Home of Snooker, Sheffield

It never ceases to amaze me, England, that the home of that gracious and genius-inspiring game, snooker, is actually a little humble theatre in Sheffield, former home of the British steel industry (remember "The Full Monty"?). Somehow this makes the whole occasion must more special, that moments of true theatre are played out in such a quietly

The funniest thing about going to see a snooker match - as I remember from seeing Peter Ebdon, Matthew Stevens, and Ronnie the Rocket about 6 years ago (although I can't remember exactly who was playing who), is the snippets of applause between the shots. The audience has to time them to perfection like at Wimbledon, so not to distract the players. But the intensity of watching these men pot these little balls on the table, and then a ripple of applause from around the arena (as though it were a child's game - thought clearly it's not easy!) is one of the strangest things. Funny, and seems to sum up the amusement of not really knowing what life is all about. Is it important the blue goes in the middle pocket to get back on the third red? Well, of course it is!

By the way, I've no idea who that bloke is in the picture. Clearly a besotted fan of snooker and not the theatre!