Snooker Is Gangsta

Photo by Keith Taylor

Snooker is not known to be the most violent of the billiards games, but here it proves that it can be just as rough as the $50 a ball game down at the pool hall on MLK Blvd. You know that pool hall, with the warped and stained tables from all the booze spilled on them, the smell of stale beer and cigarettes in the air, some old guy sitting in the corner, silent, but watching every move made and cackling like a hyena with a pack a day habit whenever you scratch a ball...yea, that's real pool. However, snooker is attempting to rival real billiards by having fights break out in charity exhibition matches! Thats hard-core man.

This snooker match broke into a fight due to a disputed call made by the referee. Alex "Hurricane" Higgins did not like a ball touching call made and landed a punch in the stomach of the man in the tux above, the ref, Terry Riley. Riley took exception to this, grabbed Higgins and pushed him backwards along the table until some of the crowd and his opponent stepped in.

From the story:

The event's promoter, Gary Astley, said Higgins later told him the referee had "over-reacted" on Monday night.

But Mr Riley, a class one international referee with 25 years' experience, said: "It was a punch and officials are not there to be punched."

I never thought I'd live to see the day where a snooker referee could be called "gangsta" but its time has come...and I've never felt so alive before.

Full Story from Daily Mail here