Editing Ray Reardon (section)

==Amateur snooker career==
In 1949, Reardon won the ''[[News of the World]]'' Amateur title and was awarded an [[Fraxinus|ash]] [[cue stick]], presented to him by 15-time world snooker champion, [[Joe Davis]]. Reardon used this cue for almost 30 years until it came apart shortly after the [[1978 World Snooker Championship|1978 World Championship]] final.{{sfn|Morrison|1987|pp=108–109}} He reached the final of the 1949–50 under-19 Junior championship, losing 2–3 to Jack Carney.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=High quality snooker in 1949–50 B.A. & C.C. youth's (16–18) snooker championship |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=Billiards Association and Control Council |date=December 1949 |page=13 }}</ref> Reardon first won the [[Welsh Amateur Championship (snooker)|Welsh Amateur Championship]] in 1950, defeating the defending champion John Ford 5–3 in the final,<ref name="WAM50" /> and he retained the title every year until 1955.<ref name="WELSHS">{{cite web |title=Welsh Championship Records |url=https://www.welshsnooker.com/welsh-championship-records |website=welshsnooker.com |publisher=WBSA |access-date=22 July 2021 |archive-date=13 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013145330/https://www.welshsnooker.com/welsh-championship-records |url-status=live }}</ref> He reached the final of the 1956 [[English Amateur Championship]], where he led Tommy Gordon 7–3 after the first day, but lost the {{cuegloss|cue tip|tip}} from his cue early on the second day and was defeated 9–11.{{sfn|Everton|1985|p=26}}

Reardon played a fellow Tredegar resident, [[Cliff Wilson]], in a succession of {{cuegloss|money game|money matches}} and faced him several times in amateur tournaments.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hodgson |first=Guy |title=Obituary: Cliff Wilson |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-cliff-wilson-1438835.html |work=The Independent |date=26 May 1994 |access-date=23 July 2021 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402073209/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-cliff-wilson-1438835.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CWOBIT">{{cite news |last=Everton |first=Clive |title=Cue for a happy life |work=The Guardian |date=28 May 1994 |page=30}}</ref> Their contests attracted hundreds of spectators and in his 1979 book, ''The Story of Billiards and Snooker'', [[Clive Everton]] describes them as "modern snooker's nearest equivalent to a bare knuckle prize fight."{{sfn|Everton|1979|p=80}}

After losing in the first round of the 1957 English Amateur Championship, Reardon decided to take some time out from competitive snooker to work on improving his game. He next entered the championship in 1964, when he won the title by defeating [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]] 11–8 in the final.{{sfn|Everton|Silverton|1972|page=19}}