I was fortunate to go for the last 4 days in 1982 when Alex Higgins won the trophy, you cant explain the atmosphere in the arena, for all you can hear is the sound of the balls contacting, and the ref.
I envy you trt
I would love to go to the crucible and lakeside for the darts, I need to find friends who are more into the sport. Watching Higgins lift the trophy too is something you can take to the grave. Lucky man!
Peeler,
I actually stayed with him that w/e in his hotel suite in Sheffield and what a weekend it was.
It was like being next to a bomb, and not knowing when it was going to go off if people said the wrong thing, but he had a heart of gold.
I knew him from when he used to come in my pub in Newmarket, as he was a big gambler, & loved horse racing
His wife was sweet as well.
That is incredible. it was always said that he was a man not to be messed with but would always take time to talk to any of his fans. A true man in my book. To be fair to his wife, she would have to be a sweetheart to put up with his ways lol.
Who do you have for the shot of the championship? Im going for McManus just because I think he deserves something!
I have been watching avidly but am currently watching the football match between Brighton and Derby (Derby just gone 1-0 up - yippeeeee) as i have a vested interest in that my beloved Clarets play immediately after and could actually be promoted today. I found it terribly difficult to choose between Ding and Mark Selby so have split stakes on either winning 18-15 @ 16/1. I am keeping in touch and it looks at the moment as if it could be even closer than that.
As regards the mercurial Alex Higgins; i thought he was the best player i had ever seen and was lucky enough to watch him in an exhibition at Nuneaton working men's club (i was stationed nearby) shortly after he won his first title. He was quite amusing and very generous with his time. I also saw him again about 11 years later in my local WMC and, i'm afraid to say, he was rather 'up himself'. He even asked for the balls to be warmed in the pie warmer! It was like meeting two different people.Still, a true legend.
My Mrs just made me chuckle. She looked at me with a straight face and with a Hazel Irvine accent said to me; "Who will be the champion?" "Selby it could well be but could Ding be king?" Then she said (which ruined it because it's on the BBC, "Find out after the break" Bless her!
Not at all tony but she doesn't get much choice as I have to sit through her BGT and Xfactor etc so she is just humouring herself more than me but I do love her...(she's sat next to me reading this so I have to say that) :)
"...for all you can hear is the sound of the balls contacting, and the ref."
Not this year it isn't. I've lost count of the number of occasions the referee has had to admonish an audience member for mobile phone abuse. These people (who I am now convinced are suffering from a mental illness) should simply stay away.
On top of that, yesterday evening the ref had to ask some audience members to turn the volume down on their earpieces. I understand these provide the TV commentary for the event they are watching.
New Judge, i have a theory about those who insist on listening to the inane comments from Messrs Thorne and Virgo (Where's the white going!!) by affixing ear-pieces to their skulls. And it is that they miss their tv so much, that when they are watching a live event, they do all they can to pretend they are watching it in the comfort of their homes.
Ken you are so right that is brilliant and it just goes to show how inactive we have become that we cannot use our own minds to run our own commentary on the match that we are watching in front of us.