An article about Thornley in Snooker Scene magazine in 1989 commented that: "In the last sixties, Thornley was the best player in Canada but, out of respect and personal friendship, would not challenge the venerable George Chenier for the Canadian title." Unable to make a living from snooker in Canada, Thornley travelled to the United States to play pool for money.
Thornley defeated Robert Paquette and Bill Werbeniuk to reach the final of the 1970 Canadian Professional Snooker Association tournament, where he was defeated 1–4 by Fred Davis. After not playing for a year, and having his cue stick stolen, Thornley returned to playing cue sports in 1977.
At the 1978 Canadian Open, where he defeated John Pulman 9–6 in his first match, but lost his next – in the quarter-finals – to Cliff Thorburn.

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