Snooker Loopy

One of the greatest players to ever grace the green baize is the player Cliff Thorburn. Thorburn learnt the game the hard way, often sleeping in bus shelters and grotty digs to make a buck by hustling in Canadian pool halls. The now gentle giant, was a bruiser, knocking Alex Higgins unconscious when Higgins insulted him. Nicknamed the “Grinder” for his slow, determined style of play, Thorburn qualified for the World Championship in 1977, the first held at the Crucible but lost to John Spencer, His luck came in 1980 whern he proved his worth and won the World Championship. A popular winner, largely due to being a non UK player. Thorburn went on to lose consecutive finals at the Crucible but never won the title again.His luck however was at Wembley, where he won the Masters, three times,  the Canadian Open and twice winner of the invitational event, the Scottish Masters. Thorburn will be most remembered for his momentous 147 at the Crucible in 1983, a moment that snooker fans rate as

Snooker moves to the Far East next week with the start of the China Open. Players will be concentrating their minds on this tournament as a prequel for their future performance at the World Championship. With Ronnie out of the equation, this will be a blessing in disguise for the top eight who have frankly underperformed as a result of O’Sullivan’s blistering form. It is crucial for the likes of  Bingham, Selby, Trump, Allen, Hawkins, Robertson, Wilson and company to stamp their mark in China. Burnout, jet lag and fatigue will all play their part on the Chinese baize but it is how players cope with these challenges that will determine how deep they can go in this tournament. Some may decide to stay away and practice for Sheffield but those who make the long journey will hope that fortune will favour the brave. The long season has meant that many have been on a meteoric journey of form, dipping in and out with varying results. Snooker is like a pendulum that swings backwards and forwa

With the World Championship looming around the calendar corner, it only seems right to pay homage to the Crucible Theatre and the monumental part it has played in the sport’s history. Snooker, pre 1977 was played in smoke filled working men’s club and holiday camps with only eight professional players on the tour. Untelevised and players scratching around for money, snooker was a dying sport that many considered to be a game, played for money or to get away from the nagging wife. The creation of BBC2 and David Attenborough’s decision to commission Pot Black as a colour advert for the station, led to a boom in snooker, especially when the BBC started televising the World Championship at it’s new home, the Crucible in 1977. Although compact, the brainchild of Mike Watterson, led to players becoming household name. The likes of John Spencer and Ray Reardon led a marketing boom, adding their names to snooker tables and board games. The Crucible holds so many memories for so many player

Much has been said in the media today about female snooker player Rebecca Kenna who has been forced to turn her back on her local snooker league after she was barred from playing for being a woman. Rebecca was stopped from playing in two matches due to some clubs in Keighley, Yorkshire,  operating a “men only” policy. Kenna said she felt “abandoned” as a result of the policy and urged decision makers to scrap the ruling. Rebecca, who is currently number three in the women’s professional rankings has since been rebuffed by a statement from the local league, saying “there’s nothing we can do to overturn the decisions”. Mrs Kenna who appeared on tonight’s BBC One Show, said when asked to comment by the hosts, “To be told you can’t play the sport you love because of your gender is ridiculous and it’s quite upsetting”. “ When we play (these teams), I would just have to stay at home”. She again urged the Crosshills and District League to step in. This is not the first time such a crazy

With Ronnie picking up another trophy last night and taking the number one spot, players must be breathing a sigh of relief that O’Sullivan has signalled that he won’t enter the China Open in April. However in his post interview, he said he did want to be on the Seniors tour, was he being serious or was this just another of his media headlines? Whatever the real reason, Seniors should be wary because this may be another of Ronnie’s plans to dominate both fields. Gone will be the days when Jimmy White breezes into glory and former players will have to practice to play well. Ronnie has set a standard of play that few even in the top 8 can cope with. Ronnie said last night he was playing an average game and won by pouncing on Robertson’s mistakes. O’Sullivan has had many victims as a result of his style of play and few have managed to come back and beat him. Judd Trump will need to do exceptionally well in China to stand any chance of getting his revenge on O’Sullivan. Most people kno

With tonight’s Coral Tour Championship final in the balance at 8-8, the outcome will be crucial to the future of snooker. If Robertson triumphs, I will breathe a sigh of relief because it will put an end to the O’Sullivan winning train. Not only will he have failed to reach the number one spot but we would have prevented single player domination which reigned the 80s and 90s with the Dais and Hendry years. If however O’Sullivan wins, all of the above apply. Snooker should not be about individual domination but shared wins. If Ronnie remains at the top of the sport, other players are frankly doomed because he plays another level of snooker. Rather like a fly on sticky paper, so many players fail to escape Ronnie’s grasp. Robertson must prove tonight that he doesn’t become phased and fall by the wayside as Trump did in the semifinal, squandering a massive lead over Ronnie. It is a lot of weight to place on Robertson’s shoulders but he is one of the few players that can achieve victor

Last night snooker fans witnessed probably the most tense matches of snooker in history. With victory in his grasp, Judd Trump led Ronnie 6-2 going into the last session. All Judd had to do was to hold his nerve and kill off the match. However snooker is such an unpredictable sport and O’ Sullivan seemed to have swallowed a victory pill before walking out to the arena. His determination was evident and rather than falling flat he ripped a page out of Selby’s manual and grinded the match out to take it to a deciding frame. Trump looked physically shocked and couldn’t seize on Ronnie’s mistakes in the last frame. Despite O’Sullivan’s waistcoat foul, Trump missed a long red and had a second opportunity for a similar red to end the match. However Ronnie’s ridiculous fluke on a pink, missies to the middle bag and hitting a cushion to pot into the baulk pocket really sealed the match.He flicked the difficult yellow off the cushion, Trump’s saving grace and cleared the table to win the matc

One of the most recognisable faces of snooker whether you follow the sport or don’t is that of Bill Werbeniuk. Bill, best known for being a beer swiller and chain smoker, was part of the Canadian clan who came to Britain to seek their snooker fortune. Born in Winnipeg in 1947, William grew up in the harsh Canadian country that didn’t take fools lightly. He learnt his craft in pool halls, including his father’s pool hall, Pop’s Billiards, hustling people for a few dollars and the odd drink to make his way.Through the smoke filled rooms, he became friends with Cliff Thorburn, Jim Wynch and a young unknown hustler, Kirk Stevens. They lived together and made a decision to bring their skills to the UK. Werbeniuk, I believe was a very underrated player. having an attacking game. His highest ranking was number 8 and he achieved several quarter round stage matches in the Canadian Open and World Championship. His best fear was getting to the final of the Lada Classic in 1983, beaten by Ste

With the snooker season drawing to a close, several players look vulnerable and could fall off the tour. The likes of Alan McManus, Rod Lawler, Dominic Dale, Anthony Hamilton, Robin Hull, Nigel Bond, Jimmy White, Ken Doherty and Rory McLeod are all possible victims of snooker’s axe. Some in the sport are touting this moment as the start of a generation shift. However, I personally believe that not all of these players will fall off the cliff. The likes of Hamilton and Doherty have proved their worth this season and Jimmy White is starting to make inroads into latter round matches. However with only a wildcard status, Doherty and White must do well in China and Sheffield to stop their table lights from going out permanently. This is not some seismic moment as was in 1992 when the tour was flushed out with players such as Higgins, O’Sullivan and Williams joining it. I can categorically say this because there are still so many players above the age of 40 who are still doing well. Unli

