Clive Everton, legendary commentator and ‘voice of snooker’, dies aged 87

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Clive Everton, the legendary commentator who was widely regarded as the ‘voice of snooker’, has died at the age of 87.

Having first commentated for the BBC at the 1978 World Championship, on just 20 minutes notice, he was a mainstay on their snooker coverage for more than 30 years and – following the retirement of lead commentators Jack Karnehm and Ted Lowe in the mid 1990s – Everton became the voice of the sport.

His commentary soundtracked Stephen Hendry’s dominance of the decade and the rise of all-time greats such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams as the 90s turned into the 2000s.

Although the BBC moved on to a combination of younger broadcasters and well-known former players in the commentary box at the start of the 2010s, much to Everton’s dismay, he continued to commentate on snooker for Sky Sports and later ITV, until the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 and his Parkinson’s disease meant he was unable to travel to tournaments.

He was also editor of snooker magazine Snooker Scene for more than 50 years, a journalist for newspapers such as The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday and a contributor on BBC Radio Five Live as he became synonymous with the sport.

He was inducted into snooker’s Hall of Fame in 2017 and was awarded an MBE for his services to the sport two years later. In 2022, the trophy for the British Open – which is being played in Cheltenham this week – was named in his honour.

Current ITV and Eurosport commentator David Hendon announced Everton’s death on social media, writing: “I have some very sad news. Clive Everton has passed away at the age of 87. A giant of broadcasting and journalism. A much valued colleague and friend. We all owe him so much. The Voice of Snooker is silent now but will forever be remembered by the sport he loved.”

Snooker’s governing body WST tweeted: “Clive Everton, one of snooker’s greatest ever commentators and voice of the sport, has died at the age of 87. Everton devoted his life to snooker and covered the some of the sport’s most historic moments as a broadcaster and journalist.”

Everton’s snooker commentary style was generally understated as he effectively used silence and put a premium on the words he chose but he still came up with a number of memorable lines during his decades-long career in the sport.

When Hendry claimed his record seventh world title in 1999, Everton remarked: “Ray Reardon six times world champion in the 70s, Steve Davis six times in the 80s, but it’s a magnificent seven times for Stephen Hendry in the 90s.”

When qualifier Shaun Murphy completed his stunning run to the 2005 World Championship title, Everton simply said: “Amazing, astonishing, astounding.”

He had initially found relative success as an amateur snooker and billiards player, winning junior national billiards title and then turning professional in snooker in 1981 – achieving a highest ranking of 47th in the world before fully focusing on journalism and commentary from 1991.

Everton also wrote more than 20 books about cue sports and played county-level tennis for Worcestershire.