Snooker Loopy

The Preston Guild Hall has long been an iconic snooker venue and used to host the UK Championship for many years. Now this building is under threat with its recent closure and staff laid off as the owner failed to reach an agreement with a management company to run the venue. Simon Rigby, the current owner, said the hall would have to close after he was forced to “review the viability” of the business. The building first opened in 1972 was bought by Rigby from Preston City Council in 2014 and pledged to invest £1 million. Rigby said negotiations with management firm VMS Live had overrun due to the death of its managing director. The move will see both the 2000-capacity Great Hall and the 716-seat Charter Theatre closed indefinitely but businesses on the venue's ground floor will not be affected. My Rigby did not confirm the number of staff that have lost their jobs but said ticketholders for the cancelled shows would be refunded. He said he remained hopeful Preston Guild Hall Lt

Ng On Yee from Hong Kong is one of the most promising players on the Ladies Tour. Having won the World Championship three times in 2015, 2017 and 2018, she now wants to accomplish what no other female player has done before and compete on the men's professional tour. This would be a wonderful achievement if it happens and prove that men and women can compete on an equal footing. Ng was so close to this before when she nearly beat Alan McManus in the World Championship qualifiers in April but as she has admitted since, her nerves got to her at the end of the match. Aged only 28, On Yee has plenty to learn of how to make the transition to the men's tour but her career history proves that the clear potential is there. Having won the IBSF Under-21 World Championship, World Championship and Six Reds Championship, medals in the Asian Games for Six Reds as well as three World Championships, one would feel that she is painfully close to crossing the winning line. However nothing is e

One of the most prolific players that snooker has ever produced is the Maltese, Tony Drago. Drago, nicknamed “the Tornado” is best know for his incredibly fast play and break building. Unlike the more methodical players of his time, Tony prided himself on entertaining the audience and wowing them with pots that most would struggle to achieve. Born in Valletta in 1965, Tony took an interest in cue sports at a very early age. Encouraged by his mother to progress, it wasn't very long before Drago could be seen in the local Maltese club and his trophy cabinet rapidly expanded filling the cupboards of one of his mother's bedrooms. like Jimmy White, Tony would often miss a day's schooling to spend time playing pool or snooker. After learning his trade in Malta, Drago moved to the UK and became a familiar face on the professional circuit. Like Higgins and White, Tony adopted an attacking style of play but although he was a very entertaining player, he was frustrating as well. Th

Tucked away off the main high street in Faversham, Kent, hides a snooker paradise that few know of but crave to see. I first came across the Faversham Club earlier in the year when my good friend Colin Phillips, a snooker promoter, invited me to an exhibition between Joe Johnson and Tony Knowles. I travelled by train the day before and stepped off the train to be greeted by a town that still has retained much of its Elizabethan architecture. A fabulous hotel, the Sun Inn awaited me with a spacious room and a view that overlooked the cobbled high street outside. Later on I met up with Colin, Joe, Tony and Glen Sullivan-Bissett, the snooker referee for a curry in the local curry house. We then decided to go for a few drinks at the Faversham Club. Walking down the cobbled street, we suddenly veered off into a narrow alleyway that led to a gated entrance. At the bottom of the path was a building with a large wooden door with a door bell. A man came to the door and let us in to what was

Barry Hearn has had a strong affinity to snooker since his early days of being a promoter, his managing of Steve Davis and his Match Room management of various players in the 1980s. Before Barry joined World Snooker Association and the WPBSA in 2009, the sport was frankly in a dire situation with few tournaments and little being done to promote the game. Although some players were against the decision to put his name forward as the candidate for the chairman position, Hearn seemed the only person to be able to save snooker if it was possible. The physical task was immense but Barry never afraid of a challenge rolled up his sleeves and used his wealth of experience to attract sponsorship and travelled to various countries to seal deals to expand the snooker season. One of his first creations was the establishment of the Player's Tour. This allowed players of lower rankings to compete against the elite and showcased the game to European countries that had up to this point only seen s

Len Ganley was one of the most recognised snooker referees in snooker’s history. His broad frame, thick Northern Irish accent and brylcreamed  hair was instantly recognisable and was a man who every snooker player respected and revered.Not even the great Alex Higgins would mess with Len and he was someone you looked up to in more ways than one. Ganley was one of 11children and grew up in Lurgan, County Armagh and first experienced work as a chimney sweep.He literally swept this job aside and decided to seek his fame and fortune in England, moving to Burton on Trent in Staffordshire where he had jobs as a milkman and bus driver. Len first donned the white gloves in 1976. A keen player himself, he took up the challenge when the booked referee at a Ray Reardon exhibition had to withdraw at the last minute, after which Ray suggested that he should take it up as a career and the rest as they say is history. Reardon’s advice was to have a seismic effect on Ganley’s career and it wasn’t ver

