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The first part of this interview has been conducted by Suzy and the second audio part by Imran.
Clive you have been here since 1977 when the competition moved to the Crucible- as a commentator but you also have a background in written media as editor of Snooker Scene and also with The Guardian and other newspapers
That's right- originally I was a journalist who covered everything but when snooker started to take off I specialised. I have been The Guardian's correspondant since 1976 and I founded Snooker Scene magazine in January 1971 and I have been the editor/proprieter of that ever since. My first commentaries were for various ITV stations but my first BBC commentary was here in 1978
You have always been very honest- very direct within your editorials- that is something I feel the public really do appreciate isn't it
From the feedback we get I think they do I think the genuine snooker people recognise that when they read Snooker Scene they are going to read the truth or as near as we can get to it-
Sometimes it is not a very palatable edict is it really
No not to the powers that be maybe- but snooker is comprised of players and enthusiasts- and the way I look at it is that governing bodies and such should serve them and not the other way about
Absolutley - you have seen many players come and go here- can you just talk me through some of the characters you have enjoyed on
Well I've enjoyed commentating on all sorts on things, not so much individual players but the state of the match. What I like above all is a tight dramatic finish, so although I'm doing Ronnie O'Sullivan today and that will be good,that will be easy actually because he usually does the work for you- he just gets into a break and all you need to do is watch him and listen to the referee. I enjoy all of it although what I enjoy most is a tight finish- a good dramatic final session
And they don't come much more dramatic than 1985
No, funnily enough I didn't do that for the BBC I did that for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the last twelve shots were probably the most dramatic sequence of shots I have ever seen as so much was hanging on it
I don't think the two gentlemen involved Mr Davis and Mr Taylor are ever going to forget that match in a hurry are they
No no no
How difficult has it been - combining written media and broadcasting- it is juggling two jobs isn't it
Well I have always thought of it as two aspects of the same job. I like to commentate journalistically. I certainly don't play favourites and I'm certainly very reluctant to hype up the action beyond what it actually deserves- so I think that they are two aspects of the same thing.
The art of commentary Clive is as you say being honest not to have favourites but being able to tell the truth- and present it as the public see the public aren't idiots- they will soon see and say hang on what is he watching - I'm watching something else
Yes yes- you try to call it accuratley and honestly- that's all you can do really
What is the longest match in terms of time that you have ever commentated on and commentary is the art of concentrating on isn't it
I think that snooker commnentary in many ways is the most difficult sports commentary of all because there is just so much of it that goes on hour after hour, day after day if you can get through a week without saying something that you know could have been put an awful lot better or possibly outright wrong then you are doing very well. I have been in the box- well I have done five hour sessions albeit with a short break after four frames and been involved in some very late finishes. Back in 1983 I did a match between Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens that finished at twelve minutes past two in the morning. The 2006 final Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon finished at ten to one in the morning and didn't go the full distance at 18-14 so if it had gone the full distance it would have been what half past two- something like that
I was intrigued when you said Kirk Stevens because Kirk was not one for hanging around on the table but Cliff Thorburn, The Grinder slowed him up
Well yes- I remember that match there were two or three 50minute frames, it was absorbing. But I would sooner have a real battle like that than just a succession of breaks and have it one sided. I don't like that very much.
Is it really a case of all the young players coming with the onus is attack, attack, attack and really the safety side maybe gets a little bit neglected
The current generation of players is more attacking- simply because they pot better- you have got to revise your estimate of what is a difficult shot from 20 years ago. I think the percentages of success on certain shots have changed but all the young players now have at least a reasonable safety game and most of them have a good safety game because they have seen so much of it on television that they have learned from it
Well the 1980s really was the boom era for snooker in general- sponsors queuing up to get involved in the game- nowadays it is not so easy to attract sponsors in obviously- BetFred came in for the World Championships - but still three tournaments without sponsors isn't there
Well it is no secret anybody who has read my book Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizzards- anybody who reads snooker regularly will know that I have a pretty low opinion of the WPBSA it is ultimately their responsibility to look after players in terms of sponsors, television coverage and the substantial prize funds that those factors bring.
The 80s also represented a time when really the same 1,2,3 players who stood chances of winning any tournament- now much wider open isn't it
Yes there is nothing wrong with what is on the table- there has never been, there are a very large number of good players about whereas as you say in the 80s two or three tended to stand out. But I think to come back to the business side of it I think WPBSA as it then was, in a pretty primative form I might add- they just couldn't believe the sudden interest there was in the game and they never really planned for the future- they never really put structures in place. It was all off the cuff.
