The Snookerbacker Blog

The Fat Boy of Peckham aka Robbie Coltrane

In Victorian times it was quite acceptable to attend Freak Shows. Families would often make quite an occasion of them at times. I actually took a minute to look up some genuine examples of freaks as painstaking research for this post and they range from Alice Bounds the Bear Lady to Patrick O’Brien the Irish Giant and The Fat Boy of Peckham through to Sacco-Homann the Famous Fasting Man and Prince Randian the Living Torso. 

That is quite a collection I’m sure you will agree, only one of which (this being Prince Randian) can now not be found quite easily on any high street in any major UK city. Though I’m sure if you knew the right places even Randian himself might materialise in some form or other.

Now I like to think of myself as a compassionate human being, someone that does not take pleasure in someone else’s misfortune, someone that would stand up for my beliefs and bravely fight for the things I hold most dear to me and the things that I believe are just and right. You wouldn’t catch me attending one of these shows, watching the poor unfortunate creatures therein simply display themselves to the gasps and guffaws of a baying, cackling crowd of idiots.

Now, I like to think of myself in these terms but I’m afraid the temptation to switch the TV to ITV4 this weekend may prove too much for me. Television gives us all the opportunity to be the Victorians in the privacy of our own homes, to watch things that we would never dream of attending in person. To cackle along with the idiots, to bay along with the transfixed crowds. That my friends, is my utterly pathetic justification for watching Power Snooker this weekend.

There were several things that I utterly detested about it last year that to other less opinionated and snobbish people than myself would probably be a good reason to tune in. First and foremost it was the rabble that was watching. A collection of thuggish, mob-mentality dimwits that seemed to revel in such hilarious repetitive ‘catchphrases’ such as ‘Pot the Brown’ and ‘Powerzone’ whilst hurling sometimes inappropriate insults at the players and sexual innuendo at a female referee until she started crying.

Secondly, it was the game itself which was utterly silly and not especially well thought out. Thirdly, it was just well, how can I put this? All of it. I just felt that someone had taken the sport I loved, ripped the insides out of it, thrown them to a pack of rabid dogs and replaced it with a soul made out of pound notes and tacky holiday souvenirs.

But a year has passed and as I get older I not only forget things, I also grow a little more tolerant of other people’s ways. I even watched the X-Factor last week for a whole ten minutes before starting to swear and being told to leave the room by Mrs SB.

A Power Girl aka Not Robbie Coltrane

So I figured that maybe, just maybe Power Snooker isn’t that bad after all? Maybe the move to Manchester and the Trafford Centre might help a bit? Maybe the introduction of the Power Snooker Band might drown out some of the less-evolved elements of the audience? Maybe with all the top 16 there it might have less of an experimental, novelty feel? Maybe they have made the rules a bit clearer and more geared towards tighter finishes? Maybe they will stop the referees shouting the same phrase over and over again?

Or maybe I should just go back to being intolerant?

The tournament starts tomorrow at 1.10pm when Mark Selby and Matthew Stevens take to the baize, the losers in the first round no doubt will have one eye on the free bar and the other on the Power Girls, such as Rhiann Sugden who is pictured left for purely illustrative and in no sense gratuitous or tasteless purposes.

Now I don’t know the people behind this venture personally, but whoever is behind their Twitter account clearly has a sense of humour and was actually the first account to follow me back on there months ago when my original account was hacked and deleted. So I suppose I feel I owe them one with this highly positive promotional post.

Ronnie and Judd are best priced 4/1 and 15/2 at Boylesports for this circus of snooker and anyone that backs anyone else to win this, in my humble opinion, needs their head examining as it is tailormade to their games.

You can check out the schedule and everything to do with all things Power Snooker at their website here.  

Now I am going to cleanse myself in a bath of strong detergent.

(One of the images was used with the permission of Power Snooker, I’ll leave you to deduce which one) 

All players should report to the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds at 10.15am on Friday 2^nd December 2011. 

Dress code for qualifying events should be trousers, shoes and long or short sleeved collared shirt or T-shirt. No Jeans or Trainers. 

Please refer to the full terms and conditions of the event here. 