When you think of Canadian snooker players, one name springs to mind. Bob Chaperon was a former  professional snooker and billiards player. His career spanned through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Part of a generation of  North American players that succeeded the likes of Kirk Stevens, Cliff Thorburn and Bill Werbeniuk. Chaperon managed to cause an impression when the Davis/ Hendry dynasty were ruling the roost. Bob was and still is a fine player and his greatest accomplishment was to beat Alex Higgins in his last major final in 1990, winning 10-8 in the British Open. Higgins may have been at the end of his career but he had only just won the Irish Masters the previous year, beating Stephen Hendry, a triumph he achieved despite having broken his leg! Bob also had two more victory strings to his bow, winning the World Cup with Canada in 1990 and the Canadian Snooker Championship in 1981, defeating Carey Lorraine in Ottawa. He also reached the quarter-final stage of the 1987 Grand Prix

Many within and outside the world of snooker regard Ronnie O’Sullivan as a genius. I, personally see him as a gifted player but unfortunately he has a very loose tongue. I was spurred on to write this blog after reading a newspaper interview with Ronnie today, the contents infuriated me and so I felt I needed to put my words down on electronic paper. In the article, Ronnie exclusively speaks to Jeremy Wilson, a journalist from the Telegraph. Not content with having a general conversation, O’Sullivan launches into a “seismic” attack of World Snooker, his treatment and how he wishes to play in less tournaments, including a refusal to compete in the UK Championship, Masters and World Championship, the “Triple Crown” tournaments of snooker. I understand that Ronnie suffers from mental health problems and can empathise as my Mother had Bi Polar. It is true that like Ding Junhui, Ronnie’s life is constantly put under the media microscope and he is expected to win every tournament he enters.

Snooker always remembers its greats and one such player is David Taylor. Taylor instantly recognisable for his prematurely grey hair. Despite having  a promising start in the sport, winning  the  World and English Amateur Championships in 1968, David’s transition to the professional circuit was less successful. Taylor could be described as a “nearly man”, never quite reaching his true potential in snooker. Like so many players in the 1970s and 80s, he struggled with the game at the professional level and reached three career finals and lost them all, the UK Championship in 1978, the Yamaha Organs Trophy in 1981 and the 1982 Jameson International. His only career win was the 1981 State Express Team Classic in which he teamed up with Steve Davis to raise the trophy for England. David was a charismatic player who never gave up despite the chips being down and continued to chip into the latter stages of tournaments well into the mid 1980s. His most memorable win was the World Championshi

As a prequel to the start of the start of the snooker in June, players are currently gathering at the Q School for a chance to play on the main tour. Based this year at the Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan, the Q School prides itself on being an inclusive establishment allowing both men from around the world to come and compete for the few places that now exist within the 127 positions First founded in 2011, the school is made of amateur players, current amateurs and former professional that have fallen off the main tour due to insufficient ranking points. It was first created with s purpose to attempt to streamline the qualification process for the World Snooker Tour. A series of play-offs are run every year before the season. Players pay a fixed entry fee to enter the play-off events and there is so no prize money. Each player that wins a quarter final game qualifies for a two-year tour card on the Main tour. Players such as Michael Georgiou, Joe Swail, Duane Jones and Lukas Klec

Patsy Fagan, a former professional player, is probably one of the best known faces of snooker in the late 1970s. His rise to fame came in 1977 when he defeated Doug Mountjoy, 12-9, at the first UK Championship in Blackpool. Fagan was part of a rat pack of the era, playing at the same time as Alex Higgins in his pomp. Ironically this was Patsy’s one and only professional title and the time the UK Championship was in its infancy and not even a ranking title. Film footage shows a twenty something Fagan presented the trophy by the snooker statesman, Joe Davis and Patsy was touted as a future World Champion but unfortunately this was never to be. Fagan became plagued by something called the “yips” a fear of using the rest in a match when required and this sadly spread into and affected his form and performance in snooker. The rest is obviously a crucial piece of table equipment and many players over the years have been reluctant to use it, as they feel it constrains the shot and increases

On a recent visit to watch the Seniors at the Crucible, I came across an exhibition in the foyer of an ingenious snooker contraption called the "Q Board “. Designed to be used at home, the folding board is compact and its main purpose is to help players achieve a perfect straight cue action. Measuring only 8 feet long by 1 foot wide, the table mimics the snooker environment, using a cue platform over baize. The cue is then placed on the platform and the player places the cue ball on the table's line to pot the ball into the pocket at the other end of the table. Supplied additionally with a red and black ball and a fold down chalk holder, this really is an innovative way of improving your cue action especially if you having problems sighting and aiming when taking a shot. This board would suit someone who has little time to go and practice in a club and makes the experience greatly improve when they next do. the main downfall of any player, amateur or professional is their s

