Amazing watch for an early match. Ray Reardon raised the bar in the 70s from a casual game to a competitive one. Alex Higgins brought Snooker to the masses with flair and brilliance. Steve Davis brought a whole new level of professionalism in the next decade. Jimmy White got the women interested. Stephen Hendry raised the bar even further, and then, finally, Rocket Ronnie was the cherry on the cake.
I just started watching snooker about a month ago. And it's so much more tactical then regular pool. I wish we had the option to play snooker in bar here in the states.
Thank you mjt. This is a fantastic upload - loved it. Ray looked very comfortable playing with the old crystalate balls here. These balls were quite heavy (150 odd grams in todays money) and needed quite a punch. Ray was not known for his cue power but - as this upload shows - more than capable of producing controlled power play when needed.
I was a good amateur and played John Spencer in an exhibition at South Norwood Con club in 1977. I broke and he made 136 clearance whilst holding a conversation with me and joking with the crowd!!!!!!!! Great game.....NOT
Ray Reardon was a great player. And he just seemed to smash the balls into the pockets. And the crowd all dressed smartly in their suits and ties. Great video. 🏴🇬🇧👍
@@williamstephens9945 LOL! Memories of Ted Lowe's greatest moment, during a Pot Black game: 'for those watching in black and white, the green is behind the blue...'
@@williamstephens9945 It WAS televised in " Black and White " , famously the great whispering Ted Lowe once said in Commentary " for those watching in Black and White the Pink is next to the Blue " 😀
Brilliant upload, really enjoyed watching this. Loved how close the crowd were to the players. Especially when the old geezer casually walks past carrying two pints as the game finishes!
i love ray present himself as gentleman player... he can smile all the time and joking while in break and match... that show u how sportmanship must be...
I don't think Reardon gets the credit he deserves for how truly great a player he was! Higgins got all the headlines but Reardon could pot anything, and his cue ball control was immaculate! There's a clearance against Eddie Charlton in the 73 world final that was sensational!
Absolutely great footage, might well be one of the very first in color and of course with a magnificent 127 total clearance from Reardon, highest televised break at the time.
If it wasn't for the Cameraman taking a break John Spencer would have had the first Televised 147 , I can't remember which Competition it was but I know it was sometime in the 1970's .
I think people tend to forget just how good a player ray was....this was a terrific break..what an atmosphere to play in...right in there with the audience...golden period of snooker...rest well dracula.xx
@@leebeardshall2888 not Ivory ,they had not been used for years ,they were crystalite ,super crystalite came out in 72 and Alex Higgins used to carry a set round with him as most clubs in the early 70’s were still using the old balls .It was the new supers that were responsive and changed the game .
Thanks for uploading this, this is fabulous. The commentary is so refreshing! No cliches, no amateur psychology, and no imbecile honking about the cue ball. He got a couple of calls wrong, but that still happens today.
The pockets were NOT tight ( that's myth ),they were a lot bigger back then. The cloth was slower and the balls heavier but the pockets were bigger. I have just watched Dennis Taylor and Ken Doherty talking about how many people thought the pockets were tighter back in the day but it isn't so and they are actually tighter nowadays
@@davidmellish3295 how much bigger were they then, you say " a lot bigger" and yet produce no evidence for that? Henfry, Davis and even Robertson have said in recnt years the pockets were bigger though the person in charge says they are the same yet won't divulge the pocket aperture, angle (tightness) nor the depth back of the pocket. No openess in this side of things, as such, anything said is all heresay regards modern tables
You can actually *see* how big and heavy the balls are. It's amazing they can play some of those shots and play them accurately. Makes Alex Higgins' play even more remarkable.
Reardon almost at his peak as a player making the game look so easy. Spencer was a great player, 3 times world champion and the blue in the 4th frame on that quality of table used back then was an outstanding shot
Great upload. It's interesting to see the crowd drinking, smoking and talking during play. Didn't seem to put the players off even with the background chatter! It is very much like a working mens club.
It was probably noisy but I suspect another thing to consider is TV mics at the time were unable to target sound as precisely as in the 80s, and would catch much more scattered sound, especially in locations with worse soundproofing such as this one.
@@Eat-MyGoal I found it nice to not have a know-it-all pro blabbing about terrible shot this, horrible that... It was a nice, comfortable pace of speech that made you feel like he was there at your home enjoying the game with you.
The olden days of cigarette sponsors. I think Embassy did the World Championship. Ray with his cue arm about 30 degrees to the vertical, probably guiding his cue on his waistcoat. Spencer vertical arm. Many ways to greatness. The ref sounded like John Smith but was in fact Bruce Tomkin. Happy, smokey days.😃
The commentary is fine, don't know why people are complaining about it. The game had only recently developed a professional circuit and snooker commentary was itself in its infancy. Look it at through the proper context not through 2021 eyes, and the commentary is more than adequate.
Awesome nostalgic video. Did spot a couple of ladies in the audience surrounded by a room full of suited up men! I like the reaction of Reardon when the red balls almost falls in after potting the black. Looks like he enjoyed playing to the audience as much as playing the game itself. Good character and I'm guessing after the match, he and Spencer went straight to the bar and had a beer with the supporters. Unlike some of the robots of today's era!
They may well have done on this occasion, however they certainly weren't mates. "Spencer played down talk of a friendship between himself and Reardon and stated that they never socialised together." Spencer and Reardon were never close friends away from the table, perhaps a reason why their rivalry on it was so fierce. "Everyone thought we were the best of friends, which certainly wasn't true as far as I was concerned," Spencer said a couple of years ago. "I never really got to know him personally," Reardon, a six-time world champion, confirmed on hearing of Spencer's death. "But he was a great player."
