Introduction
I always get excited when I hear about a new snooker venture, so I was pleased to support opening a new snooker club, the Hertford Snooker Club, formerly The Castle Snooker Club. Tucked away in a beautiful side street of this leafy Hertfordshire town, this snooker gem was bought in a co-business partnership between snooker professionals Alfie Burden and Hammad Miah. Walking in from the picturesque Honey Lane, snooker lovers walk up a flight of stairs to an upper room that has a bar and three snooker tables, including a Star table and several pool tables. With reasonably priced drinks and one of Alfie’s delicious cheese toasties or burgers and chips, if you get hungry, this club has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. A members club that I highly recommend with a £20 membership fee.
The Opening Night
What better way to open a club on a Friday night than an exhibition with Jimmy White? The night saw the Whirlwind attain several century breaks against his opponents. Frames included ones against Patsy Fagan, Alfie Burden, Hammad Miah and the sensational 11-year-old Emilio Bassili, a star of the future and someone Jimmy took aside after their frame and praised his performance. He was a young lad his dad John and coach Don Watson should be very proud of, and he echoed with a ringing round of applause when he left the table. It was great to spend time with Alfie Burden, who I have known for several years, Don Watson, Andrew Barrett and, of course, my dear friend Colin Gross, the son of Ron Gross, who owned the legendary Neasden Snooker Club and Colin as ever provided a barnstorming performance in his MC role. With generous contributions for the raffle tickets, the night provided a chance to win a bottle of champagne signed by Jimmy White, a frame against him and an interval where fans could purchase Whirlwind memorabilia, have bought or personal items signed and a picture with this snooker legend.
This club is in good hands and has already started tongues wagging inside and outside the snooker community. With its slogan of being the best snooker club in Hertfordshire, it is a credit to Alfie, Hammad, and all the other people behind the scenes who put in 18 months of hard graft to make this project successful. This snooker club is open seven days a week and is always valuable for late games of cue sports as it doesn’t close until 1 a.m. It is a brilliant club with bags of potential, and I applaud it and the team, knowing it will go on from strength to strength.
