Back to the table – and time another Scots snooker star got their big break

THE best statistic I’ve ever heard quoted was that the day Irishman Ken Doherty won the snooker World Championship, there was not a single recorded crime in Dublin.

It may even be true. But snooker’s popularity has dipped – it once commanded TV audiences of 18 million in the 1980s – and today’s stars such as Judd Trump and Neil Robertson struggle to command the crossover cultural appeal of, say, a Jimmy White or Dennis Taylor.

Well, perhaps no longer. With football and rugby plotting a long road back (and altered completely by closed door games), snooker is looking to capitalise.

Competitive matches resume next Monday and, in the absence of other sports, may dominate the viewing and betting figures. We’ve already seen a renaissance in darts as players competed in tournaments by video.

Scots always do well at pub-based sporting activities, so let’s hope the new normal uncovers the next Jocky Wilson or Stephen Hendry (pictured).