With the start of play for the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno today, all eyes wil be on Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby. Selby has up to this point clung on to the number one spot through amassed ranking points but poor season form has meant that his lead has slowly slipped away. Current permutations mean that if Ronnie lifts the title in Llandudno, he will regain his number one ranking. On paper, this seems plausible but snooker can be a funny sport with many twists and turns.It does seem grossly unfair that O”Sullivan who picks and chooses his tournaments should even have this opportunity. Playing on average 8 out of 20 events in the tour calendar, Ronnie spends more time on the Eurosport couch than he does on the green baize. However don’t write off Selby yet as this grinding player will never give up the mantle easily. When his back is against the wall, he has a habit of coming back from the precipice. Selby’s fighting qualities are renouned, so much so that Ronnie dreads

“If I had to make the choice between married life and playing snooker, snooker would win.” The Early Years When you think of snooker, one name resonates across the ages more than most and that name is Ray Reardon. Ray was formerly a miner who sustained an injury in a pit accident after being trapped under rocks for three hours. Due to lack of work, he then moved with his parents to Stoke where he carved out a new career in the police force. However beyond this humdrum life, lay a skill that he had nurtured since the age of 15. That was the cue skills of a snooker player. Playing against other greats of the valleys such as the late great Cliff Wilson, Reardon was able to amass an impressive amateur career, retaining the Welsh amateur title from 1950-1955. Professional Career His big break, no pun intended, came in 1964 when he regained the Welsh Amateur title by defeating John Spencer 11-8. As a result, he was offered to go on a tour of South Africa. This tour was so succes

With an emphatic 4-1 win over Ryan Day in the Gibraltar Open last night, Stuart Bingham now travels to Llandudno with the snooker train. Bingham and Day should be proud of their foreign excursion efforts as they pick up crucial ranking points and tournament guarantees for next season. Day however looked burnt out in the final with his petrol tank running on empty, admitting so in his post final interview. With Ronnie back on the scene in Llandudno, both players will have to adopt higher gears to fend off the Rocket. O’Sullivan is now in pre World Championship mode and will set his sights on winning in Wales, the China Championship and the World Championship.Ronnie has been highly critical again the media About Gibraltar and the playing venues on the tour. Rather than voicing his concerns through the correct channels of the Player’s Committee, he again has used the press to pedal his derogatory comments. A bad move that is largely brought on by his lack of season ranking points. Aga

After several days of blogging about snooker player profiles, I return to the latest news from the Gibraltar Open. We are now down to the last 16 players and many are fighting for crucial ranking points and tour spots. Kyren Wilson, Ryan Day, Stuart Bingham and David Gilbert are all through but  only two of these players can feature in next week’s Tour Championship in Llandudno. This once lambasted tournament has become a crucial tipping point for players, either they cross the line and pick up their needed targets or they return to the snooker shadows for the rest of the season, no pun intended on the word rest. What has now been dubbed #Race to Llandudno in the industry, requires stamina and top form to succeed. It may not be 17 days at the Crucible but this sprint up the Gibraltar Rock has perils and permutations. One trip or slip and a player could risk their season or tournament form for punishment for poor play. Snooker is a cruel and devouring sport that doesn’t take any pri

One of the greatest non UK Players is Perrie Mans. Pierre “Perrie” Mans is South African and first rose to fame when he won the South African Professional Championship in 1965, a title he would go on to win 19 times. Mans, a former Amateur champion, decided to move his career to the UK and won the first televised Pot Black in 1977, beating Fred Davis. Perrie continued his winning streak by reaching the final of the World Championship in 1978 but was beaten by Ray Reardon 25-18.This didn’t deter Mans and he went on to win the Heidelberg 100 event in 1978 and his famous victory in the 1979 Masters final when he beat Alex Higgins 8-4. Mans was a low score frame winner, amassing only a top break of 48 when he won the Masters yet his long range potting and safety play was immaculate.Mans beat all the greats and even some players such as Colin Gross and Les Dodd. Like Graham Miles, Perrie is an unsung hero of snooker and really was a pioneer of the non UK game. Mans was one of the first

