Molly Olly’s Wishes was sad to hear of the death of Celebrity Snooker player Willie Thorne in June this year. We have fond memories of when he guested and acted as a auctioneer in support to Molly Olly’s Wishes at a fundraising event in Warwick in 2017. Willie Thorne shared stories of his career past and present, took pictures and answered questions in a witty and generous manner from the guests. It was a wonderful evening with Reuben Lynch as our toast master, a three course meal, live sitar and bhandgra music, and an auction which raised over £1000. We will always be very grateful for his support.
Willie Thorne was a colourful and well respected character in the snooker world, renowned for his good sense of humour. He rose to fame in 1970 after becoming the UK’s Under16s champion. He went on to win the Mercantile Credit Classic in 1985, and in the same year reached the final of the UK championship against Steve Davis. He reached the quarter finals of the World Snooker Championship in 1982 and 1985, ranking No.7 in the snooker world in the 1980s. He turned to presenting and became a popular snooker commentator on both Sky TV and BBC.