Bit like the current government isn't it
Well yes yes- mind you all governments fail in the end because an opposition succeeds where governments fail
Who is the greatest player you have seen and why
O'Sullivan-Nothing compares with his natural talent, his imagination and his control- when he's on fire I think he's in a class of his own- maybe only half a class above the others but he's an absolute superstar
He's got the lot hasn't he- he can play left handed and right handed- you can't get much better than that
Yes all that and he has worked on his game a lot harder than people give him credit for, he's thought things out- quite an original thinker in shot selections and certain positions.I think Ronnie is the greatest great the game has ever seen
That is quite a tribute given we've had Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry dominate the game
Yes well they can only be the greatest of their own eras.Steve was not immensly gifted naturally. I knew a chap who used to play in the same club as Steve. He was absolutley incredulous when Steve came through and won the world championships. He said he obviously was going to be a good player but it just never struck anybody that he'd be good enough to be the world champion let alone six times but there again what is genius but the capacity to take him to the plate and Steve certainly took them. I think Stephen Hendry was more gifted naturally, probably, well certainly the greatest breakmaker the game has ever seen until O'Sullivan came along. You can't pin everything on centuries but I think that O'Sullivan will overtake Hendry's total if he continues to play long enough. And you could infer something from that.
Snooker has really endured ever since it did take off, and it continues to be one of the most of the most popular sports for viewers at home, why do you think that is, what was it about snooker that caught peoples imagination
I think it is a very colourful game - it's essentials are pretty easy to grasp I think the human element, the reaction shots you get on players faces. It is a battle, simply very often matches throw conflicting some personalities and anybody watching at home can pick their own favourites so it is simply a great game and it is insufficently recognised and gets some bad press from journalists who can't be bothered to try and understand it
If it get's any press at all that is- because if you look at most newspapers today-they tend to focus on one sport- football
Yes- I'm interested in football but I think football is overdone because I don't think sports editors realise sufficiently although that somebody may be interested in football they may be interested in snooker, golf, tennis anything you like - as well and I think a paper like The Telegraph for instance it used to have a correspondant for every sport- right down to netball, whatever you know and so it should
Absolutley Clive I'd just like to say thanks very much for taking the time to talk to me- I know how busy you are and the very best of luck for the future and for the next career.
Thankyou, thankyou
Suzy Jardine
Audio Interview with Imran Sidat - MP3 Download Link
Clive you have been here since 1977 when the competition moved to the Crucible- as a commentator but you also have a background in written media as editor of Snooker Scene and also with The Guardian and other newspapers
That's right- originally I was a journalist who covered everything but when snooker started to take off I specialised. I have been The Guardian's correspondant since 1976 and I founded Snooker Scene magazine in January 1971 and I have been the editor/proprieter of that ever since. My first commentaries were for various ITV stations but my first BBC commentary was here in 1978
You have always been very honest- very direct within your editorials- that is something I feel the public really do appreciate isn't it
From the feedback we get I think they do I think the genuine snooker people recognise that when they read Snooker Scene they are going to read the truth or as near as we can get to it-
Sometimes it is not a very palatable edict is it really
No not to the powers that be maybe- but snooker is comprised of players and enthusiasts- and the way I look at it is that governing bodies and such should serve them and not the other way about
Absolutley - you have seen many players come and go here- can you just talk me through some of the characters you have enjoyed on
Well I've enjoyed commentating on all sorts on things, not so much individual players but the state of the match. What I like above all is a tight dramatic finish, so although I'm doing Ronnie O'Sullivan today and that will be good,that will be easy actually because he usually does the work for you- he just gets into a break and all you need to do is watch him and listen to the referee. I enjoy all of it although what I enjoy most is a tight finish- a good dramatic final session
And they don't come much more dramatic than 1985
No, funnily enough I didn't do that for the BBC I did that for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the last twelve shots were probably the most dramatic sequence of shots I have ever seen as so much was hanging on it
I don't think the two gentlemen involved Mr Davis and Mr Taylor are ever going to forget that match in a hurry are they
No no no
How difficult has it been - combining written media and broadcasting- it is juggling two jobs isn't it
Well I have always thought of it as two aspects of the same job. I like to commentate journalistically. I certainly don't play favourites and I'm certainly very reluctant to hype up the action beyond what it actually deserves- so I think that they are two aspects of the same thing.
