Snooker mourns death of Crucible pioneer Jim Donnelly, who inspired Scottish icons Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Alan McManus - 'A sad loss'
By Desmond Kane
Published 26/02/2026 at 11:51 GMT
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Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Alan McManus all produced special moments for Scottish snooker at the World Championship at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, but they were not the first players to make their mark on the sport's grandest stage. Jim Donnelly, who has died at the age of 79, was the first Scot to qualify for the Crucible in 1982, when he faced six-time world champion Ray Reardon.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Scottish snooker is mourning the death of Jim Donnelly, the first player from the country to qualify for the World Championship.
The Edinburgh-born player, who has died at the age of 79, was ranked as high as 29 in the world during the sport's golden televised era, losing 10-5 to six-time world champion Ray Reardon in the first round at the Crucible.
It was a year that saw Reardon reach the final of the game's biggest tournament, before being edged out 18-15 by Alex Higgins in the final.
Donnelly was a familiar face to snooker fans alongside fellow Scottish players Eddie Sinclair, Murdo Macleod and Matt Gibson, before Stephen Hendry, Alan McManus and John Higgins exploded onto the scene.
He reached the final of the 1987 Scottish Professional Championship, losing 10-7 to the emerging talent of Hendry, with the seven-time world champion winning the final three frames after being locked at 7-7.
Donnelly, a former national amateur champion, also coached the next generation of Scottish talent, including four-time world champion John Higgins, who paid tribute to his influence on the sport.
"It's a sad loss," said Higgins at the Welsh Open. "My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
"He was part owner of the club where I played in Wishaw. My dad took me and my brother down.
"And he ran little coaching courses for all the young boys, 20 or 30 of us, on how to hold the cue and play off the cushion. Different little things like that. It's a sad day."
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