RIP 'Whispering' Ted Lowe - 'The Voice of Snooker' (1920-2011)

Do you believe in fate?

If not, then the sad news that the 'Voice of Snooker', 'Whispering' Ted Lowe passed away this morning at the age of 90 is an incredible coincidence.

For today sees the first session of the World Snooker Championship final being played between John Higgins and Judd Trump. How apt it is then, that the most famous name in snooker commentating history, passed away at this moment - at the climax to his sports' competitive year.

Lowe became prominent as the commentator for the popular BBC TV show Pot Black from 1969. He went on to become the 'voice of snooker' and led the commentary in many tournaments. He also commentated in what is generally regarded as snooker's greatest ever final, that between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor in the 1985 World Snooker Championship.

Here is Lowe's commentary of the first ever televised century break by Joe Davis in 1962 followed by his famous commentary in the final stages of that epic encounter between Davis and Taylor in 1985, including his observations on that encounter, over 20 years later.





He was known for uttering the occasional on-air gaffe, similar to motor racing commentator Murray Walker. His most famous quote was probably "and for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green". He also once told viewers that Fred Davis, struggling to rest one leg on the edge of the table in order to reach a long shot, "is getting on a bit and is having trouble getting his leg over".

Lowe retired after the 1996 World Snooker final, although he briefly joined in the commentary for the 2005 World Championship final between Matthew Stevens and Shaun Murphy.

His famously measured, but quietly dramatic style with his husky, hushed tones came about by accident. As he said in a BBC interview in 2007,  "I was scared to death commentating on Joe Davis, who was a God to me. Of course, sitting in the crowd I was terrified they would hear what I had to say, so I started whispering. The producer loved it."

RIP Ted

My Top 3 All-time Snooker matches - #1 Davis Vs Taylor in 1985

In the run-up to this year's 2011 Snooker World Championships, I've been looking back at the history of a sport of which I am a big fan and have chosen my personal top 3 snooker matches of all-time.

I blogged here and here a few weeks ago of my 3rd and 2nd choices, so here now, on the morning of the opening matches of the 2011 World Championships, is the match which for me is the greatest in snooker history.

1985 World Snooker Championship Final

For those who are avid snooker fans, it'll be no great surprise to find that I've chosen the epic that occurred in 1985 between 3 time and current World Champion Steve Davies, and the Northern Irish favourite and 1979 losing finalist Dennis Taylor.

It is of course regarded not just as a seminal moment in the history of snooker but also I would like to think, one of the greatest sporting moments of the 20th century. I would like to explain why in my humble opinion, it is well deserving of this recognition.

Davis was the snooker machine of the 1980s. He had won 3 consecutive titles running into the 1985 final and was the favourite to win a 4th against Taylor who's only previous final appearance was a losing one to Terry Griffiths in 1979.

The final seemed to be going the way of the form book. Davis swept all before him as he white-washed Taylor in the first session 7-0. He then moved 8-0 ahead before the plucky Northern Irishman clawed his way back admirably into the match by winning 6 straight frames in a row to reduce the overnight margin to just 7-9.

There was little between the two during the second day's play but Davies nevertheless opened up a 17-15 lead to leave Taylor needing to win the final frames to win the match. Taylor won the first two of those to force a 35th and final frame.

It would prove to be one of the most dramatic climaxes imaginable. The tension was at fever pitch as both players missed opportunities. Taylor, once again playing catch-up in this crucial decider, pulled out a great long pot on the final brown and then potted the blue and pink to bring the final frame of the final and championsip, down to the very final black ball.

The final frame lasted 68 minutes and in the end, famously of course, after the safety play and the misses on the final black, it was Taylor, to the raturous delight of an enthralled Crucible Theatre crowd, who sunk the black to win a famous and immensly popular first and as it would turn out, only World Championship.

In this case, actions speaks louder than words so watch here, the final stages of that incredible final frame...


 

 
Here, watch both Davis and Taylor reflect, years later on what was an incredible match. The comments of those who remember it at the time adds to the fact that this was a moment in sport which had the country hooked to the TV set.

Indeed, the climax of the final in the early hours of that Monday morning was watched by 18.5 million people - which remains a record for BBC2, and also remains a record post-midnight audience for any channel in the United Kingdom.

Full credit for Steve Davis for being able to look back in retrospect and for taking the result in good heart.
 

 
That celebration of Taylor's is now almost as famed as the winning pot itself. It was just a delight to watch the emotion after the tension of the proceeding frame.

World 1985 Final - Rematch
Finally, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that titanic encounter, the two rivals played out a re-match at the Crucible Theatre. The match was played with great humour and it was in itself, a joy to watch!



