Alex "Hurricane" Higgins RIP (1949 – 24 July 2010), by James O'Fee

Alex Higgins was born in the Sandy Row area of Belfast in 1949. Aged 14, he left for England to train as a jockey, but he never rode professionally. In 1965, aged 16, he returned to Belfast to pursue his great love, snooker. In 1968 he won both the Northern Ireland and All-Ireland amateur championships. Turning professional, Higgins won the World Championship in 1972 at his first attempt, defeating John Spenser in the final. Aged only 22, he was the youngest-ever winner of the World Title.

Alex Higgins had, clearly, an immense amount of talent for the sport. His nickname "the Hurricane" came from his style of play. Where others were patient, even ponderous is assessing shots, "the Hurricane" relied on his instincts and seemed, often, to be preparing for the next shot while the balls were still rolling across the table. His unique style made Higgins naturally enormously with audiences and he became a huge draw whereever he played.

Yet to achieve the ultimate pinnacles, a sportsman needs self-control, dedication and discipline. This is where Higgins fell down. From a young age he drank and smoked heavily, as well as gambling. He got himself into needless fights, disputes and controversy, often fuelled by drink which damaged his physical capacities as well. The 70s were the period of the height of our "Troubles" when nightlife in Belfast virtually disappeared. Yet there were stories of the Hurricane turning up after pub hours at late-night drinking clubs to demand admittance.

Shortly after Higgins won his first World Championship, snooker was catapulted into becoming a national obsession. Colour television had recently been introduced, and the BBC sought new sports to fill its second channel. It tested snooker. With its green baize and balls of vivid colours, snooker was ideally suited to the medium and it became an instant success. I don't know whether my father ever played snooker, yet he and many others spent long hours watching the sport on television, where ITV vied with the BBC to cover the main events. This exposure attracted major sponsors into snooker, often the manufactuers of cigarette and alcohol. The main snooker stars began to earn a great deal of money.

With his unique, whirlwind style, the "Hurricane " was certainly one of these. But he possessed the talent to dominate the sport in the 70s and early 80s, and this he failed to achieve. He reached the final of the World Championship in 1976 and 1980, losing on both occasions, to Ray Reardon and Cliff Thorburn respectively.

Meanwhile his private life (as well as his relationship with the snooker authorities) was tempestuous. His career's peak came in 1982 when he once again won the World Championship, defeating Reardon in the final. This was the year Helen and I married. As we toured various houses that we were considering buying, we would follow the news of Alex's progress. His success in the final thrilled us all.

Many hoped that this victory over, not only his fellow snooker professionals, but over his personal demons, would mark an upward shift in Alex's life. Yet this was not to be. Further shameful incidents, fuelled by drink, would follow. How much did Alex earn in his career, £2, £3 or £4 million? Different sources give different figures. Certainly he had nothing to show for it all in his last years when he returned to the Donegall Road area of Belfast where he had grown up, to succumb last Saturday to cancer of the throat.

Links

Alex Higgins -Wikipedia

Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins "Telegraph" obituary

Video feature on Alex Higgins's victory in the 1982 World Championship