Len Ganley

Who was Len Ganley?

Len Ganley MBE was a Northern Irish snooker referee. He visited England in 1971 to spend a ten-day holiday with his sister in Burton-upon-Trent, and remained in England.

Born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, he became a full-time referee after working as a milkman and bus driver when he first arrived in Burton-on-Trent. He played snooker when he lived in Northern Ireland and won various local titles in Britain and Ireland. His highest break was 136.

He refereed four World Snooker Championship finals between 1983 and 1993, including 1990 when Stephen Hendry became the youngest World Champion. Another career highlight was the 1983 UK Snooker Championship final between Alex Higgins and Steve Davis. Another famous match he refereed in his later career was Ronnie O'Sullivan's fastest 147 v. Mick Price in the 1997 World Championship first round.

Although a non-drinker, Ganley also appeared in a Carling Black Label beer advert on TV in the early 1980s, in which he crushed a snooker ball with his gloved hand in a match between Terry Griffiths and John Spencer, after Spencer had knocked the ball off the table.