Editing John Virgo (section)

==Snooker career==
===Early professional career (1973–1978)===
Virgo's first notable appearance in a major tournament was during the 1973 American Pool Tournament for [[The Indoor League]] where he lost in the semi-final. He turned professional in 1976,<ref name="WST">{{cite web |title=John Virgo |url=https://wst.tv/players/john-virgo/ |website=wst.tv |access-date=18 March 2021 |archive-date=18 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118154702/https://wst.tv/players/john-virgo/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> at a time when players such as [[Ray Reardon]], [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]] and [[Eddie Charlton]] were at the forefront of the sport. Although he had just turned 30 upon turning pro, Virgo was still among the youngest players on the circuit at the time. In 1977, he reached the semi-finals of the [[1977 UK Championship]] losing to eventual winner [[Patsy Fagan]] by a single frame 8–9.

===UK Champion and Top 10 player (1979–1990)===
Virgo's snooker-playing fortunes peaked in 1979 when he reached the semi-final of the [[1979 World Snooker Championship|World Championship]], and went on to win the [[1979 UK Championship]] (though this was not a ranking event at the time). En route to the final, he beat [[Tony Meo]], [[Steve Davis]] and [[Dennis Taylor]]. He overcame the reigning world champion [[Terry Griffiths]] in the final, despite being controversially docked two frames because of a miscommunication regarding the start time of the next session of play.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surreylife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/big_break_star_john_virgo_on_trick_shots_snooker_legends_and_his_cobham_home_1_3231591|title=Big Break star John Virgo on trick shots, snooker legends and his Cobham home|last=Wintle|first=Angela|date=11 January 2014|magazine=Surrey Life|access-date=11 March 2016|archive-date=12 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312064818/http://www.surreylife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/big_break_star_john_virgo_on_trick_shots_snooker_legends_and_his_cobham_home_1_3231591|url-status=dead}}</ref> He reached his highest ranking, world number 10, during the [[1979–80 snooker season|1979–80 season]].

In 1986, Virgo reached the semi-finals of the [[1986 British Open|British Open]], losing 4–9 to [[Willie Thorne]]. He ended the [[1989–90 snooker season|1989–90 season]] as world number 14, but dropped out of the elite top 16 the following season.

===Later career and retirement (1991–1995)===
In 1993, Virgo entered the qualifying stages of the [[World Open (snooker)|Grand Prix]] and the [[UK Championship]] but failed to qualify for the main events, losing both times in round seven. Virgo retired from professional play in 1994.<ref name="WST" />

In 2023, Virgo became the 35th person to be inducted into the [[World Snooker Tour awards|World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Popular commentator John Virgo added to World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame |url=https://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news/popular-commentator-john-virgo-added-to-world-snooker-tour-hall-of-fame/209097 |website=Sporting Life |access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref>