Snooker firm Rileys cuts 200 jobs

I have just come across another interesting site for those in need of a holiday and some serious Snooker coaching. What is more its based in our wonderful home county of Lincolnshire.

Does the name Del Hill mean anything to you ? Well it should because Del is one of the best known Coaches in the Snooker game.  His clients have included Ronnie O Sullivan , Joe Swail , Tony Drago , Graeme Dott , Peter Ebdon , Kelly Fisher and John Parrott. Del is an honorary WPSBSA coach the only non professional to receive the accolade. This enables him to coach coaches and conduct grading examinations. Del is also involved in the amateur game and is the EASB Team Manager and coach of the England set-up.

It was fifteen years ago that Del went to a Blackpool tournament with a mercurial 16 year old talent called Ronnie O Sullivan and a couple of years later he was working with Ronnie on the table assisting him in his preparation. He guided O Sullivan to The Asian Classic in Thailand and was in his corner when he won the UK Championship a year later. Del has since been the Rocket’s mentor for some of his finest moments including Ronnie’s first World title in 2001. In all Del guided Ronnie to many tournament wins and is quick to point out that working with Ronnie has assisted him in becoming the coach he is today.

Now the opportunity exists for you to benefit from Del’s skills at his aptly named Snooker Farm www.snookerfarm.com . Its not all about Snooker though as there are a number of other pursuits on offer. Del offers an hourly , daily or weekly rate for coaching. Additionally if you are looking to become a Snooker Coach yourself then a course is available for you to complete prior to taking your exam.

Alternatively just relax in the Lincolnshire countryside whilst having a few frames  - a holiday with a difference !

Until 1840 most tables were fitted with wood beds.These beds were made up in three sections being 6Ft 6″ wide and 4Ft 2″ giving 12ft 6″ by 6 Ft 6″. A frame 1 1/4″ thick was made for each section and into this frame were fitted panels 8″ square and 1″ thick made of hard wood tongued and grooved. The grain of each panel would run in the opposite direction to the next. This was done to prevent , as far as possible warping and casting. It was still necessary to send skilled men to plane over and level the table beds on a regular basis. Some real examples are quoted below from work sheets.

“12th February 1825 : Travellers Club - Taking off cushions and cloth planing over and levelling the bed.

On occasion it was necessary to remove certain sections altogether.

“2nd November 1826 : Letting in several pieces into the bed , planing the bed and finishing complete”

It is true to say that a few slate beds were supplied by Thurston prior to 1840  , it was not until that year that the supply became more frequent. This was due possibly to the short supply from the quarries and or the difficulty in transporting the slate to the customer. There was of course the constant risk of breakage. The first record of a slate bed appears in an entry dated 1st October 1834 ; it was supplied with a full size table to “White’s” , St James ’s Street London. The very early tables had only four pieces of slate and were between 7/8″ to 1″ thick. They were placed in position on the table and screwed down to the frame. It was thought at first that this would be enough to ensure a level playing surface. However it was subsequently found that atmospheric conditions affected the frame causing the slate joints to be forced upwards and slightly out of position. This in turn caused a ridge and a jump of the ball. Thurston overcame this difficulty by letting brass dowels into the joints so that the slates fitted closely together and could not move.

The first record of this occurring was in November 1842 when work was carried out on a table owned by a Mr Edward Green who was a first class billiard player and the proprietor of a public billiard room in Leicester Square. The record said ” Billiard table taken down , slate tops removed and put in cart , slates joined together with brass dowels , table levelled and face polished prior to cartage back to Leicester Square”. Once slate slabs became more plentiful and railway transport became available the slabs were obtained in greater thickness. Thus slate slabs were now 1 1/2″ to 2 ” in thickness and in some cases even larger. Due to the weight of the slabs there was no need to screw these down to the frame , they rested on the table with their own weight with the cushions bolted into them . It was of course necessary then to increase the size of the wooden frames to withstand this extra weight.

