Blog
I’ve had my fair share of unusual experiences in the last week or so, some of them good and some of them, well, different! Vikki has been poorly and was forced to spend a few days in bed recovering, leaving me to do all the chores – I’ve been a house husband!
It’s a completely different world to snooker, I’ve been running here, there and everywhere, doing all the cooking and the cleaning. One thing I’ve learned from it all is that I have definitely got it quite easy! Vikki said it could be the making of me in the kitchen – somehow I doubt it!
A few days ago I was best man for the first time. Ady, the groom, has been a very good friend of mine for a long, long time, and I was delighted when he asked me to be his best man as he got married to Jo, and I want to thank him again for giving me the honour. It was a fantastic day, and my speech went down really well – it was both serious and funny, and I got a lot of laughs.
To start off with I wasn’t nervous about it at all. I thought that if I can play snooker in an arena watched by thousands of people who scrutinise my every move, then doing a speech would be a piece of cake. How wrong could I be?
As it got closer and closer to the time, the more worried I got. It was absolutely nerve-wracking. I’d written everything down on cue cards and spent a lot of time practising it. But as soon as I stood up, everything went out of the window. I suppose the difference is that playing snooker in front of all those people is something I do every day, so it is second nature. But standing up in front of a hundred people to deliver a speech is something quite alien to me. Fortunately I got through it and it all went smoothly. At least the bride and groom are still talking to me!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I went to watch some of the World eight-ball pool championships in Blackpool last weekend, mainly to support Gareth Potts and Tom Ford in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, they both went out, Gareth losing the crown he had won for the last two years.
He was really disappointed to lose to his good mate Adam Davis. He said he didn’t play as well as could and that he wasn’t as consistent as he usually is – it is tough to lose when you’re so used to winning, especially when it’s the world title. Tom didn’t really do too much wrong against Mick Hill, a couple of bad breaks proved to be the only difference.
There was plenty to cheer about with young Joe O’Connor winning the junior Masters title. Joe is from Leicester and we have played in the same Thursday pool team, so I have known of his potential for a long time. Winning the Masters is fantastic for him and it shows how much he has improved – he is certainly one to watch for the future.
Phil Harrison won the World title and I’m chuffed for him too. He’s reached the semis a lot but has never managed to go a stage further. He is one of the nicest blokes on the tour and it’s good to see a new face lifting the title.
It was a great atmosphere there – it always is – but I can’t say I wanted to be involved. I know I won the title three years ago, but snooker is my focus, my living, so that’s all I can concentrate on.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was great to see Jimmy White win the six reds tournament in Bangkok at the weekend. Obviously I couldn’t take part because I had the wedding, but I don’t think there was a more popular winner than the Whirlwind. And he had to beat some great players on the way, so full credit to him.
Snooker still needs Jimmy, he’s good for the game and gets the crowds in. You can always tell the difference when he is involved in a tournament. He had a reasonable season, hopefully he will do better when the new campaign starts and qualify for some tournaments. Certainly winning the six reds will do his confidence the world of good.
Jimmy won’t like playing the qualifiers at Prestatyn, none of the players do, it is so hard. He thrives on the big crowds and will want to be back playing at places like Wembley. I know how difficult Prestatyn is as well, and when you look at players like Ken Doherty and Matthew Stevens – top-quality players who have dropped down the rankings – it shows you how quickly things can turn around, and how important it is to do everything you can to stay on top of your game and in that top 16.
