A history of snooker part 1

[@monkeh86]

Fred Davis’ longevity was insane when you look back at it. He went pro in the 1920s and one of his final matches was in the early 90s against a young Ronnie O’Sullivan!

[@rogerpattube]

Ay sunk a few balls in his day, 'e did.

[@heliumtrophy]

I have to say, it doesn't matter how many times I've seen it - Alex' "my baby" tears after he's won the 82 final....it's tough trying not to well up watching it.

[@jimdeeds]

I'm Steve Davis and welcome to the story of snooker... You had one job Steve.

[@andrewbutcher3391]

I wrote to John Pullman and asked him for some advice about how to get into the game. He was really helpful, I followed his advice and it gave me years of pleasure and some success. I will always be grateful to him.

[@trek520rider2]

A friend of mine used to be an executive at Slazenger. He once told me he met all the big names in sport at the time, the early 50s, and said they were all full of themselves, huge egos, not nice to be around at all. "There was one exception." he told me. "The snooker player, Joe Davis."

[@patrickcrowther9195]

Seeing the reaction to Steve Davis’ 147 after all these years is a joy. The sheer excitement in the crowd and their beaming faces. The improvement in standards in the following decades has inevitably meant that some of the lustre has been taken off making a maximum. Back in 1982 it was a novelty and they were more innocent times. Times I have to say I miss enormously.

[@964cuplove]

Very fitting that a snooker documentary is multi parts and each part is over an hour :-)

[@Vortigan07]

Wonderful to see Alex's 69 covered here in its entirety! Quite apart from the brilliance of the break, I've always loved that gesture up into the crowd after he completes it. The original genius of the game, the modern day version of which owes him everything. RIP 💮

[@HolyPire]

Dennis Taylor ... those glasses..... legend

[@AlexZander688]

Elton John is impressed.

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

Has he still got them knocking about... need a new pane in one of my windows

[@tonyclough7589]

That Higgins break was absolutely fantastic!! Genius,😈

[@David_in_Thailand]

Ray Reardon wins the best of 75 frames! 5 day final, like test cricket.

[@frankbrodie5168]

To give an idea to people today of how popular snooker was on the TV back in the 80's, that 1st televised 147 from the Davis boy was actually announced along with the headlines on that night's news programmes.

[@adamgrimsley2900]

Nice fact

[@PibrochPonder]

All I know was that my grandpa watched it and he would not let me watch children’s TV or the A Team when it was on!!!

[@andrewbutcher3391]

When you look back now Fred’s achievement playing on into his 60s was fantastic.

[@rherbert57]

A fine tribute to Alex Higgins in this. Such a tragic end.

[@end-game2030]

A documented life, tragic? I say reality of life whilst playing the cards you've been dealt. There will only ever be 1 people champion.

[@jamessimon3433]

Never played snooker, cant wait to give it a shot

[@trytapas]

Love it when cliff comes in to town for the final Every year...I must of watched his 147 on my VHS more than 100 times...werbenek peering around the wall and terry with his ciggy is now folklore..

[@franktuckwell196]

I remember a lot of these matches and recall that comment on tv "For those viewers watching in black and white, the red ball is behind the brown". But its really good to re-see some of these historic matches. Great stuff.

[@ucheucheuche]

1:18:48 What amazing camerawork framed and interacted with the trophy!

[@meruliouslacrimens5154]

Shows the character of the man that is steve davis with that closing remark on dennis taylor winning, "All happened there in black and white". What a great ambassador for the game.

[@wormsnake1]

The 1985 final is snookers equivalent of Liverpool’s Istanbul champions league final. Incredible.x

[@chazinko]

This was awesome - love the passion the players all have for the game. Thank you, all!

[@RobbieSongwriter]

Thank you for this MARVELOUS history of THE GAME! Played a few games of Snooker when I was 13 in our church hall basement (on a great table), but too young to appreciate the game. Only discovered it again when they started showing it on You Tube about 10 years ago, and became an ardent fan. Great fun watching these incredible matches. Very well done!🤗

[@biggc181]

The Davis & taylor final is up there as the greatest final ever tbh. Imagine being there!

[@paulspice720]

Great anthology and thank you for doing this. And for showing that Higgins break in it's entirety. Best ever frame.

[@johnmc3862]

100%.

[@NJJ77]

This isn't the entire history of snooker rather the history of the world championship. I was looking forward to seeing some of the Ooty club in this doco from the title of it 🙁

[@randyattwood]

I grew up in a town of 5,000 in Western Kansas and started learning snooker at age 14 at a snooker hall with three tables. Most small towns in Kansas had a snooker hall. Have no idea how snooker was introduced to Kansas. Snooker later died out as eight-ball took over in bars.

[@davidmellish3295]

We're they proper full size tables ?( 12 ft by 6ft ) as lots of clubs in America use smaller 10ft by 5ft tables

[@randyattwood]

@@davidmellish3295 Smaller ones

[@sneakyfox4651]

Now there's a sport tragedy, if there ever was one, snooker losing to pool.

[@randyattwood]

@@sneakyfox4651 In the winter, after the farmers had repaired all there machinery there wasn't much for them to do so they went to the snooker parlor. God they were great shots. I also sort of remember a game they played I think was called Golf which involved a lot of bad leaves. I don't remember the details but you had to put your number ball in each pocket as you went around the table. Seemed to take forever to play.

[@sneakyfox4651]

@@randyattwood That's a nice tale. I've never stood at a snooker table, but I remember seeing it in glimpses on TV in my childhood, becoming fascinated by all these colourful balls on that big, big table, and then catching up on it again in my adulthood, having watched numerous games for the last 15-20 years.

[@shane-irish]

Interesting

[@scurvy3113]

Just make 9 more handles was a cold line lol.

[@ivanfuksic2118]

25:45 für mich der beste stoß des 20. jahrhunderts.

[@vinnymccabe9269]

Seen this. Fell asleep on the spot 👍

[@normanbell-br7nf]

Alex Higgins was certainly a'worthy' -- I seem to remember him playing one match hopping about with one leg in plaster ! -- Don't think I'm dreamt this up ... ...

[@normanbell-br7nf]

[ I've not I'm ! ]

[@RFED2O]

Still after 40 years,goosebumps everytime with Alex !!

[@jasonsampson1301]

There would be no Sullivan if there was no Higgins or white

[@RFED2O]

@@jasonsampson1301 THERE WOULDN'T BE NO SNOOKER IF THERE WASN'T THE GREAT ALEX !!!!

[@oinkooink]

@@RFED2O There wouldn't be no Alex if there was no snooker

[@johnmc3862]

Great to see Davis give Higgins his proper recognition. 18:06

[@planetx1595]

17:08*

[@samarthur1847]

Great stuff, thank you so much. When Thorburn lost to Davis I believe his wife had just lost a child. As for Joe Johnson, great player and the best commentator imho

[@johnmc3862]

Jack Karnehm, commentator.

[@simonmallett9310]

@@johnmc3862 Him, Ted Lowe & Clive Everton in the 80"s

[@tay2229]

35:02 "Beaten by Steve James in the first round, he sat alone in the Crucible auditorium long after the lights over his table had been switched off." Clive Everton, I feel, is referring to Higgins' career in general at that point rather than just speaking in the literal sense.

[@RalphieMuskinyaar]

I agree. It was a very melancholy end to a career that made millions fall in love with snooker.

[@aloysiussnailchaser272]

Credit is due to David Attenborough. He was responsible for commissioning Pot Black when he was Controller of BBC2. Also Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Old Grey Whistle Test.

[@JesseThehuSnooker]

Nice one🤘

[@michaeljohnson5365]

The Alex Higgins 1982 Worldsv Jimmy break will go as the best break in snooker

[@erniemathews5085]

Pool sharks talked about snooker-"man, that game's hard!" And seeing it, yes, yes it is. But fascinating. What position!

[@michaelmuldowney8]

I think the first 147 by Steve Davis is unique for another reason. He is the only player to make a 147 using two different cues. He played one shot using the half butt and all the others with his own cue.

[@maninchair6648]

I'd forgotten about the half butt! Horrible thing.

[@nickpayne2102]

Good piece of trivia

[@DanceySteveYNWA]

Aka The fishing tackle

[@philperkins6542]

I think 147's are over-rated.I would say that some of THE hardest breaks are clearances that are in the low 100's.These are breaks where a bit of safety has been played and reds are on cushions as well as colours being off their spots etc..

[@nickpayne2102]

Amazing thing about Steve Davis 147 is that most people don't remember and think Thorborn made the first.

[@stevefowler3398]

Yeah, I am one of those Nick. I don't even remember Steve's 147. Ho hum. Age eh......

[@thomaseaves7567]

The story of snooker, but not a single mention of the late Frank Callan, who helped so many of the professional snooker players sharpen up their game, so sad soon forgotten RIP Frank

[@rogerpattube]

They can't mention everyone suppose.

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

I bought the DVD of this and was disappointed at what I thought would be in it, but wasn't.