The total match time of 14 hours 50 minutes was the longest ever recorded for a 35-frame match.

It will surely, never be bettered and will for years to come keep its place in snooker history as the greatest match ever played - no contest!

My Top 3 All-time Snooker matches - #2 Higgins Vs White in 1982

In the run-up to this year's 2011 Snooker World Championships, I've been looking back at the history of a sport of which I am a big fan and have chosen my personal top 3 snooker matches of all-time.

I blogged here a few weeks ago of my 3rd choice, so here now is the match which for me comes in at No.2.


The Hurricane Vs the Whirlwind

It was 1982 and it was the World Snooker Championship Semi-Finals. Competing was the hot-headed, tormented magician of the baize that was Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins. His opponent was the up-and-coming natural talent that was Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White.

This was White's first foray into the penultimate stage of snooker's greatest event and his opponent, in Higgins, was the 1972 World Champion who was searching to cement his place in the history books with another title and his first at the Crucible arena and live on TV, a decade later.

The quality of snooker played by both White and Higgins in this match as can be seen below was electrifying - both men at the top of their games. After the first session they were tied at 4-4. In the second, Jimmy White raced into an 8-4 lead but Higgins clawed it back to end the session at just 8-7 down. At the end of the third session, they were back level at 11-11 - two titans, one the young pretender and the second an experienced older hand at the game, going toe-to-toe in a clash of the ages.

The final session saw a gripping encounter reach a mesmorising climax. Jimmy White moved ahead into a 15-13 lead. In a best of 31 frames encounter, it meant he was just one frame away from reaching his first ever Crucible final at the tender age of just 20. But Higgins, a doubty competitor, fought back with a 72 break - his highest of the match to date, to reduce the deficit to 15-14.

The Break of the Century?
But Jimmy White raced into a 59 point lead in frame 30 but then, uncharacteristically for a player famed for his rest play, missed a pot with the rest to leave Higgins a fig-leaf of hope. As John Virgo said below: "Cue, genius".

What happened next has gone down in the pantheon of snooker history as one of the greatest breaks of all-time. With a number of the final reds all hopelessly placed on the cushion, Higgins had an uphill struggle to claw his way back into the frame. He made it harder for himself by falling out of position on many of his shots but that didn't stop him pulling off great shot, after great shot, after great shot. He cleared the colours for an incredible break of 69 to level the match at 15-15.

In the decider, his inner strength and determination carried the Hurricane through for an improbable but wonderful 16-15 victory the Whirlwind.

Here are those highlights...



Higgins went on to fulfill his dream of winning his second World Championship but his first at the Crucible, when he defeated 6 times champion Ray Reardon in the final 18-15 (the only final that Reardon lost) - the emotional scenes afterwards have since gone down in snooker folklore.

An iconic moment in snooker history -
Higgins wins his first Crucible final in 1982.

What if?

It was a remarkable match not only because of that one frame but because of the quality of play from both men throughout the earlier sessions.

What also makes it an incredible match for me and thus makes it a deserved No.2 in my top 3 countdown is the permutations of what resulted from it. Higgins with his victory, went on to secure that elusive Crucible crown. For White however, it would become the first of many heart-breaking visits to that famous Sheffield arena. It would be the first of 10 semi-final appearances for the Whirlwind - 6 of which he won to reach the final. Incredulously however, he lost each and every one. In 1984 he lost to Steve Davis 18-16 and failed to reach the final again until 1990 which was the first of 5 consecutive losing appearances. In 1991 he lost to John Parrott 18-11 but his other four final defeats were all at the hands of Stpehen Hendry. In 1990, he lost 18-12, in 1992 he lost 18-14, in 1993 he was humiliated in 3 sessions 18-5 and in 1994 he suffered the greatest heart break of all by losing another final frame encounter 18-17 having missed a simple black on his way to what should've been at last, his first world title.

How would history have panned out however, had Jimmy White not missed that red with the rest in the 30th frame of that 1982 semi-final? He would surely have gone on to win the frame and match at that visit and in doing so, secure a final place against Ray Reardon. There's no guaranteeing that he would have won that match against the Welsh legend, but it may well have happened for he had the raw ingrediants to make it so. Had he have done so, the pressure of falling at the last hurdle which was to afflict his career would've been vanquished instantly. He may have gone on with the confidence of being the youngest ever World Champion to cement his place in the game by winning many more.

Higgins on the other hand, would've gone home to Northern Ireland having seen another opportunity of breaking his Crucible duck gone begging. He may not have had another chance (indeed he never made another final) and his losing appearance in the 1980 final to Cliff Thorburn would've been his only attempt at winning a Crucible final. He would not have gained that iconic status that he achieved from winning that title 10 years after his previous victory and those pictures of his tears with his child as he held the trophy would've been erased from our memories.

