Alan becomes proud owner of legend’s ‘one and only’ cue
LINING up a shot at the table, Wexford native and snooker fanatic Alan Ennis has a genuine piece of snooker history in his hands. Recently he made a significant purchase and bought the one and only snooker cue used by the legendary Willie Thorne, who passed away last summer after a battle with leukaemia.
The cue was being auctioned off to raise funds for cancer charity Voice 20-20, which aims to help people suffering with head, neck and throat cancer. For Alan, who lives near Peterborough in the UK, there was added motivation for obtaining the cue. Not only is he a massive snooker fan, but he’s also been a friend of Willie Thorne’s going back years.
‘It’s a funny story actually,’ Alan said. ‘ I first met Willie through (Grand National winning jockey) Bob Champion. I was doing a bit of work for Bob’s charity at the time. Myself and Willie really hit it off and we were friends for around 10 years. Most years I’d head down to the crucible and I’d be sitting in the commentary box with Willie and Dennis Taylor where they’d be working for the BBC.’
Willie’s passing last year was a source of great sadness for Alan, who works as a presenter with the Ideal World shopping channel, and when he heard that his ‘one and only’ cue was up for grabs, he just had to have it.
‘It cost me a pretty penny,’ Alan laughs. ‘ But it’s all for a great cause too. It was the first cue his mother bought him aged 14. Over the years its had an extension done by John Parrot and he bought a Coco Chanel case for it, but it’s still the same cue he used his whole career.’
While Alan remains tight-lipped on just how much the piece of snooker memorabilia set him back, the opening bid was £2,000. However, he’s now the extremely proud owner of a genuine piece of snooker history and a cue that served Thorne well over a career which saw him become one of the first players to compile 100 century breaks.