By Elliott West
“This is where Steve Davis started his career and lots of other players have played here over the years. Mark King, whose a Romford boy, has played here”.
Richard Willis, current owner of the Romford Snooker Club.
Introduction
Snooker is a sport that has sowed its seed in many parts of the world but none more so than on the terra firma of the British landscape. One such place that was pivotal in the history of the game, has to be Romford in Essex. Here the Romford Snooker Club has been a staple part of the local residents’ entertainment diet since the 1920s and it was here that Barry Hearn first set up an office under the smoke-filled snooker hall. Hearn, a man from working-class roots, born on a Dagenham council estate, would use this office to build his Matchroom empire.
In the process, Barry would come across a shy and lanky teenager, who darted between the snooker tables and the Space Invaders machine. He was of course Steve Davis and this raw talent who literally beat everyone he played including the table itself if that was possible. He came to the club regularly with his dad Bill, who first introduced him to the game with Steve saying that his father loved snooker more than him. Bill was his cornerman and coach for most of his early career and they literally inseparable, having a very close bond.
The Forbidden Place
Situated in Arcade Place, Romford, the Romford Snooker Club is a place that was once somewhere where your parents told you not to go to. In fact, this was the case of all snooker clubs that in the 1970s and early 1980s had an unsavoury reputation, a place where the strays of society hung out and children hid to bunk off school. If your parents caught you in one of these establishments, you were usually quickly found and dragged out the door kicking and screaming but the lure of this mysterious place, often brought you back, just to experience the raw talent that was on display amongst the chatter of those there and the clink of empty beer glasses being collected.
Referred to by Steve Davis as his “spiritual home”, Davis would make a two-hour journey from his home to play in the Romford Snooker Club three times a week and it was largely due to his success that the club can now be cited as one of the most famous snooker clubs in the world. It was here that camera crews set up to film parts of the very successful hit, Snooker Loopy.
A Bright Future
Despite the introduction of the smoking ban, the club has managed to survive this and the recent Coronavirus lockdowns with a steady flow of all age ranges still visiting the club on a regular basis. Richard Willis, a proud, local Romford lad himself, purchased the club in 1989 and is proud to this day of this establishment as he was when he first purchased it all those years ago. Part of a snooker club that has stood in the Romford community for over 80 years and one that has welcomed players such as Joe Johnson, Tony Meo, Jimmy White, Cliff Wilson and Mark King over the years. Romford Snooker Club can be very proud of its snooker heritage and remains a powerhouse of the sport.
