By Elliott West
Introduction
First transmitted on Thames Television in the late 1980s and sponsored by Mecca, the Cockney Snooker Classic was the brainchild of Barry Hearn and could be seen as ITV’s answer to Pot Black. Showcasing professional players of the time such as Allison Fisher, Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor, the programme pitched these sportsmen against snooker’s newcomers, Chris Carpenter, Brian Cassidy, Amrik Cheema, Peter Delaney, Lee Grant, Martin Grainger, Tony Holdstock, Nicky Lazarus, Paul Lyons, Lee Prickman, Lee Tucker, Steve Ventham, Paul Webb, Peter Ebdon and a 14 year old Ronnie O’Sullivan, to name but a few.
Devised as a one-frame challenge, this programme not only exposes the terrible hairstyles of the time but also that many of the choice of shots, remain enshrined in that era and devoid in the current game. It also opened a debate that still lingers today of whether the pockets were bigger in that era and presented an unfair advantage.
The Tournament
Aired three times a week, The Cockney Snooker Classic was presented by the likes of Tony Francis and Steve Ryder with commentary from John Pulman and referees such as the late Len Ganley and John Smyth. A show that I would describe as a meeting between Chas and Dave and snooker, the programme was accompanied by a cockney jingle theme tune. Using snooker equipment that is no longer seen under a modern snooker table due to the invention of the screw-on butt and extended cue, the players tackled the table with devices that would be more familiar with a fisherman on a riverbank. The show even pitched other famous sportsmen of the time against each other, football’s Paul Gasgoine and Arsenal goalkeeper, John Lukic on one occasion.
The show was attacked at the time for being too staged with multiple intervals in filming to perfect the show. Accused of being a television programme and not a sporting event, it was criticised for being a regional programme as it was only shown on Thames Television and implied that it was a practice ground for Steve Davis’s World Championship campaign. However, despite this criticism, The Cockney Snooker Classic was highly successful with highlights being shown on World of Sport. Steve Davis was paid a substantial fee for lending the event a spurious substance by his very presence. In fact Mecca bookmakers, whose cash investment was well below the market rate set by the WPBSA for tournaments of the time, laid a strong claim for having obtained the bargain of the year.
The programme was a great opportunity for the developing player. A young, 14 year old Ronnie O’Sullivan reached the semi-final of the event, making a 75 break on camera. His school cancelled their cookery class so the video of his break could be shown.
The show also featured a 17 year old Paul Webb from Chiswick Snooker Club who defeated Steve Davis, beating Sean Miodownik, Jason Dunworth and Brian Morgan and Kevin Fortt in the final. He won £2,500 for his efforts and got a chance to double his money by a frame against Steve Davis . Webb won the frame 50-46 and picked up a cheque for £5,000.
The most talked about player was Nicky Lazarus who like Webb defeated Steve Davis. However this happened in an earlier episode in 1985 and he only received £1,000 for his efforts. Lazarus was a fairly good amateur player and probably thought this win would be the springboard for future victories but sadly it didn’t. If you research him on CueTracker, the trail goes cold after six years and he only pops up briefly in the 2016 World Seniors. An upsetting end to such a monumental start.
Summary
The Cockney Snooker Classic is an example of the period. It encapsulates much of what was going on in snooker in the 1980s and seized on the sheer explosive interest that the British public had for the sport at the time, thanks largely to Barry Hearn. It also opened a debate over whether the pockets on the tables of that era, gave the players an unfair advantage. The introduction of the steel block pocket in 1981, was dubbed by Scottish folk as being like ‘pasters’ buckets’, yet many argue that the template of the pocket size has never changed.
The show was however a launchpad for some of the players that have graced the main tour. Peter Ebdon and Ronnie O’Sullivan made their first televised appearance on this show and showcased their early talent as players. The programme now remains in television vaults with the odd clip on You Tube with the only permanent piece of the show serving, being a tie that Barry Hearn wore on the programme, spotted recently on Barry in a picture for a tournament programme.
