Starting to play again after a long, long time...

[Steve_Tuck]

My name's Steve Tuck. I'm from King's Lynn, Norfolk.

I started playing snooker in 1976 at the age of 13 years. I made my first century, a dead 100, in Dec 1979 at the age of 16 yrs and 3 months. I peaked in 1981-82 when I pretty much cleaned up in and around King's Lynn and West Norfolk. I was King's Lynn & District Senior and Junior Champion, King's Lynn Pairs Champion, Wisbech & District Senior and Junior Champion, Norfolk County U18 Champion ('81 & '82), Norfolk U21 Champion, Norfolk County Semi-Finalist and Norfolk County Team Member. I also won the Boston U18's and was R/U to Dean Reynolds in the Crowland U19's.

I was coached by John Barrie (former World Professional Billiards R/U) from Wisbech and Fred Peck in March, Cambs.

I went on to make only 5 centuries, with 109 the highest. It's a modest amount, but at that time, in a snooker backwater like West Norfolk, it wasn't too bad.

I stopped playing in 1983, quite abruptly in fact. This was preciptated by me suddenly getting the "Yips" (over a period of a few weeks) and in the end it was so bad I couldn't hit the cue ball under any circumstances. Also, at the time, I went off to university which proved to be a blessed distraction and quite simply, I've never played the game again.

Which brings me to now... after about 30 years, I'm looking to start playing again. Currently, I work away from my family home during the week, staying in Louth, Lincs and so I have some spare time in the evenings, Mon - Thurs. I've just joined the Town & Country Club in the town, I've ordered some snooker specs and I'm in the process of searching for a new cue, probably a JP at this moment in time. With a history of the "Yips", I thought a fresh start would be best, so I plan to leave my old cue from my teenage years firmly in it's case.

Steve Tuck

[Neil Taperell]

Welcome to The Forum Steve , great introduction .

[humperdingle]

Welcome along. I think many people are in the same boat, playing as youngsters and coming back into it later in life.

[SouthPaw]

Welcome Steve, nice bit of insight there! You'll probably find you'll get into the swing of things in no time, word of warning, be careful on here, you may get a cue addiction like many a folk on here...

[mythman69]

I plan to leave my old cue from my teenage years in it's case indoors. Steve Tuck

Welcome Steve! One question: what type is the old cue?

I also used to play many moons ago and then came back to snooker later in life. Unlike you, I was never any good in my youth but I am starting to make some real progress. Good luck on the table!

[Steve_Tuck]

mythman69... I don't know the manufacturer of my old cue. It's a one piece, ash shaft, machine spliced, black ebony butt. It's got a white nameplate on the butt but the details written on it have long since disappeared. I bought it around about 1978 from a local Gunmakers / Sports Shop called Gallyons in King's Lynn. It cost £18.00 and I went strawberry picking for several days to earn enough money to buy it. That shop is now longer there, but they still have a country clothing shop in Norwich. I made my cue case in woodwork at school. The cue and the case are still together but it's not been picked up for about 20 years.

As was fashionable in those days, the tip ended up being a ridiculously small 7.5-8.0mm in diamater, influenced by the likes of Mike Hallet and some of the players around me at the time.

The reason for not wanting to play with that cue now, apart from the tip diameter, is I still associate it with the "Yips" and I want to make a fresh start, hence the search for a new cue. I have been looking at what's available for 3-4 weeks now, I've hit a few balls with dirrent makes and I have pretty much decided upon a John Parris cue. I'm looking for something unique and of good quality, so happy to spend a bit on the right cue. I'm in no particular rush.

Just going back to when I played, there was a local character called Fred Peck. He had an insurance business in March, Cambs. He had a table at the back of the premises in a billiard room with seating for 50-60 people. The table, according to Fred, was described by "the Hurricane", as "one of the best he'd ever played on" and was the source of a great deal of pride for Fred.

Fred used to do a bit of coaching and he'd put on the odd show locally at different clubs around the area. He saw me play in a local league game one evening and invited me over to his place on the next Sunday afternoon to play a few frames with some of "his boys". Well, my Dad took me over as agreed and "Fred's boys" turned out to be a 15-year old Jimmy White and his mate, Tony Meo. They used to get brought up from London in a black cab, stay with Fred, and he'd put them on in 3 or 4 shows locally before returning them to London. At that time, I saw these boys play snooker from another planet, with century break after century break being reeled off at unbelievable speed. I saw Meo make three consecutive centuries one afternoon. Jimmy had a completely outrageous repertoire of shots, getting action on the cueball like I'd never thought possible. This was the first of many Sunday afternoon's I spent at Fred's and it was a real exciting place to be.

Other players who congregated at Fred's at the time included Mike Hallet from Grimsby, Jerry Williams from London, Vaughan Lutkin and Jason Smith from Peterborough, Adrian Hurst from Long Sutton, Steve Hobbs from Soham and one or two others. I got to know Mark Wildman at that time also, watching him play billiards on a number of occasions. I beat Terry Whitthread 4-2 in an exhibition match on Fred's table, when Terry was reigning world junior champion.

