His final appearance in the World Championship came in 1990 when he defeated Pascal Burke 10–4 in the first qualifying round. His next match provided a bizarre and sad conclusion to his playing career. He led Canadian Marcel Gauvreau 6–3 at the mid-session, but the match progressed to 9–9. Rea led 71 points to 17 in the deciding frame with only 43 points remaining on the table, but Gauvreau clawed his way back to win the deciding frame.Everton, Clive (ed.), Snooker Scene, March 1990, pp. 20, 23.
