Wales, the hotbed of snooker
On Saturday, I will be travelling to Wales to watch the Welsh Open in Cardiff. This will be a homecoming for me as the last time I was there was I lived in Carmarthen in 1992. My Grandfather was from Ebbw Vale and I am very proud of my Welsh heritage.Many of my maternal relatives worked in the Ebbw Vale steel works and I avidly support this country in rugby and football at international level.
When I lived in Carmarthen, Terry Griffiths owned a snooker club in the town centre and I played there and in another club. Wales has always produced some of the best players, Darren Morgan, Ray Reardon, Doug Mountjoy, Cliff Wilson, Ryan Day, Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens, to name but a few. The key to its success is probably due to the continuation of snooker at local club level. Players are able to be nurtured at a young age to learn this difficult game.
However in today’s world and technological trends, it has become more difficult for clubs to tap into the youth culture. Children and teenagers would rather spend time at home using electronic gadgets than leave the house and play in a snooker club. This is great shame because without youth talent, future stars become harder to find.
Even in Wales which was rife with clubs when I was there, long gone are the days when you could play supping on a nice pint of Worthington Dark mild and smoke a cigarette as you played snooker and clubs have had to become clinical to survive, using online booking and alcohol deals to draw in the punters.
However, despite these physical hurdles, snooker will always have a massive support base in Wales as this sport is seen as working class, played in clubs and remaining working mens’ clubs. Players such as Ray Reardon showed that success could happen with perseverance and talent rewarded in a sport that few can play well.
When I lived in Carmarthen, Terry Griffiths owned a snooker club in the town centre and I played there and in another club. Wales has always produced some of the best players, Darren Morgan, Ray Reardon, Doug Mountjoy, Cliff Wilson, Ryan Day, Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens, to name but a few. The key to its success is probably due to the continuation of snooker at local club level. Players are able to be nurtured at a young age to learn this difficult game.
However in today’s world and technological trends, it has become more difficult for clubs to tap into the youth culture. Children and teenagers would rather spend time at home using electronic gadgets than leave the house and play in a snooker club. This is great shame because without youth talent, future stars become harder to find.
Even in Wales which was rife with clubs when I was there, long gone are the days when you could play supping on a nice pint of Worthington Dark mild and smoke a cigarette as you played snooker and clubs have had to become clinical to survive, using online booking and alcohol deals to draw in the punters.
However, despite these physical hurdles, snooker will always have a massive support base in Wales as this sport is seen as working class, played in clubs and remaining working mens’ clubs. Players such as Ray Reardon showed that success could happen with perseverance and talent rewarded in a sport that few can play well.
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