[@brianmacpherson4913]

This well done, can't believe I only found it now.

[@criticalfxck13]

"Moments later, he punched an official backstage" caught me so offguard I spit

[@HamiltonVanMan]

This is really the history of Snooker on television, more than anything, but it does capture some of those moments very well.

[@Kidraver555]

It is the history of professional snooker.

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

more the history of snooker on television at the crucible (80% of the video is that)

[@diathekedriven]

Wow, what an amazing video this is!

[@kshitizkarki9938]

The downfall of alex higgins was emotional.More than just a player

[@dennisthemenace57]

Everything was better in those days

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

1:17:50 Dennis Taylor goes full dad dance at a party / wedding mode!

[@u.v.s.5583]

Peter Ebdon, the man, the legend, the world champion of snooker!

[@nanot.1984]

Peter ebdon, a man, a run of the mill player, most boring playing in the world of snooker

[@964cuplove]

Didn’t he win against Ronnie by boring him into submission ?

[@simonmallett9310]

@@nanot.1984 Him & Selby playing a best of 35 frame final? I'd be falling asleep after the first frame

[@sneakyfox4651]

@@964cuplove Yes. By making the game very slow, Ebdon robbed O'Sullivan of his best weapon, the fast pace. I watched that match live on TV and it was agony. But O'Sullivan was partly at fault, too, because he did let Ebdon get under his skin. He should have played as slow as Ebdon, just to make a point.

[@johnmc3862]

​@@nanot.1984 He wasn't that bad, he won 9 ranking titles and beat Hendry in the WC final. He was as slow af though for sure.

[@leeking9404]

Always so much coughing in the crowd, still to this day

[@P.H.888]

For those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is behind the yellow 😂😂😂

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

The old gags are the best.

[@jacobvandijk6525]

Could these guys play snooker 40/50 YEARS AGO? You better you bet: 6:05 & 22:53. Gorgious stuff all around!

[@Mujangga]

"A deep screw with a lot of side but it's not quite hard enough"... Oh my.

[@malabuman2463]

That’s what she said

[@williammiller7346]

Oh my. Just learning about snooker by watching it on YT. I never thought to read the rules I just figured it out. From 147’s to (n) snookers needed I figured it out. But if I had been watching it in black and white…

[@HanoiHustler]

Love to see Davis play onepocket on a ten foot Diamond table.

[@dennisthemenace57]

Good ol Lada cars Championship. The Russian army still uses them lol

[@simonmallett9310]

John Spencer. Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff!!!

[@geewillickers7193]

English billiards is awesome! even works well on a pool table. It teaches cue ball control and therefore cue ball placement which is key to pool, snooker, 9-ball, pyramid pool etc...only problem is that you can't play pool in bars with a clear conscience anymore.

[@zbdbz]

There is an American version called Cowboy, played with 3 object balls (1,3,5). Potting a ball counts face value. Carom (cannon) on 2 object balls = 1 pt, on all 3 = 2 points, & you can score multiple ways on one shot (2 ball carom & sink the 5 = 6 pts, for example). 1-90 you can score any way. 91-100 you can only score on caroms, & sinking any ball is a foul. 101st point, the winning point, is scratching the cue ball in a called pocket off the 1 ball. I love it, not least because if you play it in a pool hall the folks checking you out & sizing you up are totally mystified as to what you're doing.

[@stevenmeek9]

Big Bill Werneiuk would be a normal weight by today’s standards 😂

[@steviesvideos319]

😂😂

[@unclequack5445]

Had Fred Davis potted the pink ball the momentum would have taken him into the final I believe.

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

7:11 that guy with the beard and cigar.... that guy is a baller

[@niledavis1860]

His name was Phil Bull. A professional gambler on horses and founded of Timeform

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

@@niledavis1860 STEPHEN LEEs hero

[@niledavis1860]

@@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff 😂🤣😂

[@fccwebmeister]

Every Snooker player owes a debt to Alex Higgins.

[@einstu]

Why? I don't follow

[@MampsUK]

@Stuart Burgess because Alex Higgins made snooker more entertaining and appealing which inspired other players and brought in more fans

[@davidmellish3295]

@@einstu Cause of the exciting way he played he put snooker on the map,took it out of the small working man's clubs to bigger arenas with lots of paying fans who wanted to watch him,getting the game popular enough for tv .This meant the players started earning proper money for tournaments and exhibitions .

[@davidebiagi9941]

Sir Higgins super star

[@nickpayne2102]

Joe Davis almost created snooker. Would not exist today without him.

