Snooker

[Michael Black]

I have been watching some of the snooker on the T.V. at the moment. After a few days my wife my asked me if I could play, as she has never known me to.
So I said I used to play in the mission to seamen clubs sometimes, but while !ot of the tables were fine I remember a couple with tape over a rip in the cloth, some of the cues not quite straight sometimes with the tip missing.
If the guy you were playing had his own chalk you knew you had no chance. They were a great place for a night ashore for a change and much appreciated.
Regards Michael

[John Gill]

#1 your post reminds me of a famous Brideswell in Liverpool city centre where those who were somewhat overcome with too much of Yates' finest sherry were thrown into a cell known as The Snooker Room where they '' went in off the white"

[j.sabourn]

#1 If was the mission in Shields was too close to the pubs around the market and only finished up there when broke. JS

[j.sabourn]

Closest I came to a cell in the uk was in Dundee. Coming back to the ship one night called into the fish and chip shop for a carry out .Standing in the queue this couple in front of me started fighting and he started slapping this woman around so rather than be spattered with her blood I stepped in and got embroiled . The owner of the shop called in the police and the hurry up wagon arrived and threw me in the back , my claims of innocence went unheard as the woman changed her story as she was the wife of this ghengis khan idiot. It was only the owner of the shops record of the tiff that they opened up the van. Moral of the story Never get between a man and his wife. JS

[thomas michael]

hi john gill #2
good afternoon your right about the brideswell, in some cases they used to chain the said miscreant, to a raised dias in the middle of the cell, and then play snooker with your balls.
we in bootle having many a excursion into the big city of liverpol, getting the train into exchange station, you only had to cross the road and you where into yates wine lodge moorfields, but there was always a reception given by police whom used to dig anybody in the ear or elsewhere if you looked sideways at them, but getting back out of liverpool was always the worst, and six large white wines was the absolute measure, whereby you where steady enough on your feet in passing the police at the station, anymore and it was as they say your snookered.
tom

[thomas michael]

hi john sabourn#4
good afternoon you must have had one two many that night, because you have used that ruse before in belfast before making off with the mans girl and booze, i reckon you came unstuck when you tried it on with her and she told her fella.
tom

[j.sabourn]

I wasnt after his fish and chips Tom. And his missus looked too salty for me . And I was 25 years older. If not much wiser. JS

[thomas michael]

hi john sabourn #7
im glad you added you where not much wiser, because no matter how wise the big head gets the little head never seems to catch up,
tom

[Tony Taylor]

As a kid, from about 13, I played snooker on two excellent full size tables in the miners welfare hall.
3d would get you an hour on the table and even longer if no one else came in and wanted to play.
1968 2nd trip apprentice, went ashore in Perth Amboy NJ, ship was berthed at the bottom the main drag, into the first bar with my mate and there was this tiny little snooker table with huge pockets, we had never seen a pool table. So we put in a quarter and figured out how to drop the balls and while we were stood scratching our heads about these strange balls we were approached by this character who said "that's my table" we hadn't a clue what he meant but soon as we spoke he realised weren't locals, so he explained the etiquette about having to challenge whoever won the last game and then explained how the game of pool was played.
We wiped the floor with him and his mate it was just so easy. Nowadays I wouldn't have a chance.

[John Arton]

Used to play snooker in the friendship mission in Xingang, rubbish table with knackered baize. The mission in Pernis, Rotterdam had two excellent tables as did the one in Hull, mind you whatever the state of the tables the snooker balls never whent wherever I was aiming then to go, bit like my golf ball when I used to play golf (badly)
Rgds
J.A.