It is in such small moments such as that missed red with the rest that futures can be transformed one way or another. For that reason and for the quality of the match itself and for the resiliant way that Higgins orchestrated that unlikely break of 69, this match well merits its place as my No.2 all-time greatest match of snooker.

Wales Resurgent in 2011 World Snooker Championship Draw

Thanks to the excellent prosnooker blog which I heartily recommend to all snooker officianados, I have seen within hours of the draw, the 2011 Snooker World Championship First Round fixture list for the competition at the Crucible between April 16th - May 2nd.

What a tournament it is set to be!

Wales Resurgent
Of particular interest to me is the fact that there will be 5 Welsh players in the tournament proper this year. In my near 20 years of watching snooker, I can't remember when Wales last had such a complement in the final 32 in Sheffield - if anyone can tell me it'd be greatly appreciated!

The 5 Welshman represented this year are Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens, Dominic Dale, Ryan Day and Andrew Pagett. At best though, only 4 will get through to the last 16 as Mark Williams has been drawn to play Ryan Day in Round 1.

Mark Williams is on great form this year and is set to become the World Number One at the end of the season for the 3rd time in his career. Having slumped out of the top 16 only a few years ago (falling to No.22 in 2008/09), he's made a remarkable comeback when many others may have just given up. His quest for a 3rd world title (having won previously in 2000 and 2003) will start against a tough opponent in Ryan Day. Ryan has had a poor few years and has slipped back in the world rankings having shown such promise only a few years ago. He has yet to win his first major ranking event, despite having reached 3 ranking finals and reached a career high No.6 in the World Rankings, but the talent is undoubtedly there.

What of Matthew Stevens? Well, like Mark Williams (who he lost to in the only ever all-Welsh world championship final back in 2000) he's had a great season and is set to cement his place back in the top 16. He qualified by potting the final black in the deciding frame against Fergal O'Brien to win a nail-biter, 10-9. For a twice world championship runner-up (2000 and 2005) and 3 times losing semi-finalist (2001, 2002 and 2004) who has fallen on lean times of late, you can see how much the win meant for him as he qualified for the Crucible for the first time in 3 years...



He plays Mark Allen in the first round and it'll be a tough contest. Allen reached the semis in 2009 and the quarter-finals last year. He's an up-and-coming snooker star and will prove a more than competitive opponent for Stevens on his Crucible return.

What of Dominic Dale? Well, Dominic is quite the enigma. He is the only player to have ever won multiple ranking events despite having never broken into the World Rankings top 16. He won the Grand Prix in 1997 and then a whole decade later, won the Shanghai Masters in 2007 (beating compatriot Ryan Day in the final). He's currently ranked at No.45 in the world and has been drawn against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round. That's a tall, tall order for Dominic to overcome but it'll be good to see him back at the Crucible and good luck to him on his return.

Finally, a name that was barely known to me - Andrew Pagett. Now Andrew isn't a newbie on the snooker scene. Indeed, he turns 29 in the middle of the tournament next month and has been a professional since 2003. He lost his place on the circuit however in 2009 but re-gained it for this 2010/11 season. He had never in all of this time, qualified for the final stages of a snooker tournament - until last week! His appearance at the Crucible next month will not only be his first there, but will be his first at any final stages in a snooker ranking event! He's currently ranked at No.78 in the world and by my reckoning will be the lowest ranked player in Sheffield next month. He defeated former Crucible finalist Nigel Bond in the earlier qualifying rounds before beating Andrew Higginson 10-6 to seal his place in Sheffield - his joy can be seen here...!



He plays Jamie Cope, another young snooker talent who has already reached 2 ranking finals in his time. He also, under the new rolling ranking system, finally broke into the World's top 16 last October. This will be a fascinating first round encounter.

So I'm looking forward to a Snooker World Championship which will have a greater Welsh flavour to it than I can remember.

Bring it on!

World Snooker Championship First Round Draw (Last 32) in Full
Neil Robertson v Judd Trump
Marco Fu v Martin Gould
Graeme Dott v Mark King
Ali Carter v Dave Harold
Ding Junhui v Jamie Burnett
Peter Ebdon v Stuart Bingham
Stephen Hendry v Joe Perry
Mark Selby v Jimmy Robertson
Mark Williams v Ryan Day
Jamie Cope v Andrew Pagett
Mark Allen v Matthew Stevens
Stephen Maguire v Barry Hawkins
Shaun Murphy v Marcus Campbell
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Dominic Dale
Ricky Walden v Rory McLeod
John Higgins v Stephen Lee

My Top 3 All-time Snooker matches - #3 Hendry Vs O'Sullivan in 1997

I'm a sporting anorak there's no getting around it. I'm a font of useless knowledge that usually only comes in handy at pub quizzes. But then, I enjoy the randomness of my knowledge because I'd like to think that it gives me the perspective to make observations such as the one below.

