Career
He then gave up competitive play for a number of years, returning only in the early sixties. This qualified him to compete for England at the inaugural World Amateur Championship in Calcutta. In 1968 Owen, Spencer and Ray Reardon become the first players in a generation to turn professional.
His best performance as a pro came in 1969 when he reached the final of the reconstituted World Professional Snooker Championship, losing to old rival Spencer by 37 frames to 24.
A semi-finalist in 1970, he was defeated in the last eight in 1972 and 1975. Owen emigrated to Australia in 1971, taking a job as the resident professional at a snooker club in Sydney.
After gaining Australian citizenship, he represented his new country at the Snooker World Cup in 1979.