By Elliott West
“Very Sad to see Pontins close this week, I won the Pontins Autumn Open in 1988 and it was a massive turning point in my career, played my last match as a pro player there too, and not the way I wanted it to end, showing my age, lol”.
Jason Ferguson
Introduction
Pontins used to be the bread and butter of every professional snooker player. The Spring and Autumn festivals, exhibitions, tournaments, World pro-ams, PIOS, qualifiers and night-time flyers were the talk of the town and if you could bear the bracing chalets, swooping seagulls and the rather unusual smell from the laundrette wafting out to the practice tables, then you were on to a winner. It was like attending a religious pilgrimage minus the mod cons. Sadly Pontins recently announced that it is going to close its sites at Camber Sands and Prestatyn with immediate effect. A decision that has sent a shockwave amongst the snooker community.
Making a Living
Unlike the wealth of tournaments that the snooker calendar boasts today with 20-plus events in the season, snooker players of old had 10 or fewer tournaments in the season. This meant that the likes of Ray Reardon, John Pulman and Wilson right up to those who played in the 1980s and 1990s, had to find other avenues to to earn some extra money. The answer was to pile a couple of your fellow players in a car drive hundreds of miles to a holiday camp and slug it out for a week or weekend against an army of others who wanted their hands on a wad of notes and a trophy. You would often see Tony Knowles, Tony Meo and Jimmy White sharing a car and a drafty chalet.
The Pontins at Prestatyn have a long association with snooker, dating to 1974. The Pontins Professional that year was won by Ray Reardon after beating John Spencer 10-9 in the final. The event at Pontins, Camber Sands began in 1980 with Alex Higgins defeating Dennis Taylor 9-7 in the final. These events began as Spring Festivals in the first two years and then became Spring and Autumn Opens. They also had PIOS and pro-ams at Prestatyn in later years with all but a few taking place at Prestatyn. There was also the IBSF World Grand Prix and the Under 19 European Championship. The PIOS in 2010 was the last event to be held at Prestatyn with Jack Lisowski beating Justin Astley 6-1 in the final. Whether it was at Brean Sands, Camber Sands or Prestatyn, all locations bring fond memories for those who spent time. The prize money wasn’t millions but you were guaranteed in the region of £1,000 to £2,000 if you won it. Pocket money but much needed if you were struggling to make ends meet.
The Occasion
The final stages of these events were said to be special. Held downstairs, you had a massive balcony of faces looking down at you. When not playing, you would find those who came to Prestatyn in the bar or on the numerous 5-pence fruit machines. You would leave this Welsh wonder, heartbroken, penniless or the champion. It wasn’t The Ritz but Pontins produced many happy memories. A place where new friends were made and a number of snooker battles fought out. A holiday camp that has been there for more than 50 years and has so many snooker tales to tell. The food wasn’t great and the beer was often flat and overpriced. A place where the film Holiday on the Buses was filmed in 1973 with Reg Varney. You can almost hear Blakey saying now “I’ve got you this time Butler!”.
