Snooker without cigarette advertising: well, it's not the same is it?
Do you remember Alex Higgins chain smoking his way from the sidelines in the early 80s - the golden era of snooker? I was hooked on snooker back in the day. I had an older brother who used to host tournaments for the local boys in our garage.
Even for sport-neutral me, it was an exciting time. Ghoulish Ray Reardon - the Welsh hope, Terry Griffiths, Steve 'boring' Davies, and little, squeaky Alex Higgins. My brother and his pals took their tournaments seriously - they used to club together to buy a trophy from the engravers in town. All properly executed, I remember Jason Thomas winning one year. Jason - the year he won, wore a waistcoat and dicky bow for posterity. One polaroid picture shows his chest puffed out, waving the trophy proudly.
The next year a tall boy won. I can't remember his name now, but I recall he died in his teens in a car accident in Ireland.
Ah, of course, these tournaments didn't last forever, and neither did the golden age of snooker. The enthusiasm ripping through the grey, pebble-dashed ex-council houses was directly linked to the fanfare around the players of the time, and when they gradually faded away, then then so did the tournaments - and it was back to the wickets and bats...
Reading through my 1980 diary, it's become clear to me that even I loved snooker. I watched in bed on a black and white TV, I was that much of a fan.
ReplyDeleteI love playing it, though I prefer pool. It's quicker and flashier and makes me feel like Tom Cruise in The Hustler.
Heh, I wonder how many other people watched on black and White teles?
ReplyDeleteStill, with Dennis Taylor's glasses frames, who needs colour?
I've never really got pool. My Mum thought it was common.