A Piece of Cake

By Elliott West

“Within a year of going there on a regular basis I was by far and away the best player at Osbourne’s, taking over from Brian Cakebread, the guy who had previously had that mantle, and who was an excellent player. Brian was very good to me. He became my coach in those early days and there’s no doubt I owe a lot to him”.

Willie Thorne

Introduction

Brian Cakebread was a snooker player who helped Willie Thorne become the player that he turned out to be. Someone who you find in Osbourne’s Snooker Club in Leicester, Brian was a regular here and later in the Willie Thorne Snooker Club. A regular century break player, Cakebread became Thorne’s regular practice partner and within a year, Willie became the best player in Leicester and subsequently the best in the Midlands. It was down to Brian and Osbourne’s that WT improved.

The Man Himself

Brian Cakebread was described by his peers as a stunningly good player. Leicester at the time was a hotbed for snooker and Brian, born in 1939 and from Morely, Leeds, first emerged in amateur events in the early 1970s, playing in Pro-Ams and pro-ticket events around Leicester. He once beat Jimmy White at the Pontins Open in Prestatyn. Regularly seen with another player of the time, John Dunning, the two were part of the team that won the All England CIU Team Championship twice.

Brian had moved to Leicester at the start of the 1970s and made his living by doing a window cleaning round but the magnetic attraction of Osbourne’s quickly lured him into play and he quickly became the best player in the club. Reef Berry, a good friend of Cakebread’s, remembers the first time Brian walked into the club and how they were soon both playing off levels for money but Reef quickly realised that Brian was a considerably better player and had to resort to giving him a seven start.

Brian turned professional in 1974 but couldn’t make it pay, despite playing exhibitions around Leicester and soon became an amateur again. A compulsive gambler, Willie Thorne describes in his autobiography the extent he would go to fuel his addiction :

“Brian was a compulsive gambler. He’d get up in the morning and would be betting on dogs between 11am and 1pm, then he would be in the bookies during the afternoon until about 6pm before switching to the dogs again. After that little lot he might move on to the casino and continue gambling there. In between all of this he would find time to practice with me, and that’s what his day consisted of”.

Willie Thorne

Brian made two further attempts to become a professional between 1985-1988 and 1992 but couldn’t create inroads on the tour and so turned to coaching instead. An unassuming man, he would often be seen playing poker or a game of kalooki, a generous person who would help out struggling players with money such as the former professional snooker player, Joe Joggia. A teetotaller, he would rarely be seen eating anything apart from a Kit Kat. His friend Wreef, recalled that his favourite saying when he ran out of position on the table was “Just one more cornflake”.

Brian passed away in 2009, a funeral where his passing was celebrated by the music of the Salvation Army. Attended by a tearful Shaun Murphy and Willie Thorne, the funeral was organised by his good friend Wreef and even had a surprise visit from his daughter from Australia. His cue was taken by his daughter back to Australia and is now owned by his proud Grandson Luke.