Walter Donaldson

Male, Deceased Person

1907 – 1973

41

Who was Walter Donaldson?

Walter Donaldson was a Scottish professional snooker player.

Born in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, he was the first Scottish-born player to make a mark in the world of snooker. He was considered one of the greatest long potters of all time and was regarded as a great grafter, who never gave up when he appeared to be in a hopeless situation.

He won the National Under-16 Billiards Championship in 1922 at the age of 15 and then turned professional the following year.

He did not enter the world championships until 1933 when he lost in the semi-finals to the great Joe Davis. He missed the next few championships but came back in 1939 and reached the quarter-finals and went to the semi-finals the next year. The championship was then suspended for the remainder of the war, in which he served on the front line as Royal Signals Sergeant.

The championship resumed in 1946, with Joe Davis winning again. He then retired from professional play, leaving Walter, Joe's younger brother Fred, and Horace Lindrum vying for the number one position. Walter shortly afterwards set a new world record for the highest professional break, 142, and, to the surprise of many, won the 1947 Championship, beating Lindrum in the semi-final and Fred Davis 82-63 in the final.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
Jan 4, 1907
Coatbridge
Also known as
  • Дональдсон, Уолтер
  • Уолтер Дональдсон
Nationality
  • Scotland
Died
1973

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Walter Donaldson." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/walter_donaldson_1907>.

Discuss this Walter Donaldson biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net