The 1980s are widely remembered as snooker’s golden era, and several stars from that period are still competing strongly in 2026.
Jimmy White, a six-time World Championship finalist between 1984 and 1994, remains active on the professional circuit, while some of his former rivals are attempting unlikely returns to the sport’s top level.
Among them is Dean Reynolds, one of the sport’s most recognisable figures during the late 1980s. Reynolds, now 63, reached two major finals in 1989 and climbed to a career-high world ranking of No. 8 the following year.
The left-handed player from Grimsby made his Crucible debut in 1982 at just 19 years old, famously defeating eight-time world champion Fred Davis 10-7 in the opening round.
Reynolds competed professionally from 1980 to 2001 but never secured a ranking title. He lost 13-6 to Tony Meo in the British Open final and suffered a 10-0 defeat against Steve Davis in the Grand Prix final 37 years ago.
That remained the only whitewash in a ranking final until Neil Robertson repeated the feat twice, beating Zhou Yuelong 9-0 in the 2020 European Masters final and thrashing Stuart Bingham 10-0 in the 2025 World Grand Prix final. Zhao Xintong is the only other player to record a ranking-final whitewash, defeating Yan Bingtao in the 2022 German Masters final.
Reynolds did enjoy success at the 1988 English Professional Championship, where he defeated Neal Foulds 9-5 in the final. He also reached the semi-finals of the Classic in 1987, the quarter-finals of the 1989 World Championship, and the last eight of the 1992 Masters.
Despite suffering a stroke in 2009 that threatened to end his career, Reynolds has continued pursuing a return to the professional ranks.
A 4-0 victory over India’s Anurag Saboo on Wednesday gave Reynolds a winning start at Q School in Leicester as he targets one of the available tour cards. He is scheduled to face Peter Devlin on Friday.
All matches are played over the best of seven frames, with eight tour cards available at each Q School event being held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester between May 20 and May 31.
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