Pots of Gold brilliantly tells snooker’s history through its quotidian superstars

From British soldiers cobbling the game together in Jubbulpore in 1875 to Zhao Xintong winning the World Championship in Sheffield in 2025, snooker has both changed immeasurably and stayed almost exactly the same.

Pots of Gold: A History of Snooker tells that story from even before Neville Chamberlain (not that one) invented the game, right the way up to this year’s Crucible battle royal.

That tale is told passionately and entertainingly through the accounts of the those who were there. All those everyday people who became remarkable through snooker.

It is told by them as much as possible. Author David Hendon is also impressively talented as a journalist, commentator and playwright, but as yet not necromancy, so interviewing the forefathers of snooker was too much to ask, but hearing from the heavyweights of the sport’s pomp is a delight.

It was also a treat for the author himself, who said of his highlight of writing the book: ‘I think talking to the older players.

‘I see a lot of the current players and they’re all great, but I see a lot of them anyway. But I think you notice talking to people like John Virgo, Dennis Taylor, Ray Reardon, Cliff Thorburn and Steve Davis, they come from that era where you had to make a real effort. You don’t just turn up and be interviewed, you actually make an effort.

‘You tell stories. You tell the stories you know are going to be interesting. They’ve got their anecdotes and they know how to tell them. It’s a treasure trove from an era that a lot of people don’t know about and there were stories I didn’t know.’

And the highlight of the highlight? It came at a poignant moment shortly before snooker lost a legendary figure.

‘In many ways it was going to see Ray Reardan,’ said Hendon. ‘Because we knew he was very old and maybe it was going to be one of the last interviews he would do.

‘He was in such good form and seemed so excited to talk about it all. I think he wanted people to know about it.

‘I also admired the fact that although most of his rivals had passed away, he was still rivals with them, he was still settling scores with all these guys who were long since gone. But that just tells you the character of that sort of sportsman. He was still, even in old age, a competitor.

‘And he was wonderful. I spoke to him for two hours and there were just so many stories. It was really enjoyable talking to those pioneers of the game who set it on its way.’

Pots of Gold takes the reader through snooker’s rocky journey from lurking in the shadow of billiards to a British obsession and onwards to its current position of great success, but scrapping for attention with countless other sports.

‘It’s about understanding how snooker became what it is now, this relatively glamorous circuit and multi-million pound tournaments, flying around the world,’ said Hendon. ‘It was a struggle early on. Some of the venues in the ’70s were terrible and it was someone like Ray Reardon pushing for better conditions, banging on about it, that led to going to a place like The Crucible.

‘And another thing that came out of these guys was the gratitude they had towards the sport. There was no jealousy about not playing now, not making the big money. They were very proud that they were there at the start, which I really respect.

‘Virgo was talking about how he just couldn’t believe his luck. “We’re just having the best time ever!” And then when you speak to players now, it’s often moaning about stuff. It’s because they’ve always had it. The World Championship has always been worth a lot of money. I think their assumption is that it’s just always been there and it hasn’t. People had to come along and start it all.

‘I suppose they’ve got no frame of reference, really. If they’ve always been involved in a sport that’s worth a lot of money, then they don’t remember a time when it wasn’t. Hopefully, they might read the book and realise it wasn’t always like that.

‘But I’ve got to say, all the guys I spoke to were so helpful. Someone like John Higgins, who’s a massive star, I messaged him at the Champion of Champions telling him I’m writing this book and half an hour later we were in Starbucks talking for an hour. That’s what these guys are like. They are very down-to-earth and that is one of snooker’s secret weapons, I think.’

The history of the sport told from the perspective of these quotidian stars is what makes Pots of Gold such an engaging experience. It’s not a textbook on the game, it’s a number of heartfelt accounts from those who made an impact on snooker.

A beautiful history it is. But what can be learned from the past for those in the game today?

‘I think you have to sort of smell the roses a bit,’ said Hendon. ‘You don’t always have to be asking, how can we make it better? I think sometimes you have to realise how good it is already.

‘Actually, I think we should spend more time emphasising the advantages we have over other sports. We have a huge footprint on television, massive fanbase around the world and a good group of players as well. The players are fantastic and so competitive.

‘Rather than this sort of constant call for change, change for what reason? I think one of the things that actually hasn’t changed over the century is the actual literal game of snooker. There’s been a few rule tweaks, little things, the miss rule, but basically it’s the same as what those guys in India invented.

‘And that shows the strength of the sport, we haven’t had to mess around with it. It’s still the eternal 12 by 6. It has overcome a load of things despite its natural restrictions of having to be quiet, very much unlike other sports. The game itself is the winner.

‘I think, to answer your original question. We need to be conscious of what other sports do, conscious of the changing times, the changing technology, absolutely all of that. But actually we’ve got a great product, we’ve got a fantastic product and it doesn’t need to be messed about with.’

Pots of Gold is out now through Swift Press.