One of the greatest and nicest players in our sport is Willie Thorne. This lad from Leicester is probably one of the most gifted players that the sport has ever seen and someone who I consider to be a good friend of mine. Despite having having a busy lifestyle, he had always been there for me and I can always pick up my phone and message him when I need advice or just want to have a conversation about snooker. Now living in Spain, WT as we fondly call him, concentrates his time on golf and flies back for the Seniors tour and the Welsh Open. I first started talking to Willie several years ago and was at first in awe of him but now just realise he is just a person with an exceptional talent. Thorne was a gifted player from the offing, becoming an under-16 champion in 1970 and had a game that thrived on break building, century breaks and multiple 147s in practice. He graced our sport in what was considered by many as the golden era of snooker, when audience figures went through the roof

As the 1970s ground to a conclusion, so the dawn of the 1980s emerged with a promise of new things to come. In snooker the old snooker guard were moving to exit door, stage left and a new breed of snooker player came onto the scene. One such player was Steve Davis. Davis , a lanky lad from Romford, had been the talk of town for a few years. He regularly beat all that dared challenge him in his local club and took a clinical approach to the game, the desire to win. Inspired by his father at an early age, he fell in love with snooker when his Dad took him to the club on a Sunday afternoon and watched him play. Davis was the archetypal amateur who had little clue how to manage his talent and relied ok the early days on family support to progress. However in 1982,Steve was under new management, under the wing of the entrepreneur and businessman, Barry Hearn. Hearn had spotted Davis in his local snooker club and saw his immediate potential as a World class player. Remoulding his image, Ba

The world of snooker always remembers its best and one of these is Jack Karnehm. Karnehm, a former professional player and BBC commentator knew the game inside out and was a regular in the commentary box for Triple Crown tournaments during the 1970s and 80s. Jack was a prolific billiards player and won the English Amateur in 1969 and the UK Billiards Championship in 1980. Simultaneous to this, he turned professional as a snooker player in 1971 but his career as a player was less fruitful, his only memorable result being a 4-5 loss to Chris Ross in the 1977 UK Championship. In the later years of his baize career and afterwards, Jack started to turn his attention towards the analytical side of snooker, Picking up a microphone, he joined Ted Lowe, John Virgo and others to pontificate on match analysis. His reign in the box saw him witness some of the true classic matches, Reardon, Higgins, Thorburn and Taylor to name but just a few. These were matched and tournament wins that any fan wo

Dylan Smith is not a widely recognised name outside the social circles of snooker but within the snooker clubs and social media sites, his name is one that resonates. The 11 year old, rising star from Kent is following in the footsteps of another leading light, Ben Sizer, a multiple Kent champion. Dylan from Tunbridge Wells, embarked on a tour of junior events last year and managed to come runner up. Very impressive for a competition that is open to any player up to the age of 21. Smith has made a great start, compiling a highest break of 30 and has competed against snooker greats such as Jimmy White and Mark King. Dylan has also spent time at the Crucible and the Star Academy in Sheffield and has been able to practice on a professional Star/Strachan table thanks to a generous donation by John Higgins and has been working with my friend Alan Trigg to improve his game. Trigg has praised Smith saying "Having coached thousands of juniors and hundreds of professional players alike ove

One of the bastions of snooker is the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds. Opened in 1974, this building recently celebrated 40 years and has hosted some of the greatest matches and players in snooker history. Situated on Kirkstall Road, this building has hosted the greats of the sport including Ray Reardon, Alex Higgins, Jimmy White, Steve Davis, Paul Hunter and most recently Ronnie O’Sullivan. Owned by the Williamson family and currently managed by Chris Williamson, this centre has flourished in recent years whilst other clubs in the surrounding area have closed down. The ‘Northern’ has managed to survive, primarily because it offers a range of cue sports and coaching at reasonable prices. Due to its unique facilities, many amateur and professional players flock here to practice and I would even dub it as a “snooker factory” improving the skills of current players and moulding future youth protégés.The centre has hosted men’s and ladies’ tournaments, including the Women’s World Champi

Clive Everton has one one of the most recognised voices in snooker commentary. His silky, dulcet tones have graced our television screens for over 40 years, guiding us through the joy and tragedy of epic snooker matches. Working aside greats such as Ted Lowe, Ray Edmond, Jack Karnehm,John Pullman, John Spencer, Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, Everton has used his vast knowledge of the green baize to enable the viewing audience to be enthralled and inspired by snooker. The former professional billiards and snooker player has worked for the BBC, Sky and currently is employed as a commentator on ITV snooker coverage. Now 81, Everton still treats us to the same microphone panache that he did when he first started in 1978. Welsh born Clive began his career in radio and later moved to the BBC to commentate on snooker. This partnership lasted until 2009 when he was famously sacked and replaced with Stephen Hendry.It is thought that Everton lost his job as a result of attacking World Snooker b

