Introduction
Herbert John Pulman (12 December 1923 – 25 December 1998) was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s.
Career
Pulman won the 1946 English Amateur title and turned professional shortly afterwards. In 1947 he had his first appearance at the World Championship, losing 14-21 to Albert Brown in the first round of qualification. The next season, he won the qualifying section of the World Snooker Championship. In the 1948 Sunday Empire News Tournament he won the qualifying event and finished second in the main event behind Joe Davis. Pulman won a total of £400; £150 for the qualifying and £250 for finishing second.
He first reached the final of the World Professional Match-play Championship in 1955, losing to Fred Davis. Davis beat him again in the 1956 final, but Davis did not enter in 1957 and Pulman won the title, after which the event was discontinued. In 1964 the World Championship was resumed on a challenge basis. Pulman won the championship and successfully defended it in all further title challenges, the last being in 1968 when he beat the Australian Eddie Charlton. In 1969 the World Championship became a knockout tournament (which is generally regarded as the birth of the modern snooker era) and Pulman failed to successfully defend his title. He reached the final in 1970 but lost to Ray Reardon. Pulman reached the semi-finals of the World Championship when it was first held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1977, narrowly losing to the eventual winner John Spencer by 18 frames to 16.
After a poor run of results, Pulman was adjudged bankrupt on 7 February 1979 with debts of £5,916. By this time he was recently divorced, suffering from severe motivational problems and living in a hotel in Bromley.
Pulman retired from professional play in 1981, by which time he had joined the BBC as a commentator. A short time later he joined ITV, where he commentated alongside Dennis Taylor, Mark Wildman, Ray Edmonds and Jim Meadowcroft. He remained the lead commentator until the sport was dropped by the channel in 1992. Pulman died on Christmas Day 1998 after falling downstairs at home.
Performance and rankings timeline
Post-war
| Tournament | 1946/ 47 |
1947/ 48 |
1948/ 49 |
1949/ 50 |
1950/ 51 |
1951/ 52 |
1952/ 53 |
1953/ 54 |
1954/ 55 |
1955/ 56 |
1956/ 57 |
1957/ 58 |
1958/ 59 |
1959/ 60 |
Apr 1964 |
Oct 1964 |
Mar 1965 |
Nov 1965 |
Dec 1965 |
Apr 1966 |
Mar 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Empire News Tournament | Not Held | 3 | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sporting Record Masters' Tournament | Not Held | 3 | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||
| Professional Matchplay Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | SF | SF | F | F | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||
| News of the World Snooker Tournament | Not Held | 6 | 2 | 5 | 6 | W | 6 | 4 | W | 2 | 3 | 3 | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||
| World Championship | LQ | QF | SF | QF | SF | A | Tournament Not Held | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | |||||||
Modern era
| Tournament | 1968/69 | 1969/70 | 1970/71 | 1971/72 | 1972/73 | 1973/74 | 1974/75 | 1975/76 | 1976/77 | 1977/78 | 1978/79 | 1979/80 | 1980/81 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | No ranking system | 15 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | QF | F | RR | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | SF | 1R | LQ | 1R | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Open | Tournament Not Held | A | F | QF | 1R | 2R | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | Tournament Not Held | WD | 2R | 1R | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | SF | SF | RR | LQ | RR | SF | RR | A | RR | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | QF | 1R | QF | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yamaha Organs Trophy | Tournament Not Held | RR | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontins Professional | Tournament Not Held | QF | QF | QF | F | RR | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Park Drive 2000 (Spring) | Not Held | RR | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Park Drive 2000 (Autumn) | Not Held | RR | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men Of The Midlands | Not Held | WD | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norwich Union Open | Tournament Not Held | F | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Watney Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Club Masters | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holsten Lager International | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontins Camber Sands | Tournament Not Held | QF | NH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
Career finals
Non-ranking finals: 20 (11 titles, 9 runners-up)
World snooker champions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legend | |||||
| World Championship (8–3) | |||||
| Other (3–6) | |||||
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 1948 | Sunday Empire News Tournament Qualifying Event | Kingsley Kennerley | League |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1948 | Sunday Empire News Tournament | Joe Davis | League |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1951 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Alec Brown | 0–7 |
| Winner | 2. | 1954 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Joe Davis | 7–1 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1955 | World Professional Match-play Championship | Fred Davis | 35–38 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1956 | World Professional Match-play Championship | Fred Davis | 35–38 |
| Winner | 3. | 1957 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Fred Davis | 5–0 |
| Winner | 4. | 1957 | World Professional Match-play Championship | Jackie Rea | 39–34 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1958 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Fred Davis | 1–4 |
| Winner | 5. | 1964 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Davis | 19–16 |
| Winner | 6. | 1964 | World Snooker Championship | Rex Williams | 40–33 |
| Winner | 7. | 1965 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Davis | 37–36 |
| Winner | 8. | 1965 | World Snooker Championship | Rex Williams | 25–22 |
| Winner | 9. | 1965 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Van Rensburg | 39–12 |
| Winner | 10. | 1966 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Davis | 5–2 |
| Winner | 11. | 1968 | World Snooker Championship | Eddie Charlton | 39–34 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1970 | World Snooker Championship | Ray Reardon | 33–37 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1973 | Norwich Union Open | John Spencer | 7–8 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 1975 | Canadian Open | Alex Higgins | 7–15 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 1977 | Pontins Professional | John Spencer | 5–7 |
World snooker champions | |||||
| Early events |
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| Match-play |
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| Challenges |
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| Knock-outs |
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| Crucible era |
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| World Championship (8–3) | |||||
| Other (3–6) | |||||
| Winner | 1. | 1948 | Sunday Empire News Tournament Qualifying Event | Kingsley Kennerley | League |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1948 | Sunday Empire News Tournament | Joe Davis | League |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1951 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Alec Brown | 0–7 |
| Winner | 2. | 1954 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Joe Davis | 7–1 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1955 | World Professional Match-play Championship | Fred Davis | 35–38 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1956 | World Professional Match-play Championship | Fred Davis | 35–38 |
| Winner | 3. | 1957 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Fred Davis | 5–0 |
| Winner | 4. | 1957 | World Professional Match-play Championship | Jackie Rea | 39–34 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1958 | News of the World Snooker Tournament | Fred Davis | 1–4 |
| Winner | 5. | 1964 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Davis | 19–16 |
| Winner | 6. | 1964 | World Snooker Championship | Rex Williams | 40–33 |
| Winner | 7. | 1965 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Davis | 37–36 |
| Winner | 8. | 1965 | World Snooker Championship | Rex Williams | 25–22 |
| Winner | 9. | 1965 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Van Rensburg | 39–12 |
| Winner | 10. | 1966 | World Snooker Championship | Fred Davis | 5–2 |
| Winner | 11. | 1968 | World Snooker Championship | Eddie Charlton | 39–34 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1970 | World Snooker Championship | Ray Reardon | 33–37 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1973 | Norwich Union Open | John Spencer | 7–8 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 1975 | Canadian Open | Alex Higgins | 7–15 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 1977 | Pontins Professional | John Spencer | 5–7 |
| Early events |
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| Match-play |
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| Challenges |
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| Knock-outs |
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| Crucible era |
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Category