Snooker

[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

It's so great having all these snooker tournaments on every week!

[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

Great snooker on the TV at this time of year (where in January, I refer to sport on TV as the Bulls, Balls, and Bowls season - darts, snooker and bowls of course).

[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

I watched the World Snooker Final on Monday night and something had occurred to me, and I assume you can understand where I am going with this - Lyndon B Johnson wasn't President of the United States when Joe Johnson won; Woodrow Wilson was never in the White House when Kyren, Gary or any other Wilson might have won; Jimmy Carter's stint as President wouldn't have been at the same time as Ali Carter etc...

In a nutshell, is this the first time that a snooker player who has the same surname as an incumbent American President has won the World Snooker Championship?

[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

I didn't know that Sid James played snooker.

[Mulletino]

Re: Snooker

Ah the 80s, when snooker was on primetime TV, everyone knew the snooker players and Darts players names.

I remember when my parents bought us a snooker table, it was a scaled down one but still just about fit in the dining room (when we moved the dining table). We'd deliberately try and land shots against one cushion as the only way to play that was with the front half of a screw fit cue due to the wall position.

Still, it was a step up from this which we had in the 70s:





edit: ooops, didn't mean for the image to be that big!

[Zincubus]

Snooker

as a watcher of snooker for over 30 yrs ive seen so many players but one reason players such as ronnie and alex and even jimmy white are treated like gods is because they are controversial in both what they say and do on and off the table.

for instance when alex headbutted ref len ganley and a magic moment when alex won in 1982 holding his baby girl gets me teary thinking of it,and 30 yrs later she visited the crucible which i just loved her doing.

and ronnie going back at least 15 yrs when playing stephen hendry in the uk championship just quit his match with hendry when a few frames behind.

alex and ronnie are crowd pleasers you could say flawed geniuses but bring so much pleasure where ever they play/did play

They are my three favourite players by a mile .. oddly


I’m not criticising people for worshipping celebs ( well maybe those who idolise talentless nonentities like the Kardashians ) ..

I idolise a few footballers , few boxers ,a MotoGP rider , a speedway rider .. it just seems odd when I think about what they ACTUALLY do ...

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[darren]

Re: Snooker

as a watcher of snooker for over 30 yrs ive seen so many players but one reason players such as ronnie and alex and even jimmy white are treated like gods is because they are controversial in both what they say and do on and off the table.

for instance when alex headbutted ref len ganley and a magic moment when alex won in 1982 holding his baby girl gets me teary thinking of it,and 30 yrs later she visited the crucible which i just loved her doing.

and ronnie going back at least 15 yrs when playing stephen hendry in the uk championship just quit his match with hendry when a few frames behind.

alex and ronnie are crowd pleasers you could say flawed geniuses but bring so much pleasure where ever they play/did play

It’s funny how these guys like Alex Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan are treated like gods yet they’re just knocking balls down little holes ..

Same applies to football where I worship Zidane of course ..

It’s not as though these people are saving lives or anything yet they’re held in such high esteem


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[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

Just suggesting it’s kinda odd for us to worship sporting heroes or even actors and singers for basically doing NOTHING ... compared to nurses / doctors / surgeons ..

I understand what you are saying - as I said before, there are doctors, teachers, police etc who make more impact in society with saving lives and making people better, and an average sportsman is probably not much different to a comedian or an actor by virtue that they entertain people and not cure the problems that most people have. I suppose that they represent a sort of Fantasyland that the real world that we live in doesn't tally with - I like being entertained when I watch the TV but on the other hand, they don't really solve the world's problems. When we walk down the street every day, we are most likely to come face to face with someone who is needy, disabled, homeless, etc, rather than meet a star sportsman or pop star - it is a fact.

[Zincubus]

Re: Snooker

One could argue that Nick Faldo and Ernie Els were famous for "knocking balls down little holes" which is also what Golf is also about - but would one regard a goal net as a hole?

Just suggesting it’s kinda odd for us to worship sporting heroes or even actors and singers for basically doing NOTHING ... compared to nurses / doctors / surgeons ..


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[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

It’s funny how these guys like Alex Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan are treated like gods yet they’re just knocking balls down little holes ..

One could argue that Nick Faldo and Ernie Els were famous for "knocking balls down little holes" which is also what Golf is also about - but would one regard a goal net as a hole?

[George 1978]

Re: Snooker

"ey up, me duck" sounds more Northern, like something someone on Coronation Street would say.

I heard Betty Turpin / Williams use the word "duck" when serving hot pots in Corrie, but I assumed that Betty Driver came from Leicestershire originally.

Nottingham feels more northern because of the protests of pit closures and Scargill supporters throughout the 1980s which makes it feel identical to South Yorkshire and places like that - ironically, some of them were snooker fans due to the snooker clubs set up.

(I almost thought that my post from earlier on had been deleted because I didn't realise the flurry of posts since I made it on the other page!)

[Moonraker]

Re: Snooker

The 1980s were a fantastic time for snooker. The players had so much character. I don't watch much of it now as it does not appeal to me as it did.

Reading other comments, no one seems to have mentioned the 'black ball' game. The 1985 world championship final at Sheffield when Denis Taylor played Steve Davis. That final frame has always stayed in my memory.

I always use love the manner in which Alex Higgins would arrive at the table and begin removing his tie in front of the referee.

[Zincubus]

Re: Snooker

It’s funny how these guys like Alex Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan are treated like gods yet they’re just knocking balls down little holes ..

Same applies to football where I worship Zidane of course ..

It’s not as though these people are saving lives or anything yet they’re held in such high esteem


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[Richard1978]

Re: Snooker

I remember when being driven in the school minibus through Cheadle our teacher pointed out where Alex Higgins's house was.

[darren]

Re: Snooker

YEP DAVID TAYLOR HE IS.




THINK HE WAS SAW BY A COMMENTATOR IN A BBC SNOOKER EVENT LAST SEASON IN THE CROWD.

Wasn't that David Taylor? (not Dennis).