Test Match: Poor Attendance

England played India in a Billiards Test Match at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds, immediately after the World and Grand Slam Qualifiers in July.

This event was an initiative of Jim Williamson and his son Chris. Over the years Jim Williamson has made sterling efforts to promote the game with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately this particular event was not a great success from the point of view of raising spectator interest. It is reported that there were very few spectators to see the best players in the world in competitive action. I was not there myself, but I had been present the day before to see some of the World Championship qualifying matches, and neither were there many spectators for those matches.

The match was played during the exhausting heat of the past summer, a heat which even affected the Indians, and this is given as one reason why there was hardly anyone there to watch. It was certainly hot but I feel there is more to it than that. The UK and The British Open were played in Wigan in February, there was no heat wave then, in fact on the evening before the UK Final, there was a heavy snowfall. Despite extensive local advertising there was never more than about twenty-five spectators present at any match, and a half-dozen or so of these were players. This is not unusual. Despite the presence of the television cameras for recent UK Championships held in Sheffield and at Aldershot, the attendance for the finals was poor. The only venues at which I have seen cause for any optimism were for British Open and UK finals at the Marton Country Club, Cleveland, and at the Plymouth Pavilions where Russell won the 1994 UK on the morning of the final of the UK Snooker. There were spectators at Marton by virtue of its location in the billiards heartland; there were spectators at Plymouth as entry was free and many spectators turned up to have a look at the billiards before, for them, the more serious business of the snooker. Plymouth was a real success, the television people were enthusiastic, and the spectators were treated to a brilliant display of billiards from Mike Russell. The finals and qualifiers that have been played in Sheffield and in Aldershot have never drawn more than a handful of spectators. The Northern Snooker centre fared even worse and I am not convinced that the weather played that great a part. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that there is almost no public for the professional game. Television would probably make a difference but there is little chance of billiards getting much coverage. It is a shame for Jim Williamson, but the Northern Snooker Centre owner is a pretty shrewd businessman. His efforts over the years have been made from enthusiasm. I do not think he has ever expected to make any money out of his promotions. It is worth pointing out that one of the best match rooms in the country, where many outstanding billiards (and snooker) matches were played over the years, was in the basement of the Excelsior Club, Leeds, also in the ownership of Williamson. The excellent match tables have been removed, the arena seating taken out, and American pool tables installed. Jim Williamson and Sons are not fools - they know what they are doing. And yet, and yet:- There will without any doubt be a full house at Darley Dale!