Other memorable moments including losing 0-2 to Jimmy in the Pontin's Open in 1981 in front of about 600 people packed into the main arean and getting to the last 16 of the Joe Coral pairs with my club partner in 1982. On that adventure we beat Henke / Brokenshire from St Ives and a fancied pair from Peterborough (can't recall their names), before going out to Derek Grimmer and the notorious Terry Green from Gt Yarmouth.

As I said previously, King's Lynn was a snooker backwater. I didn't venture very far, because of my age. However, it was a great time - I don't think that, in 1979, there were too many 16 years olds in the country who'd made a century break. Happy days.

[magicman]

Welcome back old man! You can enter all the Masters events now, and pass on your wisdom to the younger generation.

[Steve_Tuck]

mythman69:

I'm not sure of the make of my original cue. The late 70's / 80's are a long time ago now. It is a one-piece, ash shaft, black ebony butt, machine spliced. It has a white name plate on the butt but the details of what was written on there have long since disappeared. The tip was reduced in size from a 10mm to something around 7.5mm. It was a fashionable thing to do back then, having been influenced by players such as Mike Hallett and others around me at a time when I didn't know any better.

I remember buying the cue from a local shop in King's Lynn, Gallyons, a Gunmakers and Sports shop. It's long since disappeared, but I understand there's still a Gallyons shop in Norwich selling country clothing. I paid 18-quid for the cue and I went strawberry picking in the fields around King's Lynn during the summer holidays to earn and save up enough money to buy it. This took me about two weeks. I made my cue case in woodwork at school, with a little help from the teacher. The cue and the case are still together, although it hasn't seen the light of day for the best part of 20 years.

In contemplating playing again, I have been looking at cues for the last month or so. I have hit a few cue balls with 30-40 different cues for various makes, etc. I have a definite spec in mind and I've eventually (well almost) decided to take the plunge with a John Parris 3/4 length Ultimate in ash and black ebony. The cost is a bit lumpy but I want to treat myself to something unique and of the highest quality, which I can now afford to do, especially at my age! There's quite a wait for such a cue - about 8 months minimum, but I'm in no hurry.

I want a clean break from my old cue, not only because of the (now unplayable) tip diameter, but it is too closely associated with me getting the "Yips", which were a big factor in me eventually stopping playing.

Steve

[willtyson]

Interesting posts, welcome to the forum :snooker:

[Steve_Tuck]

By way of reminiscing, I'd like to share a couple of things...

When I played between 1976 and 1982, it was before the time of the multi-table snooker halls, generally speaking. These did exist in the larger cities but hadn't yet arrived in smaller towns like King's Lynn. I only ever played in Conservative / British Legion / Social and Working Men's Clubs with one, two or three tables - that was all there was. And at that time, my young age was always an issue in getting playing time as I had to "give way" to club members.

When I made my first century in 1979, I imagine there weren't that many 16 yr olds in the country who'd had a hundred break at that time. There was only one other player in King's Lynn who done it - a player by the name of Stan Venman. He was a great character and real gentleman, with great knowledge about the game and life in general. He was 5 or 6 time Norfolk County Snooker Champion. Anyway, I made a bee-line for Stan as he was the best player around the town and I practised with him whenever I could.

Another great character I knew was Fred Peck from March, Cambs. Fred had an insurance business and he did a bit of coaching with youngsters around the area and he also put on a few shows in the local clubs. Most notably he had this table at the rear of his premises in a snooker room which seated about 50-60 people. Famously, according to Fred (who loved to tell a story), "The Hurricane" himself described Fred's table as "the best he'd ever played on". Fred was also great friends with Mark Wildman from Peterborough who was a regular visitor. Anyway, one evening Fred saw me play a league match in a club where he too was playing and invited me to his place the following Sunday afternoon to have a few frames with some of "his boys".

So, that afternoon, my Dad look me over to Fred's and "his boys" turned out to be none other than a fresh faced, curly-haired, 15-yr-old Jimmy White and his dapper mate, Tony Meo. After the introductions from Fred, I sat down with my dear old dad and watched these two play snooker which was from a completely different planet. They reeled off century break after century break. Meo had three tons in three consecutive frames. This blew my mind. Jimmy was playing shots you had to see to be believed. I know it was showboat snooker but I cannot describe some of the action he was getting on the cueball. I was their ball boy of a few frames but it was a pleasure and an eye-opener. This was before Jimmy became English Amateur Champion in 1980 and so he was largely unknown. Every so often Fred would arrange for them to be brought up to his place from South London in a London Taxi. They would stay with him, playing on his table all day and he'd put them on in shows over three or four evenings at clubs in the local area. I got to subsequently play - well watch - Jimmy on several occasions.