I'm a snooker fan and there have been some wonderful matches played over the years. So for my own enjoyment and for anyone out there who share's my passion for the green baize, I'm going to concoct my Top 3 Snooker matches of all-time.

In at Number 3...

Here we see the final of the 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge Trophy Final.

The Charity Challenge Trophy (latterly the Champions Cup) was a non-ranking Snooker event that ran from 1995-2001. For its first 5 years between 1995-1999, it was a charity event in which the world's best snooker players were playing not for themselves, but for their own choosen charities. So in the run-of-the-mill world of snooker, this was not a 'normal' tournament. There was none of the tension of playing for yourself with career earnings available or ranking points to be won - this was just an old fashioned charity contest. But that in itself brought pressure - the pressure of wanting to win for your chosen charity.

But though it was for charity only, the contest attracted the best of the snooker world. In its 5 charitable years, the winners were Stephen Hendry (twice), John Higgins (twice) and Ronnie O' Sullivan (once).

Well, in the 3rd installment of this now defunct series in 1997, we saw possibly the best two players in the history of snooker slug it out - Stephen Hendry Vs Ronnie O' Sullivan. The former at the peak of his powers as the current, 5 times World Champion, against the up-and-coming raw talent that was the latter.

Watch the highlights of this incredible final below. As the young presenter Eamonn Holmes (indeed, Anthea Turner led the behind the scenes coverage!) stated, the final would go down in the annuls of snooker history.

Indeed, ex-pro Willie Thorne added: "I've been a professional for 20 years and this is the greatest final I've ever seen".

He went on to call it: "The greatest match that's ever been witnessed on television"

Hendry burst into a 6-2 first session lead in the best of 17 encounter. So he only needed three more frame to win and to earn his charity the National Playbus Association £100,000 in prize money. On the other hand, Ronnie O'Sullivan's charity the Dyslexia Institute, looked liked being the runners-up.

The second session continued ominously for O'Sullivan as Hendry won the first two frames of the session to lead 8-2. But O'Sullivan is made of stern stuff and he fought back...and back...and back. 6 frames on the bounce and he levelled the match at 8-8.

Now this had happened to Stephen Hendry before but in the reverse. In the 1991 Benson & Hedges Masters Invitational non-ranking final at Wembley, he fought back from 0-7 and 2-8 down to level at 8-8 against Mike Hallett. Hendry won the decider to complete an incredible comeback which in itself would make a Top 10 Snooker match run-down if I were ever to do one.

Well, here at 56 minutes, the boot was on the other foot. It was now Hendry who had seen a 6 frame lead evaporate in front of his eyes. The momentum was with O'Sullivan.

But this is Stephen Hendry we're talking about and what he did in that deciding frame has never before, or since been repeated in the history of snooker...



An incredible finale to an incredible final. The only ever maximum break 147 that has ever been recorded in a deciding frame of a snooker match. But not just a final frame maximum, but one made having lost the previous 6 frames.

As Rex Williams in the commentry box exclaimed as the frame progressed: "Well I thought miracles stopped happening 2,000 years ago but, this is just unbelievable stuff".

Jim Meadowcroft exclaimed at the end: "That is the gretest performance I've ever seen in me life".

Not just with the finale but with the 7 century breaks that were scored during the match by both men, it is without doubt one of the best matches of snooker ever played and deserved of it's place in my Top 3. But that means there are in my mind, 2 matches that surpass the one above.

Stay tuned to find out which ones...

PS The celebrity 'pounds-for-points' at 45 minutes was wonderful! Never did I think I'd see John McCririck and Tessa Sanderson play snooker!

Williams Vs Higgins - Two Snooker Greats

Today's UK Championship snooker final between Mark Williams and John Higgins has felt like the turning back of the snooker clock a good decade and its been a pleasure to watch.

Williams leads 6-2 going into the evening session tonight and is on-course to record his 3rd UK Championship win having lifted the trophy back in 1999 & 2002.

John Higgins has also lifted the title twice, back in 1998 & 2000 - the two of them winning snooker's second most prestigious title for 4 years out of 5 at the turn of the millennium.

After the controversy of the match-fixing allegations that led to a 6 month ban earlier this year, Higgins, in his first tournament back in the saddle has shown that whilst his judgement let him down this year, his talent hasn't deserted him.

