From postman to world champion - the life of snooker great Griffiths

Terry Griffiths, who has died aged 77, enjoyed success as a player, a coach and a commentator.

A former postman and bus conductor, Griffiths turned professional in 1978 and became world champion at the first attempt, beating Dennis Taylor in the 1979 World Championship final.

"From being a miner at 15 years of age in Pontarddulais, then I was a bus conductor and a postman and then went on to work in insurance," Griffiths once recalled.

"Next thing I was champion of the world.

"It was a great thing for me - the pinnacle of my career."

The Welshman also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982.

After retiring, Griffiths became a successful coach and much-loved television pundit and commentator.

His Llanelli accent - delivered in soft, hushed tones - and dry wit made him instantly recognisable among viewers.

And while many will remember Griffiths for his on-air quips and, earlier, his cautious style of play, he also achieved notable success as a coach after retiring in 1997.

He tutored several leading players, including world champions such as Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, Ken Doherty and John Parrott.

Born in Llanelli in 1947, Griffiths worked as a postman, insurance salesman, miner and bus conductor during a long and successful amateur career.

He won the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1975 and the English Amateur Championship in 1977 and 1978 before turning professional in 1978.

Griffiths had to qualify for his first World Championship in 1979 and, after doing so, he beat Perrie Mans in the first round and the great Alex Higgins in the quarter-finals.

After overcoming Eddie Charlton in an epic semi-final, Griffiths declared in a post-match interview which has been replayed many times since: "I'm in the final now, you know!"

Griffiths then defeated 1985 champion Taylor 24-16 in the final to win the coveted world title at his first attempt.

Later in 1979, he was part of the Welsh team, alongside Ray Reardon and Doug Mountjoy, that won the inaugural World Cup of snooker, beating England 14-3.

Griffiths' victories at the 1980 Masters and 1982 UK Championship mean he is one of only 11 players to have completed snooker's Triple Crown.

Although those were his last ranking titles, Griffiths reached a second World Championship final in 1988, where he was beaten by his old rival and six-time world champion Steve Davis.

Griffiths never beat Davis in seven Crucible encounters, but the two players were prominent characters in a golden era for snooker.

The 1980s made players household names as they appeared on primetime television shows such as Pot Black, which Griffiths won in 1984.

The 1990s were relatively lean for Griffiths but he retired on his terms, still ranked 23rd in the world.

His final match was the first round of the 1997 World Championship, where he was beaten in a final-frame decider by his fellow Welshman and a player he would eventually coach to a world title, Mark Williams.