BoxRec

At 15, I got a break of 46 and then jawed a blue tyring to get position.

By 16 I was int he pubs and never returned to snooker sufficiently to return to those 'heights'

It still annoys me now that I never made a 50, as over 50 got you on the board of breaks in the club.

I was never brilliant, but I was ok for a while.

states wrote:My best ever break was eerily similar to that Higgins break. But only because my positional play has always been shite, not because it involved length of the table shots and a huge audience. I'll say this though: I was effing knackered after making that 53. More mentally draining than you may imagine is snooker. Christ, I'm happy when I clear a pool table in one visit. Knocking in a clearance on a snooker table is so far beyond me it's untrue.

The only time I cleared a pool table in one visit was when I was mortal, picked up the balls and threw them all around the pub. Cleared the feckin room as well.

DavidPayne wrote:At 15, I got a break of 46 and then jawed a blue tyring to get position.

that's the highest break i've ever got.

on a fornicating 6 by 4 though.

on a full size it's an average 27.

hitman_hatton1 wrote:

harrygreb wrote:brilliant break, i remember a shot by alex where the ball bounced on top of the side of the table and rolled along the wood and ended up in the pocket.

i did one of those once.

took on a long pot and i really blasted it. it rolled along the cushion and went straight in the pocket.

Yeah, I did one of those once too, remember feeling very chuffed.

Best shot I ever played was at my dad's snooker club. White ball tight on the cusion, black ball about 1 foot from the top left baulk corner pocket, absolutely dead straight. Place went deadly silent, and I dropped the black in dead weight stopping the cue ball about 4 inches from the target pocket. Was about 13 at the time and remember feeling embarrassed for some reason.

Highest break was 36 I seem to remember.

so you both did one of those along the top of the cush shots?
the only difference is - alex meant to play it like that

seriously though, before i was married to her my wife and i were playing pool in a pub in the new cross/lewisham area. the room was so small that the management had provided a half size cue for shots close to the baulk end and where the cue had to be held at a ridiculous angle up in the air just to play a shot. she had never played pool before and is very near sighted (she's as blind as a bat, the old girl). however, she was tight on the cushion, cue almost verticle and i'm sure she was looking out the window when she whacked the cue ball straight at the blue and it flew like a missile into the corner pocket - totally amazing. the next shot wasnt quite as good though

Goz wrote:I've had enough of the arrogant little prick, he really doesn't deserve the ability he's got.

I totally agree.

Nothing will happen to him, beause all the people involved in snooker are so far up his arse, and don't want to risk offending Ronnie's fans.

This guys always been a shit-head.... But a lot of people just can't see it. If you look at the BBC website in the post your own opinions bit, it's all Ronnie fans who slag off anybody else who plays who have the gall not to be him.

My highest break was (still is) 48, got there twice potting 6 reds and 6 blacks so I can say I was on a 147!

Actually got to 48 another couple of times too when I was playing regularly, became a real barrier for me.

Never had the nerve for snooker though, I have a shitty temper when I'm playing badly and also every time I got over 30/40 on a break starting shitting myself, so even I had been any good I never had the temprement and that is 75% of it.

I saw players you would never have heard of who were well known on the club circuit but were complete chokers when it came to Pro-Am's or qualifiers.

Remember one guy I used to practice with, Kieren, made 147's like I smoked ciggarettes, when I say practice with him this amounted to me getting the balls out of pockets for him. However when it came to tournaments, forget it, he would start badly and by the end of match be missing balls that I would be embarrassed to miss.

That's what I like about snooker. When the pressure is on you see the top guys missing balls that you know they could pot (seriously) with their eyes closed, it is remarkable sometimes...

Goz wrote:My highest break was (still is) 48, got there twice potting 6 reds and 6 blacks so I can say I was on a 147!

Actually got to 48 another couple of times too when I was playing regularly, became a real barrier for me.

Never had the nerve for snooker though, I have a shitty temper when I'm playing badly and also every time I got over 30/40 on a break starting shitting myself, so even I had been any good I never had the temprement and that is 75% of it.

I saw players you would never have heard of who were well known on the club circuit but were complete chokers when it came to Pro-Am's or qualifiers.

Remember one guy I used to practice with, Kieren, made 147's like I smoked ciggarettes, when I say practice with him this amounted to me getting the balls out of pockets for him. However when it came to tournaments, forget it, he would start badly and by the end of match be missing balls that I would be embarrassed to miss.

That's what I like about snooker. When the pressure is on you see the top guys missing balls that you know they could pot (seriously) with their eyes closed, it is remarkable sometimes...

