John Spencer (18 September 1935 – 11 July 2006) was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters, and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition.
He first won the World Championship in 1969 after being loaned £100 by his bank to raise the entry fee. On 22 November 1968, Spencer defeated reigning world champion John Pulman 25–18 in his opening match before going on to defeat Rex Williams 37–12 and Gary Owen 37–24 in the final, held at Victoria Hall in London from 17 to 22 March. 'Dead' frames were then played out to give a final frame tally of 46–27 to Spencer, who (with additional bonuses) took £1,780 from the event. He thus became the only player to win the World Championship at his first attempt since Joe Davis won the inaugural championship in 1927 (the feat was emulated by Alex Higgins in 1972 and by Terry Griffiths in 1979).
World Snooker Championship 1977 _Deceased Snooker | Masters Snooker 1975 _Deceased Snooker | World Snooker Championship 1971 _Deceased Snooker | World Snooker Championship 1969 _Deceased Snooker |