Willie Thorne

[Sir David Gray]

Died aged 66.

Bit before my time in a playing capacity although heard him plenty of times as a commentator.

It didn't sound good yesterday when it was announced he was suffering respiratory problems and had to be placed into an induced coma.

[G15 Hibs]

He seems to have had health and personal problems for quite a while, some well documented in the gutter press but not worth mentioning now, which is a terrible shame. I enjoyed his meandering wittering with Dennis Taylor on commentary at the World Championships back in the day, the perfect background to lazy spaced out spring afternoons.

[BroxburnHibee]

Yeah sad news.

Will miss his voice in the commentary.

[Golden Bear]

Very sad. Willie was one of an array of real characters in the era that he played in .

[Hiber-nation]

I liked Willie as a player and commentator. But always had a problem with the middle pockets for some reason and I liked the way he would be self-deprecating about it.

[Scouse Hibee]

Nice guy, I met him many years ago as a table fitter, played through the booming snooker years. Sad loss so young.

[Itsnoteasy]

I liked Willie as a player and commentator. But always had a problem with the middle pockets for some reason and I liked the way he would be self-deprecating about it.

I had that same problem many moons ago in U16s Scottish. I was playing Marcus Campbell from Glasgow in the semis who turned pro. Best of 5, 2-0 up he came back 2-2. I missed an easy ish ⚫ in the middle bag & lost 3-2. The winner played Stephen Hendry in the final. To this day I have a mental block on those middle bags.

[BroxburnHibee]

I had that same problem many moons ago in U16s Scottish. I was playing Marcus Campbell from Glasgow in the semis who turned pro. Best of 5, 2-0 up he came back 2-2. I missed an easy ish ⚫ in the middle bag & lost 3-2. The winner played Stephen Hendry in the final. To this day I have a mental block on those middle bags.

Its funny years ago I would say I was decent at the game and middle bags never bothered me, even at pace. It was pots along the cushion I always struggled with.

[Peevemor]

Its funny years ago I would say I was decent at the game and middle bags never bothered me, even at pace. It was pots along the cushion I always struggled with.

Pots along the cushion were a sort of speciality of mine and I'd happily take them before easier balls if it suited my positioning. It didn't always work, but neither did the easier balls.

You have to be more accurate with the middle bags as the angle of the cushions around them give you less tolerance than the corners.

[Scouse Hibee]

Talking about issues with pockets, Willie wasn’t there but same era.

Many years ago we put a table up for an exhibition match featuring Terry Griffiths in St George’s Hall Liverpool. I had just about finished when Terry arrived looked at the corner pockets, climbed onto the table and tried to get his knee into the opening.......”too tight” he said, “I want to look good” make them bigger. After a few conversations I had to take the cushions off, untack the cloth and recut the rubber to a bigger template similar to a club cut rather than a match table.

[Itsnoteasy]

Talking about issues with pockets, Willie wasn’t there but same era.

Many years ago we put a table up for an exhibition match featuring Terry Griffiths in St George’s Hall Liverpool. I had just about finished when Terry arrived looked at the corner pockets, climbed onto the table and tried to get his knee into the opening.......”too tight” he said, “I want to look good” make them bigger. After a few conversations I had to take the cushions off, untack the cloth and recut the rubber to a bigger template similar to a club cut rather than a match table.

That's a young mans game fitting tables. I bet lifting that slate was hard going.

[Itsnoteasy]

Talking about issues with pockets, Willie wasn’t there but same era.

Many years ago we put a table up for an exhibition match featuring Terry Griffiths in St George’s Hall Liverpool. I had just about finished when Terry arrived looked at the corner pockets, climbed onto the table and tried to get his knee into the opening.......”too tight” he said, “I want to look good” make them bigger. After a few conversations I had to take the cushions off, untack the cloth and recut the rubber to a bigger template similar to a club cut rather than a match table.

I know someone who still does table fitting & is in his mid to late 50s. He's been doing it for over 30 years & his back is £3cked.

[Scouse Hibee]

That's a young mans game fitting tables. I bet lifting that slate was hard going.

It certainly was especially as in the mid eighties when snooker was booming we seemed to be doing a new snooker club every couple of weeks, most had 10 or more tables and plenty of them upstairs, broke my heart when the bottom fell out of the market and we revisited the same clubs years later to take the tables out and carry them down the stairs!
The last table I done was for my bowls club about six years ago, we were offered one for free from the University if we could dismantle and take away ourselves. One of our committee remembered I had been a table fitter and asked if I could do it, after about an 18 years break it was tough as hell, made me realise how I when I was much younger and doing it day in day out it never seemed that bad. I have now permanently retired from fitting full size tables! Private house jobs were much better to do, got to see some fabulous houses and work for some great people despite the money they had.