The Fountain
#3, December 11th 1995
Well lot's has happened since I last updated this page, but one thing never changes; Stephen Hendry just keeps getting better!! On his way to winning the U.K tournament (again!!) he knocked in his third 147 during competition, this feat in itself is hard enough but to keep winning titles aswell!!. Not only is Stephen a fantastic talent but he is also one of the most dedicated sportsmen, Stephen Hendry is one of the best examples that hard work and dedication pay off. As for the rest of the pack well as I predicted the young man from Wales Matthew Stevens is making his mark , he has won the Benson and Hedges event in Scotland obtaining him a wild card entry for the Benson and Hedges Masters at Wembley. Unfortunately Ronnie O'Sullivan's bad run of results seem to be continuing, this is a shame because it would seem events off of the table rather than on it are to blame. Ronnie has surely got a rare talent and it deserves to be seen, but is it right that every time he is in the press other members of his family are mentioned more than him?. I think the press should stick to the job of reporting the sport of Snooker, something the tabloids seem unable to do.
The WPBSA snookers ruling body have just clinched a five year deal with BBC television to show four top ranked Snooker events including the World Championships, this is good news for our beloved sport. On the surface it would seem that we have lost out because the BBCs main rival SKY would have shown more live action, but BBC have a wider audience and have agreed to put snooker on earlier in the evening (about time too). Also to fall in line with other top sports they will be relaxing the rule regarding the wearing of 'Logos'. I know many of you out there maybe starved of top snooker action but let me tell you this year has been a very good year for the development of snooker around the globe. Snooker is now shown into 160 countries worldwide, and it is now being considered as an Olympic Sport, should this go ahead snooker truly will be a global sport.
Please keep writing to me with any comments you may have especially if you live outside the U.K, also if you think your country would be a good place to hold a tournament then let me know. Well January is coming and that means qualifying, this is the graveyard of snooker to many players, their whole seasons if not careers can be made or lost during these early rounds. If only the general public could see just how much blood, sweat and tears are spilled here each year. Anyway if your in Blackpool in January (Brrrrr Chilly) then I will see you there if not I will write to you all when I get back and let you know the facts.
Richard Fountain
The Fountain is a column written by Richard Fountain from England. He is the manager of Mark King, a new and promising player who is provisionally 37 in the new rankings for 95-96. He will be writing to you throughout the snooker year and will try to give you all the inside info on this great game. Please feel free to write him <[email protected]> with any questions you may have.
