Baynton in 1953, aged 16 | |
| Born | 1937 (age 87–88) England |
|---|---|
| Sport country | |
Maureen Baynton (born Maureen Barrett in 1937) is anEnglish formersnooker andbilliards player. She held the record for winning most Women's Amateur Snooker Championships after winning eight times between 1954 and 1968, and also won sevenWomen's Amateur Billiards championships between 1955 and 1980. She was runner-up in the 1983World Women's Snooker Championship.
Baynton began to playsnooker andbilliards atPeckham Health Centre, teaching herself, from the age of 11. Three years after taking up the games, she was the girls champion at both snooker and billiards.[1][2][3]
After a highly successful playing career in which she won a record eight Women's Amateur Snooker Championships between 1954 and 1968, and seven Women's Amateur Billiards championships between 1955 and 1980, she retired from competition for several years.[4] When theWorld Women's Snooker Championship was staged in 1976, Baynton entered, reaching the semi-final, where she lost toMuriel Hazeldene.[5] In the 1983 tournament she went one stage further, reaching the final, where she lost 5–8 toSue Foster.[6][7]
Throughout her career, she used thecue that she received, aged 10, for winning the Schoolgirls Championship in 1947. It is now on display at the Billiards and Snooker Heritage Collection inLiverpool.[8]
Snooker
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1 | 1954 | Women's Amateur Snooker Championship | [4] | ||
| Winner | 2 | 1955 | Women's Amateur Snooker Championship | [4] | ||
| Winner | 3 | 1956 | Women's Amateur Snooker Championship | [4] | ||
| Winner | 4 | 1961 | Women's Amateur Snooker Champion | Thea March | 4–0 | [9] |
| Winner | 5 | 1962 | Women's Amateur Snooker Champion | Rita Holmes | 4–1 | [10] |
| Winner | 6 | 1964 | Women's Amateur Snooker Championship | [4] | ||
| Winner | 7 | 1966 | Women's Amateur Snooker Championship | [4] | ||
| Winner | 8 | 1968 | Women's Amateur Snooker Championship | [4] | ||
| Runner-up | 9 | 1983 | Women's World Snooker Championships | Sue Foster | 5–8 | [6][7] |
Billiards
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1 | 1954 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | Helen Futo | 430–448 | [11] |
| Winner | 2 | 1955 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | E Morland-Smith | 451–401 | [12] |
| Winner | 3 | 1956 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | [4] | ||
| Winner | 4 | 1957 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | E Morland-Smith | 553–334 | [13] |
| Winner | 5 | 1964 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | Rae Craven | 649–336 | [14] |
| Winner | 6 | 1966 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | Vera Youle | 514–319 | [15] |
| Winner | 7 | 1968 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | Rae Craven | 434–265 | [16] |
| Runner-up | 8 | 1978 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | Vera Selby | 319–366 | [17] |
| Winner | 9 | 1979 | World Women’s Billiards Championship | Vera Selby | [18] |
Sue in pocket: SUE FOSTER picked up a cheque for £2,000 after clinching the women's world snooker championship, just £28,000 short of the figure Steve Davis received for taking this year's men's title. Sue, from Tamworth, beat Maureen Baynton, a 46-year-old Surrey housewife, 8–5 in the final at Brean Sands, Somerset.