In the early days of snooker history when the sport was a game and not well recognised beyond closed doors, billiards and snooker had a home in central London. Thurston’s Hall or the Leicester Square Hall as it became known after it was bombed during World War Two From its opening in 1901 until closure in 1955, The largest of all the venues, the hall could seat approximately 250 people and was the Crucible of its day, hosting 12 World Championship finals between 1930 and 1953. All the greats came here to play including Joe and Fred Davis and Ted Lowe first got involved in snooker here. Players such as Jackie Rea, Walter Donaldson and Sidney Smith, no longer well recognised names, all competed in this hive of cue activity and despite much of the equipment and fittings being destroyed by a bomb blast, the hall rose from the ashes and was rebuilt. Snooker was s hybrid at this time, a combination with billiards and was not seen as a major game, classed instead as a pastime that was large

In 1981, the Crucible was still barren of a 147 and the audience were craving for the day for it to happen. The only sniff of a 147 had come in 1979 when the Canadian, Bill Werbeniuk had scored a 142, a treat for snooker fans but the glorious goal that all viewers wanted to see. Several years later, Doug Mountjoy was playing Reardon at Sheffield and the chance cams again for the former miner from South Wales. Mountjoy, a protégée of the great coach, Frank Callan, was walking on the crest of a wave this year and on his great run to the final, he came across the Welsh great, six times World Champion, Reardon. Reardon was hungry for another title but Mountjoy was keen to keep the former miner and policeman at bay. Great friends off the table, the two Celts reversed to snooker warriors ok the baize. The lad from Glamorgan had his chance in this match to achieve the ultimate dream and it is a clip that is regularly viewed still on social media. Doug was one of the Welsh greats and like Re

When you think of snooker qualifying venues, one of the most iconic was the Norbrek Castle Hotel in Blackpool.Snooker first moved here when the game started to open up.Taking place several months before the World Championship in January, players travelled to Blackpool to find out their snooker fates in often boiling or freezing conditions to play on one of the 20 tables that Norbrek housed. Coming here was boom or bust for a player as they confined to the constrained cubicle set up that no professional wishes to have to experience with an audience view that resembled chess pieces on a board. This was not a place for the faint hearted and preyed on the addicted, making and destroying many a player’s career. When I first started watching snooker, there were many great players nearing their time professionally and so their only way of ever seeing the Crucible stage again was to battle it out at Norbrek. Played in the hotel’s Norcalympia Room, players had to play 11 matches to get their

Ding Junhui is the greatest snooker export that China has ever produced but unfortunately he doesn’t do what it says on the tin, win. Much has been said and written about this Chinese player from Wuxi about his talent and genuine flair on the table yet when it comes to reality, Ding can’t consistently win. The famous scene of him breaking down during a match with Ronnie is a picture that seems to have haunted his career ever since. Don’t get me wrong, he has won multiple career trophies but when he now takes part in tournaments, part of him is missing. Ding lacks belief and without that you are doomed in this sport.Belief is the very cog spring to any player’s game and controls the attitude, demeanour and winning streak that he/she displays in a match situation. Ding’s negative body language and frustration, is easily picked up by his opponent and can be quickly punished on the baize. Ding needs to take a leaf out of Judd’s book. Both players are gifted yet Trump has found his mojo.

So the snooker season has drawn to a close for another year and what a season it has been. With a multitude of winners in the 2018-19 calendar, it seemed certain towards the end that Ronnie would rule the roost after a late surge. However snooker never a game of certainties and the O” Sullivan ground to a halt when a certain James Cahill caused O’Sullivan to career off track with a massive defeat puncture. The standard of snooker has spiralled in recent years with players of all rankings causing surprises. The reason is probably a set regime of practice and more tournaments. Unlike years gone by, players are dedicated to the sport and deviate until the season is over. With Barry Hearn steering the ship, snooker is in a good place and global audiences continue to grow, further expansion is needed but the seeds have been planted in countries far and wide with television coverage in a multitude of languages.Player streaming has allowed the viewer to watch snooker on the go and the marke

Here cometh the man! Last night snooker audiences witnessed what can be described as one of the greatest snooker finals of all time. The once “Doubting Thomas” of this sport was reborn and became the Goliath of the baize. As a blogger I would run out of superlatives to describe Judd’s performance and so will stick to one, mesmerising. After a differing season, Trump has put silence to his critics and finally shown them the true genius of his match play. This 29 year old from Bristol, who first started playing at a very early age, has always been tipped from greatness but has had to work hard to work hard to achieve his ultimate goal. Now part of the elite Triple Crown club, Judd showed over the two day final that he can maintain his game under pressure and has ironed out the school boy errors of his game. Trump’s success lies in his strong support network, citing his brother, parents and manager as the reasoning behind this wind of change. Unlike 2011, when Judd first met John Higgin