Queen Victoria was a huge advocate of the game and even as a young girl she played regularly. On a royal journey she was quoted as saying ” At half past 3 we went to Baren Hill , Sir R.Buckley’s place (10th Baronet) M.P for Anglesey on Monday September 17th. We breakfasted downstairs at 9am then I played and did other things ; at 1 we lunched  ; I then played on the piano and a little before 3 played Billiards downstairs with Victoire (daughter of Sir John Conray )”

There is no doubt that she was very fond of the game. A table was delivered to Windsor Castle soon after her coronation , and another was delivered at Buckingham Palace in 1840 This caused Thurston problems as there was a strike of quarrymen. A local newspaper reported that although the men were on strike a small number of employees were employed to ensure that the slates were prepared for the Queen’s order. This table when installed stayed at the palace until 1888 , this was replaced by another table in a more traditional style with bulbous legs. The old table was eventually sold to a gentleman in Hounslow who on his death bequeathed the table to Hounslow Conservative club. The table is still there now and in daily use.

When King Edward VII’th came to the throne he removed a lot of the Queen’s items including the Buckingham Palace table which was replaced by a table supplied by George Wright & Co of Westminster Brideg Road Lambeth . The second table to come out of Buckingham Palace was sold to a gentleman who in turn sold it to The Billiards and Snooker Control Council for their match room in Haringey. This table was eventually purchased by a wealthy Australian who had it shipped to his home down under.

There are some very old tables still in existence including one at Knole House in Sevenoaks It is described as a “Charles 1st painted oak billiard table on turned baluster supports with moulded straight stretchers”  The table is undoubtedly the work of skilled joiners and it was made circa 1660 at the birth of cabinet making. Additionally there was an old table at Parham House in Sussex. This table was made in 1751 and was inscribed “William Hopkins” however it was renovated by Burroughs and Watts and fitted with a slate bed and modern cushions before being transported to its new home at Loxwood Hall. The construction of this table was absolutely first class and from the date found on the panel , the quality of the carving and the design of the legs , it is believed that this came from Chippendale’s workshop in Conduit Street London. This wonderful table was eventually purchased by The United Services club in Ware , Hertfordshire before being sold to a private individual in Ottawa where it is now erected in his home.

The construction of the table has not altered much in the last 100 years , although each manufacturer had their own specific ideas in the design process. A table for a private house would be richly carved and of either a Spanish or a Cuban mahogany. A club would often have a plain leg or a simply turned leg as opposed to  a highly carved masterpiece.  The major companies used skilled architects to design all of their products including Scorers and Cueracks. They often offered the service of producing an entire fit out for a Billiard room including carpets , smoking room chairs and coffee tables. This was undoubtedly an expensive job and record’s show that in 1894 Thurston fitted out a room for a Mr Mellin (well known Baby food manufacturer) of Wickham Hall West Wickham in Kent . The table was extensively carved  and a turkey pattern carpet was even fitted in the lavatory. The total order came to more than £900 which was an absolute fortune in those days.

In the 1861 Great Exhibition Thurston exhibited a carved oak table which depicted the Wars of the Roses around the side and end panels of the frame. The table was sold to the Earl of Warwick and erected in Warwick Castle. Unfortunately the table was later exhibited at another Exhibition many years later and became another victim of the Luftwaffe.

I have just come across an excellent site for all of you interested in the hobby of collecting valuable antique cues. The Cue Collector.com is the brainchild of Gordon Radford who has been ably assisted by Andy Hunter.

Andy previously wrote in detail about cue collecting for the “The Amateur Billiard Player” which was published by the EABA from 1996 until 2003. I will not go into too much detail as you can see for yourselves the care and attention that has been put into this wonderful informative site. It complements the site created by David Smith “Cues n Views” perfectly. I did not really have a favourite cue , but I would be delighted to be the owner of a Black Arrow cue made by Blackpool Billiards works circa 1950. An example of which is shown in the picture.

www.thecuecollector.com