John Spencer

[Holden Chinaski]

John Spencer vs Ray "Dracula" Reardon:

John Spencer vs Alex "Hurricane" Higgins part 1:

Part 2:

Some groovy stuff!

[Cyril]

Love these old matches. The Spencer v Reardon game from the early 70's is like a bygone age of smoke filled billiard halls, with he crowd (nearly exclusively men) all sinking pints and muttering their approval at the skills of the two players. Love seeing the great John Pulman, with a scotch and ciggy, having a laugh at Spencer's misfortune!

[Holden Chinaski]

Love seeing the great John Pulman, with a scotch and ciggy, having a laugh at Spencer's misfortune!

Yeah that's a great part. Pulman seems like a funny guy.

[Cyril]

Yeah that's a great part. Pulman seems like a funny guy.

He was a lovely player to watch, really elegant and stylish around the table. He was also technically sound and ahead of many of his peers at that time. It's such a shame there isn't much footage available of him. Must be some in the BBC archives. He was a great commentator as well, hugely knowledgable, witty and a gentle, friendly voice, much like Peter Alliss in golf. You could picture him in the commentary box with a whiskey and a ciggy burning away...

[narl]

Was that a push shot by Higgins around the 9:20 mark in the first vid against Spencer? The cue ball goes forward quite a distance before the backspin engages.

[Holden Chinaski]

Was that a push shot by Higgins around the 9:20 mark in the first vid against Spencer? The cue ball goes forward quite a distance before the backspin engages.

I don't think it was a push shot. I'm not sure what the foul was..

[Cyril]

Was that a push shot by Higgins around the 9:20 mark in the first vid against Spencer? The cue ball goes forward quite a distance before the backspin engages.

I think it was a terrific shot from Alex, and certainly not a push. Had it been, the cue ball would have carried on forward, wouldn't it?

[narl]

I think it was a terrific shot from Alex, and certainly not a push. Had it been, the cue ball would have carried on forward, wouldn't it?

At the same time though if it was a screw shot even in close proximity I don't think the white should have went forwards as much as it did. hmm...

[Cyril]

At the same time though if it was a screw shot even in close proximity I don't think the white should have went forwards as much as it did. hmm...

I think the cue ball would have gone forward a fair way before the spin effect generated by the screw got a grip on the cloth. Impossible to tell for sure isn't it. I think Spencer felt Alex had been hard done by, judging by his "half hearted" attempt at the long red.

Didn't Spencer show his class in the decider... Even though his deadly straight, crisp cue action wasn't what it had been 10-years previously. 1969-71 he was the top dog weren't he. The stat that always impresses me is when he made 3 centuries in 4 frames against Warren Simpson in the '71 World Final. To do that in a World Final today would be a fantastic feat but back then, with the old Crystalite balls and thicker cloth it must have been out of this world.

[100-uper]

He was a lovely player to watch, really elegant and stylish around the table. He was also technically sound and ahead of many of his peers at that time. It's such a shame there isn't much footage available of him. Must be some in the BBC archives. He was a great commentator as well, hugely knowledgable, witty and a gentle, friendly voice, much like Peter Alliss in golf. You could picture him in the commentary box with a whiskey and a ciggy burning away...

Pulman was sponsored by a cigarette company, I think the brand was Park Drive if I remember correctly. I recall going to one of his exhibitions where there were two girls with trays of loose cigarettes constantly circulating the audience offering free samples. Pulman himself chain-smoked throughout the entire proceedings. It killed him in the end of course.

[Cyril]

Pulman was sponsored by a cigarette company, I think the brand was Park Drive if I remember correctly. I recall going to one of his exhibitions where there were two girls with trays of loose cigarettes constantly circulating the audience offering free samples. Pulman himself chain-smoked throughout the entire proceedings. It killed him in the end of course.

100-uper, how nice to hear from you! I am deeply envious that you got to watch John Pulman play. Park Drive did a fair amount of snooker sponsorship in the late-60's, early 70's, didn't they. John lived in Northampton in his later years, only a couple of miles away from me. He died from complications following a fall at home, I think. I have a newspaper cutting from the Daily Telegraph's obituary somewhere.

[narl]

Pulman was sponsored by a cigarette company, I think the brand was Park Drive if I remember correctly. I recall going to one of his exhibitions where there were two girls with trays of loose cigarettes constantly circulating the audience offering free samples. Pulman himself chain-smoked throughout the entire proceedings. It killed him in the end of course.

He actually died after falling down his stairs at home, apparently on Christmas day.

[spike]

Was that a push shot by Higgins around the 9:20 mark in the first vid against Spencer? The cue ball goes forward quite a distance before the backspin engages.

I started a thread on the shot in question many moons ago.

HERE it is..

[narl]

I started a thread on the shot in question many moons ago.

HERE it is..

Quite a bit of squabbling going on in it as well

[Cyril]

Good thread was that, spike. A good, honest debate about a controversial incident... involving Alex !