 At every qualifying event there will be a ‘Beauty’ High Break Prize of £1 per point kindly sponsored by

Schedule of Play

First Round – All Matches Best of 7 Frames (10.30am start) – Roaming Referees 

Table 4: Elliot Slessor v John Astley

Table 5: Roland ‘The Shuttle’ Cox v Sean Hopkin

Table 6: Allan ‘The Albino Assassin’ Taylor v Sydney Wilson

Table 21: Michael Rhodes v Craig Steadman

Table 22: Gareth Allen v James ‘Shoot to’ Kilmartin

Table 7: Ryan Causton v Antony Parsons

Table 24: Jamie Barrett v Matthew Samples

Table 25: Alex Taubman v Jack ‘The Brad’ Bradford

Second Round – All Matches Best of 7 Frames (not before 12.30pm) – Roaming Referees 

9. Slessor/Astley v Cox/Hopkin 

10. Taylor/Wilson v Rhodes/Steadman

11. Allen/Kilmartin v Causton/Parsons

12. Barrett/Samples v Taubman/Bradford 

Final Qualifying Round – All Matches Best of 7 Frames (not before 3.30pm) 

13. Winner Match 9 v Winner Match 10 (Refereed)

14. Winner Match 11 v Winner Match 12 (Refereed) 

Winners of Matches 13 & 14 will qualify to Finals Day at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester on Friday 24^th February 2012  

There are still 2 places left at the qualifying event in Gloucester and places available in Dublin and in Essex. Please contact me at snookerbacker@hotmail.co.uk to get involved in THE amateur event of the season.

Can this evil genius do it again?

Good Morning All. After a couple of days gap in posts I’m afraid you probably won’t be able to shut me up over the next few days what with Power Snooker (yes, I’ll probably comment on it) and the beginning of the German Masters Qualifiers on Monday we’re in for another busy week on the baize.

Anyone that reads this blog regularly will know that I am partial to a bit of ante-post action on outright markets. One of the frustrations for me is that you can’t play with multiples on the major events, when after all, there are players who are more or less certain to be in them that you could include in multiples at the beginning of the season. The bookies could do better on this front I reckon.

Well at least our friends over at Boylesports have gone some way to addressing this obvious gap by coming up with a market called ‘Major Men’, where we get the chance to double up on any of the big names winning both the UK and the World Championship.

It may sound like a tall order, but John Higgins did just that last season and if you fancy him to do it again Boyles are offering 50/1 on it happening. Ronnie did it too four seasons ago after his last Crucible win and the in-form Rocket can be backed at 33/1 market leader.

Mark Williams also did it nearly a decade ago and is 50/1 to do so again. I’m sure Hendry has done it more than once and will await someone to tell me how many times and for those nostalgic fools with more money than sense the price on him to turn back time is a whopping 2000/1.

I’m sure the Nugget is another that has done this countless times and again I will await confirmation of this, if anyone wants a price on him to do it again I have the telephone number of your local ‘Home for the Bewildered’ about my person, just get in touch. In the words of Bullseye host Jim Bowen ‘If that happens I’ll give you the money myself’.

(I’m at it again, it’s nearly time for Power Snooker and I’m on about Bullseye already – it’s the graphics you see, which pay more than a passing resemblance to a bit of bully)

Thanks Lorraine, it was Des Lennis on Family Fortunes that actually coined the phrase, but hey, two comedy legends, easy mistake..

But back to the matter in hand and maybe it’s time for someone else to carve their name in amongst the greats and carry off this achievement? World Number One Mark Selby at 40/1 perhaps? Judd Trump? The Playboi can be backed at 80/1 or Ding perhaps? Capable and raises his game for the big events, he’s 100/1. Anyway, all the prices are here.

I can almost hear the cries of ‘Why not just back them for the UK and then put the lot on them for the Worlds SB? The odds would be better surely?’ But come on gang, would you really, hand on heart, ever do this? Imagine sitting back after the UK knowing that to a smaller stake you effectively have 50/1 on John Higgins to win in Sheffield? 80/1 on Judd Trump? 60/1 on Robbo?

If you think that someone can do this, my opinion is that only Ronnie, John, Robbo or possibly Judd can, then have a go. If there are any combinations that you would like a price on, list them in the comments section and I will see what I can do. Remember that the UK starts in a couple of weeks time, just a day after the biggest event on the calendar kicks off in Leeds; the Snookerbacker Classic.

In the meantime, if you would like to take advantage of Boyles opening offer to new customers of place a bet of £20/20Euros and get double that free, click the box below to open an account.

Recommended Bets from me: 1 point on each – John Higgins (50/1) Ronnie O’Sullivan (33/1) and Neil Robertson (60/1)