At that time, other players I encountered there included Mike Hallet from Grimsby, Jerry Williams from London, Vaughan Lutkin and Jason Smith from Peterborough, Adrian Hurst from Long Sutton, Steve Hobbs from Soham and of course Mark Wildman. Most notably, I beat a young Terry Whitthread 4-2 on that table in an exibition match, at the time when he was World Junior Snooker Champion.

My other great memories from that time include playing Jimmy at Pontins in the Open in 1981 in front of about 600 people in the main match arena. Before I had time to pinch myself (as Reardon knocked in a 139 on the table beside me), Jimmy had won 2-0 in about 20 minutes and that was that!

Also, getting to the last 16 of the UK Joe Coral Pairs with my club partner in 1981. We played several local rounds, before beating Henke / Brokenshire from St Ives, a fancied pair from Peterborough (can't recall their names) before going out to Derek Grimmer and the notorious Terry Green from Gt Yarmouth. Oh, these were happy days.

[SouthPaw]

The forum was getting a bit boring there after the world championships (hangover period), but it's starting to click into gear again thanks to yourself and your write ups, excellent pieces of snooker history there Steve...

[magicman]

Interesting posts Steve!

If I were you I wouldn't wait 8 months for any cue, even a Parris. If you were absolutely 100% convinced the cue would be made for you personally by John himself, then it may be a debatable point. As it is, it will probably be made by someone with far less experience than some of the other quality cue-makers available to you at a fraction of the price and with cue's available to buy immediately.

[throtts]

Great read, Steve. You have some fantastic stories, there. Should be in the snooker lounge, be a more deservedly noticed..

[Steve_Tuck]

I haven't pressed the Parris "buy" button yet, but it's close... if anyone can give me any pointers to viable alternatives that'd be great.

I realise, with regard to a new cue, knowing the length, weight and tip size I'm looking for... it's all in the shaft, the grain pattern, the balance and the feel. As I've said... I've hit balls with 30-40 diffferent cues recently at a couple of vendors and maybe one or two felt like everything I'd previously imagined a new cue feeling like - if you understand me? For me, try before I buy is key.

For me, it'd be too big a risk buying a cue online, remote, and it arriving in my hand, unseen and untried.

That said, this next bit might sound a bit of a contradiction. I spoke to Parris on the phone yesterday. With the Ultimate, I know I'm going to get a very distinct piece of ash with a very particular grain pattern. Also, I asked about specifying the relative orientation of the grain chevrons on the top of the cue relative to the flat on the butt. I prefer to hold the flat in a particular orientation and in doing so, I want to be able to see the grain chevrons on the top of the cue along the line of the shot. Normally, the chevrons and the flat are in the same orientation, whereas I want them offset by 90 degrees, so that chevrons are at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock and the flat is at 9 o'clock as I hold the cue in my grip hand...

Yes it is a pain having to wait, but it's been 30 years... so a few months is neither here nor there.

Clearly, buying a new cue today is a bit different from back in the 70's. I am open to suggestions. I'm not in a hurry and the cost is not at the top of my list of concerns.

On another matter, I have been intrigued to read on here all about player's experiences with the "Yips" / "Cueitis". I had a pretty mechanical / contrived action, technically sound, always striving to be text book, with a deliberate pause at the end of the back swing and when the "Yips" descended upon me my game fell apart totally so such an extent I couldn't even hit a loan cue ball on a table with only me in the room. It all happened very quickly and to say it reduced me to tears back them as a young kid, who lived and breathed the game, is an understatement. Back in those days, apart from Patsy Fagan's very public suffering on TV with the rest, there was nothing to compare it with, no other suffers to console myself with and furthermore, no advice, none whatsoever to help me overcome it. It all started with soft stuns, touch shots, soft screws around the blue coming up the table towards the pack and especially around the black spot. Soon it progressed to playing off the cushion, running the cue ball through and then in got a foothold in all aspects of my game.

In the intervening years, even watching play on the TV, when players are executing soft stuns / screws and touch shots especially around the top of the table, I can even imagine / feel myself "Yipping" sitting in the armchair!!! Therefore, you can imagine, even though I haven't yet started any sort of comeback in terms of practice or playing any frames (my new snooker specs don't arrive 'til next week anyway), I'm already beginning to feel a little trepidation at the thought. What if the "Yips" comeback? My only consolation this time is round, I know there will be help and advice out there to enable me to get to the bottom of it and finally overcome it.

Please feel free with suggestions re. a new cue.

Steve

[magicman]

I absolutely agree with you with regards to the try before you buy sentiment, and peculiarly I too hold the flat of the butt in my fingers 90 deg to the top of the cue. I've played for England but I still wouldn't pay a grand for a cue that a) I haven't picked up and b) I've got to wait 8 months for. As for the yips, my slight problem(compared to yours) was overcome by a very slight raise of the shoulder before delivery and finding pleasure in delivering the hand to the chest. Weird maybe, but worked for me!

There are a fair few quality makers detailed on this forum, among them are Robert Osborne - the best imo (London), Trevor White (Bridgend, Wales), Craftsman cues (Leeds), and Stamford.