Williams on the other hand has fought back against career threatening bad form after he dropped out of the World's elite top 16 a few years back, to show once more what he's all about.

A Return of the Snooker Elite
Because both Williams and Higgins share the highest snooker accolades with other masters of the game over the years.

In the list of all-time ranking tournament winners Higgins sits at No.4 with 21 wins and Williams at No.5 with 17 wins. The only players above them are the legends of the game Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Ronnie O'Sullivan with 36, 28 and 22 respectively.

Higgins has matched O'Sullivan's 3 World Championship wins whilst Williams has won it twice.

The only other player to have reached double figures in ranking event wins is Jimmy White with 10.

When it comes to century makers, the top 4 of Hendry, Davis, O'Sullivan and Higgins also make the top four (in the order of Hendry, O'Sullivan, Higgins and Davis on 749, 614, 447 and 318 respectively - Mark Williams comes in at 8th with 244)




The New Guns a Blazing
The new snooker stars are a breed apart and will lead the game into the next decade with great distinction. To name but a few, the likes of Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter, Mark Selby and current World Champion Neil Robertson are world class and will contest the major finals for years to come.

But they will do well to make it past the 'Top 5' into the upper echelons of the game's record breakers becase the top 5 mentioned were in their time, an absolute class apart also.

With Davis already on a gently downward spiral and Hendry on a currently more turbulent one, it can be safe to say that there won't be many more World Snooker Ranking Finals that pit any of these 5 against each other.

So savour what is a real treat for us snooker fans this evening - a final between 2 of the greats of the baize.

ARE....YOU....READY? LET'S....PLAY...Snooker?!

As an avid sofa supporter of pretty much every kind of sport going (although I admittedly have little time for flat season racing and boxing), I've been greatly intrigued by the recent thinking about 'modernising' snooker by 'jazzing it up' a little, to make it a more eye-catching sport for us mere mortals to watch.

I think it's the great Ronnie O'Sullivan who has started the recent round of fevered debate on this issue by explaining his opinion that if snooker is not going to fade away and die as a spectacle, it needs to take a leaf out of the Darts handbook to survival.

As a likewise fan of darts, I find it an intriguing idea, but one at the end of the day, which might just be slightly flawed.

For me, snooker is all about those hushed tones in an auditorium. The whispered commentary of Ted Lowe and now more recently of Clive Everton (whose commentary I randomly, but jubilantly bumped into whilst surfing the myriad TV channels in Phuket in Thailand last February!), John Virgo et al along with the real sense of fair play that is rarely seen in sport nowadays (apart possibly, from the golfing arena) makes it a rather unique sporting experience. I say this as one who has as yet, been unfortunate to have not yet witnessed a live professional game of snooker in the flesh. But I'm sure when that day comes as it inevitably will (it really would have to be in the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield really), it'll only enhance my sentiments. I don't really like to think of myself as having the same thinking as Stephen Hendry but on this, we have worryingly similar views.

Having said that, a problem with snooker which Ronnie O'Sullivan alludes too, and quite rightly so, is the fact that the 'modern game' has not got those great characters that were ever present during snooker's greatest decade - the 1980s. The era of Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, Kirk Stevens, 'Big' Bill Werbeniuk, Ray 'Dracula' Reardon and Dennis Taylor has long gone. These were real characters.

But where are the characters in today's game? The current generation are yonuger, more professional and it must be said, much more adept in larger numbers than their older contemporaries. But apart from Ronnie, there's no obvious 'big names' who can catch the public's imagination. It's not necessarily the players fault, but it is an edge that has been lost in recent years. Losing the charms which make snooker, snooker, will only be to its detriment in the long run I feel. But if we could energise the young whipper-snappers playing now into being perhaps, slightly more entertaining around the table, it would do no harm!

To see a true genius in action, here's a clip of Ronnie O'Sullivan's unbelievable record-breaking 147. In just 5 minutes and 20 seconds!


But for Snooker at it's very, very best, here's a clip from the climax of that incredible, legendary final of finals from '85 when our Dennis humbled the great Steve Davis on the final black in the final frame, to win his 1st and only ever World Championship.



Ted Lowe's commentary alone makes it compulsive viewing! This, at the end of day is what makes snooker the incredible spectacle that it is. The players play their part of course, but it's the sheer tension and drama in an arena where you could hear a pin drop that makes it a wonderful, absorbing experience!

Bringing in the darts style introductions, whilst great for darts, just wouldn't cut the mustard here. This is snooker after all! Let the action speak louder than anything else!

Still loving those glasses Dennis! Even after all these years!