Coleraine pays tribute to snooker legend Higgins

COLERAINE friends and acquaintances last night paid tribute to the late snooker legend Alex Higgins, describing him as a legend and a genuis.

The former world snooker champion died in his Belfast home on Saturday, aged 61, following a long battle with throat cancer.

'The Hurricane' clinched his first World title in 1972 beating John Spencer in the final and then repeated the triumph 10 years later at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield by beating Ray Reardon 18-15

No one of a certain age will forget his then wife Lynn Robbins and their children Lynn and Lauren being called into the arena to celebrate with a distraught and tearful Higgins who had closed out his victory with a terrific clearance of 135.

He was also beaten in the 1976 and 1980 world finals while his other triumphs included two Masters titles at Wembley.

Last night twice Northern Ireland snooker champion, Coleraine's Julian Logue, said: "He definitely inspired an awful lot of people, myself included.

"I played him on a few occasions over the years. I played him when I was 17 or 18 at Coleraine Leisure Centre and also at a Pro-Am event in Wales. I was also matched up against him at pool team event at the Lodge Hotel.

"I would also have practised with him at the QE1 Club in Belfast. I remember him being at one event three of four years ago in Killarney and the hall was packed with people who had come to see him.

"Without Alex Higgins snooker would not be where it is today. He was just different class.

"He was still playing in tournaments and people were still coming to see him. It's a big loss to us and to snooker in general. I'll miss him not being around."

Robert Downes of the 147 Snooker Club, who knew Higgins for more than 25 years, also paid tribute to the Belfast man and said he inspired a generation of young players in the Coleraine area to take up the game.

"When he was in heyday snooker clubs were buzzing, you couldn't get a table. Snooker is absolutely rubbish without him.

"He was a man that brought so much excitement to the game. I would have done anything for him, he was absolute legend."

Robert recalled an unexpected - and hilarious - visit from Higgins in the mid nineties.

"He was coming down from Belfast with his sister in the car and they had a fall out and he told her he wanted to get out at Coleraine to go and get a pair of glasses.

"So she let him out and Windyhall and he called in at the club and asked for me. When I got there he said he needed a pair of reading glasses!

"He wouldn't go to an opticians down the road because it was too expensive so I took him to Tesco.

"And I'll never forget it because the glasses cost 3 and the women there were flocking around him. He just stood there for ages and signed autographs."

Robert said that back at the snooker club Higgins happily posed for a photograph with his son Christopher and cousin Steven Dickie.

"He was something else. He used to come in and practice when they were playing those big exhibition matches at the Riverside Theatre all those years ago.”

Former NI pool player, Raymond Stockman recalled the night Higgins arrived in Coleraine unexpectedly to play for North Down and Ards select side in the Towns Cup, part of the Coleraine Festival of Pool.

Raymond said: “This was a serious inter-league competition but when Higgins arrived all the players wanted to do was to watch him play and just stare at him.

“Even back then he was someone who was flamboyantly dressed. People just couldn’t take their eyes off him, there was something about him.”

Raymond added that Higgins played just two frames of pool that night and lost both.

“I remember he played Davy Ferguson and Davy had to take off a pair of shoes he was wearing because they were squeaking!

“Alex threw him a look and Davy took off his socks and shoes and played him in his bare feet. Everyone was just laughing, it was hilarious and Davy managed to beat him after Higgins missed a finish.

“But he kept very much to himself that night and went home early with a team-mate when he got tired.

“It was a great boost for us for him to show up because there was always a big interest in snooker in this area and a lot of people followed him.”