July 24, 2010

Bye Alex











Alex Higgins has died.

Watching him play was a great joy. He was a genius with a snooker cue. I once went to watch him play an exhibition match in Manchester. He never showed up. No reason was given. We got to watch Dennis Taylor instead.

I just wanted to say good-bye.

CR.

8 comments:

Dioclese said...

I agree - he was a genius with a cue and an absolute joy to watch. No pissing about - he just got on with it. He'll be missed - there just aren't enough personalities and characters like him in the game today.

Captain Ranty said...

I will miss him.

He used to live in Manchester and I have a friend who ran him home once. (He found Alex as pissed as a newt in Rochdale).

He took him back to his flat, and read the next day that Alex had fallen out of a window after arguing with his then girlfriend. He broke his arm.

Somedays I thought that if it wasn't for his bad luck he'd have no luck at all.

CR.

subrosa said...

I've just done a wee post for morning about this. Goodbye Alex.

Sorry if this is inappropriate to your post CR, but I've had folk ask if they can follow you on Twitter. You don't have the link on here. Just thought I'd mention it.

Anonymous said...

You didn't need cigarette advertising when Alex was on the box. The amount of tabs he got through in a game sent over the message far better than posterboards ever could!

He did just get on with the game. No arsing around, on the table and bam!

A true character. No bullsh*t when Alex was around.

Captain Ranty said...

Aye, he was a one-off, H.

We won't see his likes again.

CR.

Captain Ranty said...

Rosie,

I don't do the Twitter thing.

Don't know how to. If anyone has an idiots guide I'll have a crack at it.

CR.

JJ said...

Thanks for this post CR, a nice dedication to Alex Higgins.
I began like most fans watching snooker on the box back in the seventies when Alex burst onto the scene playing like the genius he was.
I can't remember ever missing snooker on television and Alex Higgins in particular.

He was a great character and a decent human being for all his little flaws.

Thanks for some wonderful memories...rest easy Alex.

william said...

And the BBC said "The legendary Northern Ireland player had been suffering from throat cancer for more than a decade and he blamed his illness largely on the cigarette makers who sponsored his sport."

So bang on message. The foul Arnott and her stasi will be champing at the bit!

Alex Higgins made Pot Black worth watching. Mind Pot Black made snooker worth watching and that went into the pit long before Alex did!