One of the greatest presenters that snooker has ever seen was the late David Vine. Vine was a BBC  anchorman, presenting a multitude of programmes from the 1960s onwards including Ski Sunday, It’s a Knockout, Miss World, Show jumping, Wimbledon and the Eurovision Song Contest. However David is best remembered for his snooker presentation, fronting the World Championship coverage from 1978 until his retirement in 2000. Vine was so likeable because he brought snooker into your front room and made you feel as if you were part of the tournament. His soft West Country voice drew you in and he was able to combine his television experience with his knowledge and love of the game. After seventeen days at the Crucible, you knew that Reardon, Davis or Hendry would be interviewed by Vine before they raised the trophy. David was there when the first 147 by Thorburn was televised at the Crucible in 1983, Higgins won the title in 1982 and the infamous Taylor victory in 1985. Spanning over twenty

Unknown to many, Walter Lindrum was probably the best billiards player of all time. Born in Australia, Lindrum came to the UK and competed in the English Billiards Association, holding the World Professional Billiards Championship title from 1933 until his retirement in 1950. Affectionately known as “Wally”, Lindrum was an Australian Joe Davis and May even have been better with 57 World titles to his name.and decorated with an OBE. Billiards, a game that in recent years has fallen off the media radar, was the original form of snooker and a popular game in the pre and post war years. Lindrum and the Davis brothers were the pioneers of cue sports and could have probably coped well in the modern game but not with attacking play.Lindrum had billiards blood with his brother, grandfather and father being champions. Walter passed away in Australia in 1960 at the age of 61, being given a state funeral in recognition for his sporting efforts. He died suddenly from either a heart attack or

Match fixing in snooker has unfortunately been in operation since the very early days of the game with reports of Joe Davis having "carried" weaker opponents in multi-session matches to maximise the gate revenue. This trait continued through the history of the sport with players such as Willie Thorne and Alex Higgins claiming they were offered large sums of money to lose matches. Players may not enter a match fixing agreement on their own free will, being subject to threats of violence if they fail to submit. The lucrative criminal act is largely based in the Far East where gangs devise money making scams in various sports, using their players to infiltrate the individual sport and extract multimillion currency earnings. Although this happens, World Snooker has been very vigilant to attempt to stamp out this criminal activity in recent years. The main punishment being heavy fines or bans from the game. Recognisable figures such as Quentin Hann, Stephen Lee and Joe Joggi

With current domination by O’Sullivan in his hand picked tournaments, players are struggling to earn  titles outside Ronnie free finals. This begs the question of whether any player has the ability to match his A, B and C games in totatality? My theory is that players have far too much respect for O’Sullivan and should clear this weakness from their minds. By adopting this attitude, you fall into Ronnie’s trap of immortality. Ronnie definitely has chinks in his armour and has shown in early round matches that when he is not in the right mind set, he can lose to any ranked player. However the main problem with other players in my opinion is a confidence issue. Players such as Ding, Selby, Robertson and Allen become like a rabbit in the headlights when they play Ronnie and their all round game flounders. Like a predator, Ronnie preys on this weakness and like a boxer on the ropes, keeps punching until his opponent falls in the ring. Until these hurdles are crossed, no player can m

Elliott Slessor is one of the new guard of players to enter the main tour. Qualifying to the tour from the infamous Q School, Elliot first started playing snooker at the age of 8 when his Grandfather bought him a snooker table. Slessor has been nipping at the heels of the top players for some time and has had great wins over Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan. A lad to watch out for and a future top 16 player for sure. I caught up with him and asked him a few questions. Why snooker? I got a table for Christmas and loved it and kind of never knew anything else so from there I watched it on tv constantly and couldn’t wait to go on a full size table. Who is your favourite player? I grew up watching Ronnie and Higgins, going toe to toe in most competitions and could never pick my favourite to be honest, usually the one that was winning. What is your highest break? My highest break is 147. I got my first when ai had just turned 16. Do you believe in “burnout “? It’s a hard