[@dondamon4669]

See the real Dennis Taylor with his aggressiveness when he wins! Those smiling to nice people are normally monsters at home! Unbelievable to think he was only 36 here ! You’d guess 56

[@nickpayne2102]

Worst winner in history

[@dvidclapperton]

No bad world champion.

[@CA-ee1et]

4:26 Is *that* how Joe Davis used to break?

[@mm9773]

I was always wondering why Joe Davis isn’t really mentioned when they talk about the greats, until I read up on it and found out that he used to organise the world championships and gained some of his titles by playing a quick match against his blind wife or by disqualifying everybody who hadn’t finished the required six pints of bitter for breakfast.

[@CA-ee1et]

What?

[@steviesvideos319]

😂😂😂😂

[@Robc--jd6yh]

How many other sports had the 1948 World Champion played the 2022 World Champion in a competitive match?

[@tytn9978]

my rule of thumb with my "old stuff" is that it is only worth anything if someone is willing to pay for it! All the experts in the world might say that a 1900 first-edition book by GA Henty is "worth" $100, but if no one wants it, it is worth ZERO!

[@alanwhite7912]

8:26 She’ll never feel the benefit of that hat when she goes outside.

[@bertcundle3777]

Ronnie O' Sullivan video: I don't know if this game was in a Tournament or exhibition game. From the first brake he made a Red Ball then the rest uv his shots were 7 ball after every Red Ball then 2,3,4,5,6,7... Every rack after till he got the Highest possible Score. In the game uv Snooker. If it wasn't photo. Altered.. it was Magnificent game. Not missing a shot in a game of Snooker isn't gud enough. The 7 after. Every Red Ball was...

[@ravivarman2020]

@1:07:38 wrong choice of shot by Davis. Should have tried to pot brown. A shot to nothing could have given him chance on blue

[@PointyTailofSatan]

What is amazing though, is that most of these players would barely make it out of Q school now. The quality and skill of top pros now is light years ahead. Take Alex Higgins for example. One the greats of his day. But in today's terms, his stats put him at about the level of Anthony Hamilton.

[@samuelgarrod8327]

I like Billiards.

[@michaeljohnson5365]

I have this on VHS

[@964cuplove]

Incredibly sad to read on Wikipedia how Alex Higgins ended sick and poor after such a career… 34:26

[@francescoli306]

34:24h the music so beautiful, does anyone know what it is?

[@MrFluffy6184]

Alex Higgins story is depressing

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

He wrote it.

[@cerberus1321]

This is the modern history of snooker. I was hoping they would document the full history of the game from it's creation in India, adoption initially by the wealthy classes I would imagine before club snooker opened it to the masses with a background on materials, towns, cities, clubs and persons that enabled its growth. Maybe one day someone will create that documentary.

[@kieferchan1403]

I was hoping for that too... one day! (:

[@BiggyJimbo]

Yes, a slightly misleading title. Still entertaining, though

[@TheKaluNaama]

who cares about curryniggas or if they played any part in the creation of the sport.

[@gregorywhite9095]

Likewise...

[@bountyhuntermk2520]

Create in India by the British Army, it wasnt an Indian that created the game

[@Scottfree166]

1:10:41 That was some shot from DT under immense pressure 😅

[@jakhaughton1800]

Terry Griffiths! I used to turn off rather than waste hours and hours of my Life!

[@Peter-yj8fj]

A couple of things,Higgins break against Jimmy is amongst the very best ever and I'd love to know how big a mistake it was to play Stephen Hendry in a series of exhibitions early in his career, Davis had been thumping him easily at the beginning but by the end I think Hendry gain on Davis so much and went on to have the fabulous career that he had.Stephen should buy Barry Hearn a very large drink if it hadn't happened I believe it would have taken him a few more years to blossom.

[@dvidclapperton]

After losing to Taylor and Johnson in Crucible maybe Davis thought playing Hendry in a series of exhibitions would help him to regain his edge that he lost. It probably helped Davis in the short term to achieve the last 3 world titles in the decade. It also undoubtedly helped Hendry, and Davis getting to 6 world titles gave Hendry a stiffer target and being stiffer tsrget gave Hendry more motivation for a lengthy period. But who know had they never met in all these exhibitions

[@Peter-yj8fj]

I totally agree with you,I really wanted Stephens opinion on it and he seemed to agree with me but I think in the long run it helped him more than it did Steve.i think Stephen was always going to be a superstar and the games with Steve hardened him up and made him a better match player instead of just a great long potter which he was at the start of his career,I think it made him more thoughtful in his shot selection.

[@johnmc3862]

@@Peter-yj8fj 100%. Hendrys style really changed from a hot shot Maverick to a ruthless break builder.

