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World Champion Kelly Fisher Elected to BCA Hall of Fame

After narrowly missing election last year, England’s Kelly Fisher has earned induction into The Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame as member of the class of 2020.

The United States Billiard Media Association selected Fisher, arguably the most dominant woman player of the last 15 years, to its Greatest Players wing.

“This means everything to me,” Fisher says. “We don’t have a Hall of Fame in the UK, and I remember when I first got to America learning about it and wondering if I ever one day had a chance. Bear in mind, I came from snooker and hadn’t done anything at that point, but it was definitely an ambition I had. This truly is a dream come true.”

Born in West Yorkshire, England, the 41-year-old Fisher started in cue sports playing ladies professional snooker, much like fellow BCA Hall of Famers Allison Fisher (no relation) and Karen Corr. She excelled at the sport, capturing five world titles between 1998 and 2003.

After her last win, Fisher headed to the U.S. to try her skill in the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Classic Tour and didn’t miss a beat, quickly ascending to a Top 10 ranking. By Keith Loria “The ultimate key for me was doing well in snooker and being a world champion, so when I came to pool, I automatically had some confidence because the shot-making was relatively easy at that point,” she says. “I must say that the more you learn about pool, the shot-making becomes harder because you understand more about the reactions. When I first came, I didn’t have a clue about spins.”

As she played more and studied the game, Fisher realized she was making some wrong choices, and her shot selection became more advanced.

“The things I needed to adapt to, which were very difficult, were jumping and breaking,” Fisher says. “Jumping didn’t seem natural to me, and for breaking, in snooker, it’s a defensive break. Even still, I don’t feel like I’m the best jumper or breaker out there and I do feel I can improve on that a lot.”

She remembers everyone was very friendly and welcoming when she first came to the U.S.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” Fisher says. “I couldn’t have felt more welcome by all the players and the WPBA, it was a very warm feeling. I knew a lot of people before I arrived from the snooker

“I HOPE PEOPLE THINK OF ME AS A GREAT SPORTSWOMAN AND RESPECT ME FOR THAT.”

circuit. We had spent a lot of time together back in the day, so it was nice to see the familiar faces.”

In 2005, Fisher won her first WPBA title in San Diego, and collected five more event wins over the next two years. In 2008, she reached the No. 1 ranking, winning three more WPBA titles over the next two years.

“Before San Diego, I had done quite well in a few events before that and I remember thinking that I could win one of these,” she says. “I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. It was the most money I had won in one tournament – I think it was $14,000 – where in snooker it was smaller money. And I remember the nervous feeling I had in winning that title.”

She also captured her first World Pool-Billiard Association world title in 2011, when she won the World 10Ball Championship. A year later, Fisher claimed the World 9-Ball Championship in China, an accomplishment she would repeat in 2019.

Fisher calls her first World 9-Ball Championship the most memorable of her career, even including her first world championship in snooker, which she won at the age of 19.

“For this last one, I know I’m getting older and the players are getting younger, and the standards are getting higher, so I kind of thought to myself, ‘I know I’m capable of winning because I’m playing well,’ but you can’t go in expecting to win,” she says. “I gave it 100 percent and once I got to the final, I knew I didn’t want to lose this chance. I’m over 40 and this might be my last chance.”

Although she feels the final match wasn’t her best pool playing, Fisher is immensely proud of her accomplishment and looks forward to defending her title when the event is allowed to be held again.

“I believe her victory in 2019 was her finest performance,” says WPA President Ian Anderson. “The Chinese players were totally dominant in the women’s sport, one of them winning just about everything. For any non-Chinese female to win any event required an almost super-human effort, and that is what Kelly produced in 2019. Ironically, her opponent in the final was another European, Jasmin Ouschan and not, as expected, a Chinese player. Unfortunately, Kelly hasn’t had the opportunity to try and defend her title because of the global pandemic we are presently experiencing.”

On the international stage, Fisher won the China Open in 2012 and the Amway Cup in 2013. She also earned four International Tournament of Champions titles, winning in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

The billiard star has had her share of adversity as well. Shortly after returning to the UK in 2014, Fisher was forced to undergo heart surgery. A year later she underwent a double mastectomy.

Still, when she returned, she remained at the top of her game, winning tournament after tournament.

Ewa Laurance, a BCA Hall of Famer herself, is thrilled to have her formidable competitor join her in enshrinement. “Kelly has everything it takes to qualify for the Hall of Fame: talent, titles, tenacity and class,” Laurance says. “Her game really has no weaknesses and she’s a great representative for the game. Though fierce and focused on the table, she is a hoot to hang out with. She always makes me laugh.”

Voting for the 2020 BCA Hall of Fame was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected at-large members and living members of the Hall of Fame. Last year, the first time she was eligible, Fisher lost on a run-off vote to Filipino-Canadian Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan after they tied on the initial ballot. This year, she was named on 70 percent of the ballots, besting notable players such as Dennis Orcollo, Thorsten Hohmann, Corey Deuel and Niels Feijen.

“I hope people think of me as a great sportswoman and respect me for that,” Fisher says. “I want to be remembered as a great competitor and an overall nice person. I’d do anything to help anybody.”

Currently, Fisher is back home in Dumfries, Scotland, riding out the pandemic like the rest of us. In September, she received permission to open up her pool hall and she’s looking forward to returning to some sort of normalcy.

“It’s been quite tough because I have no income from pool and the business still has to pay bills, so it will be nice to get that open again,” she says.

Looking ahead, Fisher still has some accomplishments on her to-do list.

“One would be to win a gold medal at the World Games. I’ve played in it twice and won a bronze,” she says. “Other than to repeat in the World 9-Ball, I would like to win an 8-ball event, as I feel that’s missing. No other woman has done 10-ball, 9-ball, 8-ball, snooker and English billiards, so that would be a nice dream come true.”

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