by elliott west
Ever wondered what happened to a professional snooker play when they fall off the tour or retire? Some would say they become a coach or commentator but what about those players who are not quite ready to hang up their cue for good? The answer lies in the Seniors Tour, a brainchild of Jason Francis and several former professionals. Forgive me not quoting their names but I don’t want to cite the wrong players. Beginning with a small scale Legends tour, the format has developed over several years and now has funding and is backed by World Snooker. When it first started there were literally a handful of players who actually competed and no live coverage existed of the events. Now the mobile phone company Rokit sponsors the tour and players have been added.
The most exciting announcement came prior to the World Championship when World Snooker announced that an annual four day Seniors event would be held at the Crucible. I attended the very last one day at the Crucible in April and was lucky enough to see my good friend Joe Johnson win the tournament. It was such an emotional event for him to win coming so many years after his classic 1986 World title against Steve Davis. The event in August will build on this success, James Wattana and Joe Swail have been added to the tour, showcasing disability snooker and the winner of the event getting to play current African champion. Willie Thorne is also a great addition to the tour as he has thrown aside his poor eyesight by having eye surgery and now uses a new type of contact lens.
The Seniors tour will again visit Goffs, the legendary locations of Plymouth Pavilions and the iconic St George’s Hall in Liverpool where some of the first snooker and billiards events were held. Using the 50th anniversary of Pot Black to be entwined into the event the tournament will use a one frame format. Mini events will also play in places like Jersey, with the usual legends such as Jimmy White, Joe Johnson, John Parrott, Stephen Hendry, Cliff Thorburn and Dennis Taylor making appearances and John Virgo doing his Master of Ceremonies and commentary spot. This really is an exciting time for the Seniors and shows that snooker can continue when you retire.
Nostalgia is rife in all sports and the Seniors has managed to package and bottle this blast from the past to make a tour that is very special. Such events attract devoted fans but also a new audience who never saw these legends play the first time. They may not be as good as they were but these players still produce flashes of genius and remind us of what truly great players they were. My time at the Crucible was amazing and the hairs on the back of my neck raised as I saw my heroes of snooker play. Long live the Seniors Tour and hopefully I will get to see a few of the events this season.