[@Peter-yj8fj]

I never said he wasn't a brilliant potter and his safety was only average but these games made him a better match player.and that's not just my opinion I put the question to Stephen and he agrees

[@dvidclapperton]

@@Peter-yj8fj When Hendry started his career his aoon realiaed that opponents just being a master tactician but without scoring well enough wasn't going to be good enough against him. But he also soon realised that what he did to beat the master tacticians despite not being a master tactician himself wasn't going to be good enough against Davis because Davis was also a heavy scorer as well. Hendry took numerous scalps, but found Davis a bit too hot to handle at thay very early point of his career. Hendry knew no matter what approach to the game he decided, you need to score points and a lot of them to win frames. But to beat Davis and also become multiple world champion he had to do a lot more than he was doing even though he was forecast to be multiple world champion on the very early promisr, and eventually he did the necessary extra to beat him including cutting his pace around the table. If I recall Hendry was charging round the table in his very early days on the tour. But it certainly wasn"t juat a audden flick of the switch. Hendry's slower pace around the table, it probably had much to do been that exhibition series with Davis, he would have seen Davis consistently making large breaks but at a slower pace than himself, Hendry also making large breaks in the exhibitons but fewer than Davis. Afterwarda Hendry slowed his pace but he was making more large breaks. Davis couldn't improve on his best signifoantly enough and still stay ahead of Hendry. Davis basically maxed out while Hendry had a lot more improving he could make. Davis made 3 centuries in a row in ranking in 1988 but that more squeezing the last few drops out of himself, Hendry within a few years was going to do that and a whole lot more Davis fell by the wayside.

[@mikemike974]

Why isn't this called a potted history of snooker?

[@sockington1]

11.35 - look at the size of those pockets! they must be twice the size of today's

[@I.Wallivs]

dj thundermuscle

[@voodoodan7793]

Why does every winner look like they've just gone 12 rounds with Tyson?! 😀

[@user-ur2kn8qy5t]

Snooker is mentally draining.

[@richardmayo6076]

Nothing about the inventor, Neville chamberlain????

[@brikendmaxharraj1648]

51:16 The father of Robertson 😊

[@330devans]

I’d love to play proper snooker on a 12 or 10 footer snooker table. I have a set of snooker balls but on my 8 American table it makes for a lot of balls on the table. Even with 9 reds

[@MrAntup]

6ball is pretty good on a 8ft table running the table is possible 6 blacks and colours 75

[@michaeljohnson5365]

Joe Davis 15 time Worlds

[@MARKETMAN6789]

Eccles

[@zakkocev8722]

Why no mention of India where it started?

[@garethboyd8580]

Because the choices are basically that the French invented it; or that the British invented it in India. Either way; Indian folk probably don’t want anything to do with it.

[@dennisthemenace57]

Was it Higgins who started this "bring the the kids onto the field" caper? It's shamefully self indulgent

[@redblade8160]

This is when the material used to make snooker balls came from ivory (mainly elephant tusks).

[@VinegarTom68]

Horrendous .But hey Asian countries are still slaughtering tigers /rhinos etc for "traditional medicines" as well as African nations ruthlessly hunting elephants and other big game for tusks /horns and skins. To digress a little from snooker please forgive me!

[@garethboyd8580]

Not even slightly

[@NylonStrings83]

Snooker was invented in India wasn't it ?

[@planetx1595]

In India yes, but not by Indians, it was invented by Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain who created snooker in India in 1875

[@richardgordon3611]

Not what I expected, was hoping for a true history of the game, not just the last 50 years of only playing for money.

[@wholeladalovenorthernireland]

Very interesting.

[@Billdick360]

Ray Reardon recons Higgins was toast when it was 15 each but took a line of Charlie at the break!

[@29memyselfandi]

Really ? I hadn’t heard that before.

[@wokkawicklo]

Back when men were men, there was cows milk for coffee and not a soy product to be found and no one needed a "safe space" in the event that a man mite get triggered imho, A 5 day final and now it's common to see 1st to 6 lol. Another thing to be placed on the list of things television programming has ruined

[@Thomas_Geist]

I say, those Brits do have entirely far too much hair.

[@ArunVerma-oo4ko]

I don’t think all snooker history is British, the game wasn’t even invented there.

[@somethingblank1589]

Invented by an ethnically British officer stationed in the British Indian Empire and was first played by British officers stationed there.

[@ArunVerma-oo4ko]

@@somethingblank1589Ok, so what do you want to say ? I said it’s not all British and it wasn’t invented there.