Goz, I know exactly where you are coming from mate.

I had a 77 at 14 and people in the hall were kissing my ass. But i was nothing special by any stretch.

I used to watch a pro called Joe' O' Boye who would be younger than Jimmy White now. He had the tactical and positional play of Davis and the potting ability and touch of White. He did nothing as a pro and basically is the Graham Brett of snooker, loads of ability but a quench for drink and a fight. (sorry graham, but you know im telling the truth) Joe is now settled down and a dustman for Barnet council, living in Crouch End. He could have been Hendry Reardon Davis calibre.

Another one was Mark Mead from Balham who would make a 138 with his eyes shut, he was only a club player. As soon as you played him for £3 he couldnt pot a fornicating ball.

In a way, Tony Meo was the same, in the hall you would think that he would slaughter Davis White Reardon Higgins et al. But he was so mean he couldnt play for money.

He would rather be skinned alive than buy you a cup of tea. And when the pressure was on, he pissed himself.

I love the game though. Its like Boxing insofar as there is NO hiding place.

KO Artist wrote:[

In a way, Tony Meo was the same, in the hall you would think that he would slaughter Davis White Reardon Higgins et al. But he was so mean he couldnt play for money.

He would rather be skinned alive than buy you a cup of tea. And when the pressure was on, he pissed himself.

I love the game though. Its like Boxing insofar as there is NO hiding place.

Remember when he won the British open, beating Dean Reynolds - must have been around 1988/1989. I thought he was going to have a massive future and sort of rival the likes of Parrott and Hendry. He then just dissapeared.

Of course, probably more well known for featuring in "Snooker Loopy" - Old Chas and Dave made a reference to his choking in big matches - but he didn't vs Reynolds - he looked the bee knees.

KO Artist wrote:

Goz wrote:
Goz, I know exactly where you are coming from mate.

I had a 77 at 14 and people in the hall were kissing my ass. But i was nothing special by any stretch.

I used to watch a pro called Joe' O' Boye who would be younger than Jimmy White now. He had the tactical and positional play of Davis and the potting ability and touch of White. He did nothing as a pro and basically is the Graham Brett of snooker, loads of ability but a quench for drink and a fight. (sorry graham, but you know im telling the truth) Joe is now settled down and a dustman for Barnet council, living in Crouch End. He could have been Hendry Reardon Davis calibre.

Another one was Mark Mead from Balham who would make a 138 with his eyes shut, he was only a club player. As soon as you played him for £3 he couldnt pot a effing ball.

In a way, Tony Meo was the same, in the hall you would think that he would slaughter Davis White Reardon Higgins et al. But he was so mean he couldnt play for money.

He would rather be skinned alive than buy you a cup of tea. And when the pressure was on, he pissed himself.

I love the game though. Its like Boxing insofar as there is NO hiding place.

The name Joe O'Boye does ring a bell. If he is from the Crouch End sort of area I used to knock around many of the clubs round there, The Hustler in Crouch End, Nags Head in Holloway, Kings Cross (where Ebdon used to practice at one point) and Archway which was my main club.

I also got barred from most snooker clubs in london but that's another story.

Great sport though and this thread has really made me fancy a game, not picked up a cue in anger in years though, still quite handy at pool....

My mate had the first ever YTS (remember them) for playing snooker - i.e he got payed for playing snooker.

Naturally gifted player who was stomping all over the local league scene in his young teens. He had huge ability, but was fragile up stairs. He also didn't/couldn't dedicate himself to the game when it came to his late teens.

He knocked in a 147 against me once, and it was a joy to watch - He hasn't touched a cue for years now, and he works asa delivery driver.

He doesnt convince me when he says he didnt waste his talent.

Twinkle Toes wrote:My mate had the first ever YTS (remember them) for playing snooker - i.e he got payed for playing snooker.

Naturally gifted player who was stomping all over the local league scene in his young teens. He had huge ability, but was fragile up stairs. He also didn't/couldn't dedicate himself to the game when it came to his late teens.

He knocked in a 147 against me once, and it was a joy to watch - He hasn't touched a cue for years now, and he works asa delivery driver.

He doesnt convince me when he says he didnt waste his talent.

flaming hell.

anyone that can do a 147 is a serious player.

definitely a waste of talent.

Goz wrote:That's what I like about snooker. When the pressure is on you see the top guys missing balls that you know they could pot (seriously) with their eyes closed, it is remarkable sometimes...

yeah.

must be a serious tester of ya bottle.

all those people watching in the hall and millions on tv.

1 mistake and the other guy could come in and clear up.

gotta love it.

bring on the masters.