until 1996. In recent years, he has competed in the Snooker Legends and Senators Tour.
For decades, Kuwamoto has been an outstanding representative of the sport of snooker and a good friend to many on the tour. He is considered one of the finest non-British players of all time and has made an outstanding contribution to the sport.
Kuwamoto, 73, has announced that this week's Premier Championship in Hull will be his last game. He lost 3-0 to Kurdish Johar in a 16-8 match.
Speaking to Rob Walker after the game, Samborn said: "I love sport snooker, it's the love of my heart. Like everyone else, I don't want to sleep at night, I want to stay in clubs all day and then can't wait to wake up. When I was practicing a lot, someone said to me, 'Kuwamoto, you don't spend as much time on the table as you do on the table.' ”
"I met a lot of people I wanted to emulate. As a very iconic non-British player, John Spencer helped me switch careers. I remember my game with Alex Higgins – I've never met anyone who wanted to win like him. Sadly, he left us prematurely, but I have fond memories of him. Ray Reilton, Rex Williams, Fred Davis and others are all players I really admire and try to emulate. They have a romantic snooker style, very refined and fluid. ”
"It's good enough for me now. I will stay in the snooker movement as much as possible. ”
Looking back on his 18:16 win over Alex Higgins in the 1980 World Championship final, Samborn added: "I played very well for Alex and I didn't concede a single goal in the last two sets. My wife came to the scene, which made that win extra special. ”
"It was a very happy day and I distinctly remember how I felt. All my good friends from Canada were there, and what an unforgettable night it was to return to the hotel at the end of the evening when they were drunk in the hotel corridors, so drunk that they couldn't even get the keys to open the door. ”