In his qualifying match for the 1981 World Snooker Championship, Ross found that his was unsteady and that he was unable to control his properly, and conceded his match against Tony Knowles when trailing 0–7. Although he played in several tournaments over the next couple of seasons, his only match win came with a 6–5 victory over Bert Demarco at the 1982 Scottish Professional Championship. In 1983, Ross resigned his membership of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. He died in 2013, aged 80.