Yesterday came the sad news of the passing of Mike Watterson. Mike, a former amateur player, loved the bones of snooker. Unknown out the walls of the sport, Watterson was the man responsible for formatting the idea of bringing the game to the Crucible. After going to a play with his wife in 1977, Mike brainchilded the idea after knowing that the World Championship was struggling to find a venue. A conversation with his friend, the player, John Pullman led to discussions with the theatre management and a deal was subsequently agreed to host the iconic event at the Crucible. The rest as they say is history. Wattterson, later became a professional player in 1981 and also turned his hand to commentary. Mike, a former car salesman, also became a promoter, being responsible for help set up the UK Championship, British Open, International Open and World Cup and also set up the BDO in darts, an idea he thought up in a barber’s chair in 1977. He also brought indoor bowls to the Preston Guildh

One of the iconic venues in snooker history was the Wembley Conference Centre. Hosting the Benson and Hedges Masters from 1979 to 2006, this venue hosted some of the classic snooker battles of the time with the likes of Kirk Stevens’classic 147 and Mark Williams winning the title on a Hendry miss. Players of the time regard this venue as one of the best.With one of the largest audiences, the crowd was set back from the table and had flower borders, the London audience were notorious for supporting their local man, the likes of Jimmy White. Players were treated like rock stars and had a reception when they walked on and during play. The introduction of a smoking ban and the need for better accommodation meant the early demise of the centre with the last Masters being held there in 2006 and the centre finally being demolished in 2017. This was a very sad day for snooker, as the bulldozers came in to smash the Conference structure, so the history of snooker was left on the site, Taylo

Next week,snooker leaves Preston and moves to Gibraltar. This tournament is often missed by some of the top players as like the briefly held Brazil Open, travel and time could be reserved for other competitions. However in my opinion that is a very shallow view and is proved wrong by players such as Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham, who turn up and play because they love the game. Don’t get me wrong, the Gibraltar Open does have faults, the venue itself is cramped and noisy. Being located near an airport runway is probably not the best location to be be when you are concentrating on your shot or attempting to make a maximum break. The plane noise is constant and even on televised coverage, you can hear the planes taking off or landing. Despite these faults, these are teething problems and can be easily remedied. The clear benefit of this tournament is that it showcases the country and the players. With 128 players in the mix, the silverware really could be anyone’s. With burnout rif

Several years ago the Riley’s club in Stevenage was closed  down to make way for flats. Although this club wasn’t doing particularly well and was struggling with high rent, the decision to close the Club came from Stevenage Borough Council. The announcement at the time caused local outrage, accusing the local council of putting housing before local amenities. Stevenage has long suffered with empty retail outlets and little interest to bring big retailers back into the community. The view of decision makers is that residents should travel to Letchworth to play snooker or Welwyn Garden City to shop in Marks and Spencer. However the result of such an ill judged decision is that you gradually erode the heart of the community, leaving little for the young and old to go to and socially interact in. Stevenage has a bingo hall, cinema and bowling alley but little else. This increases the potential rise of youth crime due to boredom and lack of engagement. Stevenage desperately needs some

Ken Doherty is one of the most recognised and successful faces in Irish snooker. Starting off as a programme seller at Goffs as a teenager, Ken went on to win the World Championship in 1997. Still on the main tour as a two year wildcard, Ken also commentates for the BBC, plays on the World Seniors tour and has his own radio programme in Ireland. Who inspired you to become a snooker player? Alex Higgins Were your family interested in snooker? I used to watch it with my father from the age of 8, Pot Black and the World Championship. What most excites you about the sport? Playing in front of big crowds. Do you still get a buzz when you play? Yeah I still get a buzz but not as much as I once did. Does the traveling ever get to you? I don’t like the travelling as I once did either and being away from my young son who’s just 11 now. Tell me your memories of Alex Higgins? I first met Alex when I was 14, working in Goffs as an usher, his first inspiration words to me