The art of commentary Clive is as you say being honest not to have favourites but being able to tell the truth- and present it as the public see the public aren't idiots- they will soon see and say hang on what is he watching - I'm watching something else
Yes yes- you try to call it accuratley and honestly- that's all you can do really
What is the longest match in terms of time that you have ever commentated on and commentary is the art of concentrating on isn't it
I think that snooker commnentary in many ways is the most difficult sports commentary of all because there is just so much of it that goes on hour after hour, day after day if you can get through a week without saying something that you know could have been put an awful lot better or possibly outright wrong then you are doing very well. I have been in the box- well I have done five hour sessions albeit with a short break after four frames and been involved in some very late finishes. Back in 1983 I did a match between Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens that finished at twelve minutes past two in the morning. The 2006 final Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon finished at ten to one in the morning and didn't go the full distance at 18-14 so if it had gone the full distance it would have been what half past two- something like that
I was intrigued when you said Kirk Stevens because Kirk was not one for hanging around on the table but Cliff Thorburn, The Grinder slowed him up
Well yes- I remember that match there were two or three 50minute frames, it was absorbing. But I would sooner have a real battle like that than just a succession of breaks and have it one sided. I don't like that very much.
Is it really a case of all the young players coming with the onus is attack, attack, attack and really the safety side maybe gets a little bit neglected
The current generation of players is more attacking- simply because they pot better- you have got to revise your estimate of what is a difficult shot from 20 years ago. I think the percentages of success on certain shots have changed but all the young players now have at least a reasonable safety game and most of them have a good safety game because they have seen so much of it on television that they have learned from it
Well the 1980s really was the boom era for snooker in general- sponsors queuing up to get involved in the game- nowadays it is not so easy to attract sponsors in obviously- BetFred came in for the World Championships - but still three tournaments without sponsors isn't there
Well it is no secret anybody who has read my book Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizzards- anybody who reads snooker regularly will know that I have a pretty low opinion of the WPBSA it is ultimately their responsibility to look after players in terms of sponsors, television coverage and the substantial prize funds that those factors bring.
The 80s also represented a time when really the same 1,2,3 players who stood chances of winning any tournament- now much wider open isn't it
Yes there is nothing wrong with what is on the table- there has never been, there are a very large number of good players about whereas as you say in the 80s two or three tended to stand out. But I think to come back to the business side of it I think WPBSA as it then was, in a pretty primative form I might add- they just couldn't believe the sudden interest there was in the game and they never really planned for the future- they never really put structures in place. It was all off the cuff.
Bit like the current government isn't it
Well yes yes- mind you all governments fail in the end because an opposition succeeds where governments fail
Who is the greatest player you have seen and why
O'Sullivan-Nothing compares with his natural talent, his imagination and his control- when he's on fire I think he's in a class of his own- maybe only half a class above the others but he's an absolute superstar
He's got the lot hasn't he- he can play left handed and right handed- you can't get much better than that
Yes all that and he has worked on his game a lot harder than people give him credit for, he's thought things out- quite an original thinker in shot selections and certain positions.I think Ronnie is the greatest great the game has ever seen
That is quite a tribute given we've had Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry dominate the game
Yes well they can only be the greatest of their own eras.Steve was not immensly gifted naturally. I knew a chap who used to play in the same club as Steve. He was absolutley incredulous when Steve came through and won the world championships. He said he obviously was going to be a good player but it just never struck anybody that he'd be good enough to be the world champion let alone six times but there again what is genius but the capacity to take him to the plate and Steve certainly took them. I think Stephen Hendry was more gifted naturally, probably, well certainly the greatest breakmaker the game has ever seen until O'Sullivan came along. You can't pin everything on centuries but I think that O'Sullivan will overtake Hendry's total if he continues to play long enough. And you could infer something from that.
Snooker has really endured ever since it did take off, and it continues to be one of the most of the most popular sports for viewers at home, why do you think that is, what was it about snooker that caught peoples imagination
I think it is a very colourful game - it's essentials are pretty easy to grasp I think the human element, the reaction shots you get on players faces. It is a battle, simply very often matches throw conflicting some personalities and anybody watching at home can pick their own favourites so it is simply a great game and it is insufficently recognised and gets some bad press from journalists who can't be bothered to try and understand it
If it get's any press at all that is- because if you look at most newspapers today-they tend to focus on one sport- football
Yes- I'm interested in football but I think football is overdone because I don't think sports editors realise sufficiently although that somebody may be interested in football they may be interested in snooker, golf, tennis anything you like - as well and I think a paper like The Telegraph for instance it used to have a correspondant for every sport- right down to netball, whatever you know and so it should
Absolutley Clive I'd just like to say thanks very much for taking the time to talk to me- I know how busy you are and the very best of luck for the future and for the next career.
Thankyou, thankyou
Suzy Jardine
Audio Interview with Imran Sidat - MP3 Download Link
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