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Crucible is World Championship's only home
SNOOKER'S greatest roadshow is rolling into town once again - and, with it, the traditional speculation that it might not be pitching up at the Crucible in future years.
We, in the city, get used to the annual talk that Sheffield could lose this particular sporting jewel.
Not if it's left to the players, though. They love the Crucible. The fans do as well.
This week Jimmy White - who has suffered many agonies here in his fruitless quest to be world champion - called it "an amazing venue" and THE place for the World Championships.
He went on: "There's only 1,000 people in there but it's a great atmosphere. Think how good Sheffield has been to us. Keep it there."
Sheffield's chiefs will be glad to hear that as the sport's boss, Sir Rodney Walker, gets round to discussions with the city leaders about the next deal (the current contract runs to 2011).
But as talk persists about staging it in snooker-mad China one day (and Dubai was thrown in as well), Sir Rodney's words - "we favour what's best for snooker" - might just be part of his negotiating stance or a genuine bid to go chasing some Chinese dough.
Of course, there'd be a bigger captive audience - they'd get 300 million watching if they put on snail-racing out there.
In this age of brands and branding, in sporting terms The Crucible IS World Championship Snooker.
FA Cup at Wembley? No, let's play it in China. We'll get millions in money and trillions watching .
Wimbledon? Switch it to Beijing. Be worth a small fortune.
An Ashes Test in Dubai? Yes, and coin it in.
They're trialling a new, quicker version of the sport at the Crucible as a sideshow to the main event - Super 6s, played with six reds.
Snooker's version of cricket's Twenty20.
Good on Sir Rodney and World Snooker for looking at all possibilities.
Here's an idea. Take the super 6s World Championships to China; they'll love it. Meanwhile, leave the proper World Championships where they belong and are loved.
This week marks the centenary of what they say is the greatest football story ever told.
No, not the Millers getting promotion to The Championship, Donny Rovers footballing everyone to death or even London newspapers on the latest promising youngster to make his debut for West Ham.
It was when a team of miners from the County Durham pit village of West Auckland won the inaugural World Cup.
They made a film of it for TV a few years ago (starring Dennis Waterman). It told (the true story) of how, in 1909, they were invited by tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton to take part in the World Cup in Italy.
They had to pawn their possessions to be able to afford to go, not knowing if there was a job to return to either.
There were three other teams, all professionals, and the amateurs of West Auckland beat German champions Stuttgart in the semi-finals and then Swiss champions Winterthur in the final.
They returned to Turin two years later to defend the title and in the final beat Juventus 6-1, which has to be the best result ever by an English side in Italy.
As a reward they were given the cup, a massive trophy, to keep. It went permanently on show in West Auckland Working Men's Club where it remained until 1994 - when somebody nicked it.
An exact replica replaced it and lots of football fans still go and take a peek.
Now, Durham playwrights Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood are putting on Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather, a play about this tale of sacrifice and heroism by those footballing miners of long ago.
It premiered at the Gala Theatre in Durham in this centenary week and runs to next Saturday. If it goes on tour, Ed says they'll bring it to Sheffield.
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
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