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The snooker

I was actually asked to represent St Andrews University at billiards in the 1970s.

I think it was because I was one of the few people they had ever seen playing billiards in their snooker room! And my uncanny ability to pot the cue ball ...
 
I've completely lost touch with the pro scene and not watched for years.

I was reasonably handy on a 6ft table for snooker and billiards and both full and pub size pool tables.

Full size snooker table, forget it, chuffing hopeless. The earlier comment regarding the chasmic void between joe bloggs and Sir Pro is very true.
 
Snooker used to be twice a month for me, which is why I was no good at it.

We would go to Rileys in Derby after a Friday night shift at Toyota, we finished nights early on a Friday so we would be in Rileys for 2am. A bunch of us would be there until around 5-6am Sat morning and used to have some good craic with the local Indian population who used Rileys purely to watch Cricket at some ungodly hour, and us being completely crap at Snooker which they regularly made us aware of!
 
Sign of a misspent youth of course. But a pretty glorious one. Ronnie can weave beautiful patterns across the baize at a rapid pace.
As for today... cmon Stuart.
 
Respect to any PFM members who've made breaks of over 30.

Snooker is extremely difficult to play well - must be at least 10x harder than pool.

I managed a break of 15 once (R-B-R-P-Doh!!).
 
Played occasionally in my yoof and have always liked it, to the extent that I bought a full-sized (old) table in the early 80s which doubled as a dining table (6 x interlocking wooded planks). As I then brewed my own (very good) ale in the cellars, many an unmemorable game was played with my neighbour. Found him asleep under the table one morning and not sure how I got upstairs either. Highly skilled game and nice to watch the professional stuff.
 
Respect to any PFM members who've made breaks of over 30.

Snooker is extremely difficult to play well - must be at least 10x harder than pool.

I managed a break of 15 once (R-
Respect to any PFM members who've made breaks of over 30.

Snooker is extremely difficult to play well - must be at least 10x harder than pool.

I managed a break of 15 once (R-B-R-P-Doh!!).
So how comes you failed to get position on that third red ?
 
Respect to any PFM members who've made breaks of over 30.

Snooker is extremely difficult to play well - must be at least 10x harder than pool.

I managed a break of 15 once (R-B-R-P-Doh!!).

My brother has played since his teens (now in his mid 50’s), he’s had a fair number of 100 breaks, with his highest 120 or over.

Agreed, extremely difficult game, requires lots of dedication/ability.

I think I’d go as far as saying that O’Sullivan is right up there as being one of the greatest ever sportspersons.

Wilson/Bingham final, with Wilson winning, that would be my wish this year.
 
The standard this year is incredibly high and the long potting has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. I used to play a bit when I was younger and can attest to it being a tough game to master. It’s still enjoyable though, even when just playing for leisure. A friend of my was a semi-pro and good friends with Anthony Hamilton. It can be humiliating playing people of this standard but it does help you to improve your game, even if you do get thrashed all the time.

If I’m honest, I have always preferred playing to watching, unless the likes of Alex Higgins, Jimmy White or Ronnie O’Sullivan are (were) playing. I always enjoy the natural Mavericks of the game
 
It's interesting to still see that generation of Higgins, Williams, O'Sullivan etc. still at the very top. Love or hate him you can't not be mesmerised by Ronnie's pure natural ability, win or lose it's worth watching just for the mastery.
 
It's interesting to still see that generation of Higgins, Williams, O'Sullivan etc. still at the very top. Love or hate him you can't not be mesmerised by Ronnie's pure natural ability, win or lose it's worth watching just for the mastery.
Ambidextrous too!
 
Coming back tonight, Selby needs 1 frame Bingham the final 2. Mark doing some mock acting mid frame when he thought all the luck was against him lol. Same score as last year 16 - 14 up, but then Ronnie went into genius mode and beat him 17 - 16. Surely not gonna happen again is it ?. Do it Stu
 
Not heard of players getting a ‘kick’ recently. It used to happen quite frequently. Has something changed? The composition of the balls?
 
A lot of Burtons Tailors shops had snooker halls upstairs. Used to play in my local years back and even managed a 27 break once! Never was much good at it usually.
 


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