Snooker’s Wildest Legends: The Crucible’s Most Infamous Characters

Snooker’s Wild Side: The Crucible’s Most Colorful Characters

Ahead of the World Snooker Championship at the iconic Crucible Theatre, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of the sport’s most notorious hellraisers who brought flamboyance, controversy and plenty of potting prowess to the baize.

Tony Knowles, dubbed “The Ladies Man of Bolton,” was snooker’s ultimate playboy. He infamously posed on the table with a topless Page 3 model and sold lurid tales of his sexual exploits to the tabloids. His career nose-dived amid the publicity storm, but Knowles certainly lived up to his self-proclaimed title as snooker’s “hottest pot.”

Alex “Hurricane” Higgins blew through the sport like his namesake, courting controversy at every turn. The heavy-drinking, chain-smoking Northern Irishman once rocked up to the World Championship with three female escorts, fought with officials, and was given a season-long ban for headbutting a tournament director.

Despite earning millions, Higgins’ demons plagued him and he died in 2010 after a long battle with throat cancer, broke and having faced numerous assault charges in his later years.

Jimmy “The People’s Champion” White was another central figure in snooker’s hedonistic heyday. Barry Hearn even put a minder on White in a futile attempt to keep him out of trouble. The Englishman made no secret of his penchant for beautiful women, extravagant purchases and cocaine binges that he estimates cost him £2 million over the years.

‘Big’ Bill Werbeniuk was the only player who could match White drink for drink. The burly Canadian claimed to down 24 pints and 8 double vodkas before a match and still win. Tragically, he said he needed the alcohol to control a tremor in his cueing arm. Werbeniuk died aged 56 back in his homeland.

Snooker’s modern maverick is undoubtedly Ronnie “The Rocket” O’Sullivan. Still chasing records at the Crucible, the sport’s most naturally gifted player has had frequent run-ins with officialdom and once played in his socks after borrowing shoes from a referee. Love him or loathe him, there’s never a dull moment when Ronnie’s at the table.

While the game may have cleaned up its image in recent years, these colorful characters and their outrageous antics are an indelible part of snooker folklore. Their rebellious spirits and sublime talents combined to make snooker a national obsession.

Key Takeaways:

• Snooker’s boom years in the 70s and 80s featured a cast of larger-than-life characters
• Tony Knowles, Alex Higgins and Jimmy White were notorious for their hellraising lifestyles
• Canadian Bill Werbeniuk’s drinking exploits were the stuff of legend
• Ronnie O’Sullivan carries the torch as the game’s last great maverick
• These stars brought unparalleled drama and skill to the Crucible, cementing snooker’s popularity