Clive Everton To Receive MBE

Clive Everton, best known as one of snooker’s leading television commentators for over 40 years, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Clive, age 81, will receive the award from the Queen at Buckingham Palace later this year.

In his youth, Clive excelled as a billiards players, winning the British under-16 and under-19 titles, as well as the Welsh Championship five times. He reached the semi-finals of the World Amateur Championship twice and was ranked as high as ninth in the world. He was also a fine snooker player, winning the Midlands amateur title and climbing to 47th in the world.

In January 1971 he founded Snooker Scene, a monthly magazine chronicling the game’s growth from little known pastime to a multi-million pound television sport. Clive has edited every edition of the magazine for the last 48 years.

From 1978, when the BBC began extensive live coverage of snooker, Clive was at the forefront of the commentary team. He was the ‘Voice of Snooker’ for hundreds of memorable moments for more than three decades, as millions of fans throughout the UK and beyond watched the sport’s biggest tournaments on the BBC.

Clive continues to commentate for a variety of broadcasters, including ITV on their coverage of four events each season. Last March he was on the mic as Ronnie O’Sullivan made his historic 1,000th career century during the final frame of the Players Championship.

As a journalist, Clive has written for newspapers including The Guardian, Sunday Times and Independent on Sunday, and provided voice reports for a wide range of BBC radio stations, as well as running Everton’s News Agency, which supplied stories to national and regional newspapers.

He has written over 20 books about snooker and billiards, including his autobiography Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards, which was shortlisted for the British Sports Book of the Year award.

Two years ago he was inducted into World Snooker’s Hall of Fame, and remains the only broadcaster to receive this honour.

Clive said: “I love snooker and I couldn’t have worked in the game for so many years without that. I am pleased that my work has been recognised with an MBE. I am a little surprised because people who are anti-establishment don’t often get them, though in recent years I have been very much in favour of the establishment in snooker because the things I campaigned for under previous regimes have been achieved.

“I am proud of running Snooker Scene for 48 years because it is a journal of record, which every sport needs, as well as providing me with the opportunity to campaign for what I believe in.”

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled for Clive to have received this honour, as a great servant to snooker for decades. Two years ago we inducted Clive into the World Snooker Hall of Fame in recognition of his dedication to our sport. We hope he keeps going in his roles as a commentator and journalist for years to come.”

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson added: “There can be few people who have loved snooker and dedicated their lives to it in the way that Clive has over the past 60 years. He was a fine player and is widely recognised as one of the best television commentators the sporting world has produced. The MBE is a greatly deserved award and we congratulate Clive.”