In action, on the world’s biggest stage, Yarrawonga’s Adrian Ridley on his winning way to a quarter-final. In the background is former world champion Joe Johnson and professional referee Pegy Li.
Yarrawonga’s Adrian Ridley produced a most impressive display to beat 1986 world professional champion Joe Johnson, 3-0 in the 2023 LLP Solicitors World Seniors Snooker Championship, in Sheffield on Friday, May 5.
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The outstanding victory in the top 16 players meant a quarter-final berth for the 40-year-old Yarrawonga cueist.
Adrian Ridley shakes hands with 1986 world champion Joe Johnson before their game.
Against the more experienced 70-year-old Johnson, Ridley looked most comfortable as he rattled in breaks of 46, 57 and 73 to set up a date with Jimmy White on the Saturday of the May 3-7 seniors world championship.
Ridley’s magnificent performance was at the world home of snooker, at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, in front of a packed audience of 980 people.
In the quarter-final, he went down to White 4-0 who went on to defeat fellow Englishman Alfie Burden 5-3 to claim the world title.
Ridley qualified for the highest senior snooker championship by winning this year’s Asia Pacific Seniors Championship in March but hasn’t played a lot of snooker in recent times.
After the world championships, and back in Yarrawonga, Ridley agreed with the Yarrawonga Chronicle it was a great achievement on his part. “I feel good,” he said.
“It was a great achievement and I feel inspired to try again. It was great just to get known by the legends of the game.
“Back stage with them and just having a chat, it was all the better when they were praising my game.”
In his matches, Ridley blocked out the big stage crowd. “Once I settled in I didn’t notice the crowd. I was focused and was never overawed – maybe it was my experience with Allegro (Allegro Theatre Company on a different, but big Yarrawonga Shire Hall stage) that helped me,” he said.
“The venue was amazing but I just stayed focused as I had a job to do.”
Adrian Ridley joined other world big names of snooker in the poster promotion – seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry, 2023 eventual winner Jimmy White and runner-up Alfie Burden.
Ridley did Yarrawonga so proud being on the biggest stage in the world and against the very best seniors in the world.
It was also an extremely proud Mum Shirley. “Yarrawonga was mentioned so much by the commentators and after Adrian’s win, one said ‘how long will he linger from Yarrawonga’ regarding how far he’d go in the championship,” she said.
“He had such a wonderful time, meeting all the old legends and the young legends. He was treated like a famous celebrity, posing for photos and signing autographs.”
Yarrawonga Snooker Club President Darren Thompson was rapt with Ridley’s performance.
“It was an amazing effort,” the president said, “playing in that standard at that venue,” Darren said.
The inspiration Ridley gained will see him play in Melbourne in a month’s time and he is considering a trip to Sydney in a fortnight to play in the Ian Chappell (former Australian Test Cricket captain and snooker patron) NSW Snooker Championship.
He has appreciated the support he received in the lead-up to the world championships. “I thank ClubMulwala, Lake Mulwala Action Group and the Commercial Club Albury who were all great,” the champion snooker player said. “I also thank Indigo North Health (Rutherglen) for allowing me the time off.”
