Episode 08: Dick Moves

At the time of the UK Championships, Matt and Valerie discuss what's "naughty" and what's just arrogant, along with reviewing some issues raised in the World Snooker season of changes so far.

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Trump vs. Allen: Frame 18 @ YouTube (other frames available from same channel)
Ronnie O'Sullivan: points vs. money via BBC Sport
Mark Allen's grievances at the UKs via The Guardian

Stephen Hendry on the state of snooker during the UKs on BBC:

Episode 07: Watching the Grinder

It's been a while since the 2011 World Seniors Snooker Championship, but regardless Matt and Valerie cheer on the "fastest of the slow players," Cliff Thorburn: a Canadian player so famous, even Valerie had heard of him before meeting Matt. Meanwhile, another legend helps solve the mystery of Matt's missing cue.

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Cliff Thorburn Official Site
World Seniors report @ Peterborough UK Telegraph
Clive Everton @ Wikipedia
Doug Mountjoy @ World Snooker
Snooker Legends Tour

Episode 06: It's What You Leave

After reading some interesting new rules for Ontario players qualifying for the Nationals, Matt and Valerie talk handicaps with a couple players who travel far for competition and talk memories with a man who played two Canadian snooker legends (possibly not who you'd expect).

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(Note: since some of the rules were read for the podcast, their wording has been changed and at least one line omitted, but the rules themselves seem to remain in place.)

OSA @ Snookerline
Billiards @ Plaza Bowl in Sudbury (Ontario)
George Chenier @ Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Paul Thornley newspaper article from 1970
Paul Thornley and current Canadian champ Alex Pagulayan (Billiards Digest, 1994)

Episode 05: Breaking and Brushing

Nursing an injured foot, Matt stays in to try out liveworldsnooker.tv and watch what he considers Ronnie O'Sullivan's "awesomest" 147 yet, then he ventures to the club to demonstrate brushing tables and explain why it's important.

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Watch the Ronnie video along with Matt!
Brushes and blocks @ SnookerDirect.co.uk

Episode 04: A Tale of Two Clubs

While Matt puts on his first snooker tournament in Canada, he and Valerie look back on a visit to a Rileys Sports Bar in rainy Manchester UK and a trip to a downtown Toronto pool hall where Matt got a hard lesson in diplomacy.

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Weekly Annex Snooker Tournament Facebook page
Official Rileys Site
New Times Square Billiards

Episode 03: The Canadians, 2011

The Canadian Snooker Championship Trophy

A very personal odyssey through the national snooker championships includes a street festival, a discussion of regional challenges, singing Michael Jackson songs and - of course - coffee and donuts.
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(Hey, It didn't make it in the final edit but we want to give props to Denise Belanger and everyone else who helped with the Ustream channel at Shooters this year. It really added a lot to the event and brought in great interest. Thanks!)

The Open Snooker Final Drawsheet (Matt was Group F)
Canadian Cue Sports Championships @ CBSA
Video of Matt playing Day 3 @ Ustream
And here's a minute from Day 1 (embedded via Facebook):

Episode 02: Keynsham Snooker Centre

While on holiday back home in the UK, Matt takes Valerie to a club where he spent much of his "snooker youth" and talks with old friends about what went on behind the scenes at the Worlds, local leagues and tournaments still going strong, and a legend who got put in his place.

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Keynsham Snooker Centre site
KSC on Facebook
This Is Bath article on Judd Trump leaving KSC in 2009
Jimmy White Exhibition, 2007