Ronnie O’Sullivan may be a genius on the table but off it the man is volatile. His constant media outbursts may be in his mind a bit of fun to gain a headline but I believe they are extremely damaging for snooker. His victory last night against Barry Hawkins triggered him to go on a media bender, first rubbishing the organisation of the sport in his post couch, ITV interview. He claimed that the only decent venues on the circuit were Preston and Sheffield, describing the rest as either aeroplane hangers or sports halls. He also said that John Higgins would not be ready for his match this week as he hadn’t got back from India yet and should be given five days off to rest. The ITV team were clearly shocked and didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe. Following this car crash interview, Ronnie went in for seconds when given his one to one interview. The interviewer started to ask him questions to which he answered every single one in an Australian accent. Even when he was asked about wha

Much has been discussed in recent years of how a player reaches the end of their career in their fourties but with players such as Ronnie, John Higgins and Mark Williams defying this belief, it seems unlikely that such players will hang up their cues in the near future. The main tour may be a hard road to climb for an older player with less appetite to practice and travel but when they finally decide to close that cue case, don’t lock it because Jason Francis has helped create the Seniors tour where the players of yesteryear and a few who still play on the tour compete in various locations and snooker combinations. Many fans didn’t think they would see Taylor, Thorburn, Johnson or Hendry compete on the main stage again but this tour really does seem to work with investment, a tv deal and great locations. The main aim of the Seniors is to showcase the players of the past but it also helps these snooker heroes to keep their hand in and regain their appetite to win. In a recent interv

Snooker moves from India this week to the Preston Guildhall for the Coral Players Tour Championship. This tournament is unique as like the Masters, only involves the top sixteen players but for key,ranking points. With Ronnie back in the mix, players wil have to play at the top of their game to beat the Rocket. However, Ronnie doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders recently with early exits from recent events. With this clear chink in his armour, others players would be wise to capitalise on this weakness and match fit men from India could triumph. Ronnie’s fatal mistake not to fly to India could inflict the fatal blow to his play and ranking points. My pick of the mix is Kyren Wilson. With a turf accountant price of 16-1, Wilson has the form and ability to beat any player and has long been my favourite player. Kyren has the appetite to win and never loses his determination when he is behind in the match. Wilson is a born winner and I believe is destined to triumph in Preston.

One of the sadly missed tournaments is the Dubai Classic. This great event began life in 1988 and really put the Middle East on the snooker map. It ran for a few years and then became the Thailand Classic when it moved there in 1995. Sadly the UAE had been devoid of snooker for many years and only ran the ill faited Bahrain Classic a few years ago. I know the former professional player David Roe, does a lot of work in this region by coaching snooker clubs. So the appetite for snooker is still there but will World Snooker capitalise on it? I lived in Abu Dhabi in the early 1980s and know that this region thrives on outward investment. A large number of UK citizens live in this area, choosing it for the lifestyle, hot weather and high salaries. So to me, this really is a no brainer, formulate a tournament that either runs with 128, 32 or 16 players from the tour or even use Abu Dhabi and Dubai to host two events using varied player combinations. Then you could see what worked and

Defined by most in the game, Joe Davis is considered to be the best player to have ever graced the green baize. Davis dominated the sport from the 1920s to the 1950s and won the World Championship, an amazing fifteen times from 1927 to 1946. Joe was also a billiards player, winning the World Billiards Championship, four times between 1928 and 1932. He was only defeated four times in his career, ironically all by his brother Fred and an unbeaten record for twenty years. Joe was responsible for helping set up the World Championship and was the first player to score s 147 in a tournament in 1955 and even scored a 146. Cited by modern day players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Steve Davis as being the best player that has ever graced the table, Steve Davis even said that he had wished he had played Joe to see how good he actually was. Joe was awarded an OBE in 1963 and died in 1978 but his brother Fred continued his legacy becoming  the oldest player to play in the World Championship in