Fun with the green baize legends
THERE was a roar of appreciation in Eden Court’s Empire Theatre like it was the winning shot in the World Snooker Championship Final when the young audience member perfectly potted the ball.
He had been invited up by compere and trick shot master John Virgo during the Snooker Legends show in Inverness.
The headline acts at the sell-out show of snooker fun and pure nostalgia were the star quartet of players Jimmy White, Dennis Taylor, Cliff Thorburn and John Parrott from the 1980s and 1990s.
But Virgo’s trick shots, which was a smash hit feature of the now defunct BBC snooker quiz “Big Break”, was the perfect appetiser.
It saw the former player, pantomime star and respected commentator set up the table, cues and balls so they could be potted in some weird and wonderful ways. Dressed in a trademark garish waistcoat he then invited volunteers to try their luck and one snooker fan with learning difficulties and obvious excitement came bounding up.
Virgo shuffled around the table telling anecdotes and making quips and with an easy charm prepared the volunteer to play the intricate shot, to wild applause as he hit it correct first time.
Uncanny and hilarious impressions follow from Virgo of the late Alex “Hurricane” Higgins — who was also featured in a five minute musical tribute — and the veteran Welsh player Terry Griffiths, complete with an immaculate blonde bouffant.
White and Taylor then contested an enjoyable two frame match with Virgo commentating. The Northern Irish man was outgoing and chatty, “The Whirlwind” White less so.
An unnecessary auction of show memorabilia presided over by 1985 world champion Taylor made several hundred pounds but it made you wonder if they had not made enough cash out of the capacity crowd already, given that tickets were £25 a pop.
The Canadian veteran Thorburn, notorious for his slow play and nicknamed The Grinder, was ribbed mercilessly about the time taken to play his shots while Parrott, only recently retired from competitive action, was the standout player on the table and bantered effortlessly with the crowd.
A doubles match between Thorburn, Taylor and two lucky raffle winners, with Virgo jesting about the quality of one of the amateur’s ability, rounded off an entertaining show for this long-time-lapsed snooker fan.