@@RogerJJSmith They sometimes played golf together which is strange considering they weren't pals. Not sure if Spencer was jealous of Reardons fame and earnings or he just didn't get on with anyone..
shows precisely why Reardon at his peak would easily be able to compete at the top level now. With his potting ability, calmness and safety play he was better than Alex Higgins overall and this shows not just in matchplay win % but titles at the top. Higgins would struggle in the modern game toplayers even outside the top 64 IMO due to the weak side of his game and despite his great ability potting wise, whereas Reardon wouldn't be out of place at all.
Thing is this wasn't even his peak. He was nearly 40 here and pro snooker was just taking off. Imagine him in his 20s and 30s he would've been absolutely unbeatable.
@@MachineNightmare And Reardon said in his 20s and 30s, Cliff Wilson was a better potter than he was, when they played in the Welsh clubs. Imagine! Wilson worked in a steel factory, whilst Reardon was a policeman.
Alex Higgins was not in this park 600. He arrived 1972 won the Irish professional championship world championship at the first attempt & men of the Midlands.
It's just the angle. That was a very shallow angle here, and modern broadcasts are also closer in, filling the screen more. Plus Ray was a tall guy and the cushions are thinner, giving an added subtle illusion of less table space.
Colour TV was introduced in 1968 but it took a while before everyone upgraded , my Grandmother was still watching a Black and white TV in 1990 and as her TV was of the old 405 line type she had to use an adaptor box .
Amazing watch for an early match.
Ray Reardon raised the bar in the 70s from a casual game to a competitive one. Alex Higgins brought Snooker to the masses with flair and brilliance. Steve Davis brought a whole new level of professionalism in the next decade. Jimmy White got the women interested. Stephen Hendry raised the bar even further, and then, finally, Rocket Ronnie was the cherry on the cake.
Good analysis!
I just started watching snooker about a month ago. And it's so much more tactical then regular pool. I wish we had the option to play snooker in bar here in the states.
As a snooker fan this is snooker gold. Great video for 1971. Table looks nice and fast.
Yes decent table.
Heavier balls too back then
@@billallen1594 The players probably ate too much
Gold dust. Probably the greatest snooker find on youtube. Thank you
Thank you mjt. This is a fantastic upload - loved it. Ray looked very comfortable playing with the old crystalate balls here. These balls were quite heavy (150 odd grams in todays money) and needed quite a punch. Ray was not known for his cue power but - as this upload shows - more than capable of producing controlled power play when needed.
I was a good amateur and played John Spencer in an exhibition at South Norwood Con club in 1977. I broke and he made 136 clearance whilst holding a conversation with me and joking with the crowd!!!!!!!! Great game.....NOT
lol, hard lines but at least you had the honour of getting battered by a great of the game!
Great experience I suppose
Ray Reardon was a great player. And he just seemed to smash the balls into the pockets. And the crowd all dressed smartly in their suits and ties. Great video. 🏴🇬🇧👍
People had pride then and used to make an effort
Colour footage from 1971 is unheard of - a great upload!
There wouldn't be much point broadcasting snooker in black and white.
@@williamstephens9945 LOL! Memories of Ted Lowe's greatest moment, during a Pot Black game: 'for those watching in black and white, the green is behind the blue...'
@@williamstephens9945 a lot of people (I would say the majority) had black&white tv back then. So yes, they watched snooker in black&white.
@@williamstephens9945 They used to do this before pot black. There's footage of Joe Davis making a century on TV in black and white
@@williamstephens9945 It WAS televised in " Black and White " , famously the great whispering Ted Lowe once said in Commentary " for those watching in Black and White the Pink is next to the Blue " 😀
Brilliant upload, really enjoyed watching this. Loved how close the crowd were to the players.
Especially when the old geezer casually walks past carrying two pints as the game finishes!
Noticeable how short his back swing is but still generates lots of power.
Obviously had brilliant timing.
Superb watch.
Ray was an amazing potter , no wonder Steve and Ronnie respect him so much , awesome player
He once hit 104 against me without trying
@@MrDarkmenace1 are you the Steve Flappo was talking about?
@@edmundpower1250 No, sorry I'm not
@@MrDarkmenace1 At the same time you must be good to be playing Ray
@@edmundpower1250He probably played him in an exhibition
Ray was a great player, saw him many times in the 70's, as with John, class players no matter what balls they played with.
Perfect position. I mean perfect. An all time great probably top 3. Great Potter. Brilliant safety. Brilliant cue ball. Never ever bottled it.
i love ray present himself as gentleman player... he can smile all the time and joking while in break and match... that show u how sportmanship must be...
Ray was born about 200 yards from where I live his picture holding the world trophy adorned the Tredegar Workman's Hall for years he was a legend.
You live in Transalvania then?
@@edmundpower1250 😆 🤣 😂
A beautiful taken 127 clearance… Ray Reardon was such a great player. A wizard on the table. A total class act on and off the table….
I don't think Reardon gets the credit he deserves for how truly great a player he was! Higgins got all the headlines but Reardon could pot anything, and his cue ball control was immaculate! There's a clearance against Eddie Charlton in the 73 world final that was sensational!
Absolutely great footage, might well be one of the very first in color and of course with a magnificent 127 total clearance from Reardon, highest televised break at the time.
If it wasn't for the Cameraman taking a break John Spencer would have had the first Televised 147 , I can't remember which Competition it was but I know it was sometime in the 1970's .
@@PhilipKerry I think that was the masters but it was at least late 70's.
I think people tend to forget just how good a player ray was....this was a terrific break..what an atmosphere to play in...right in there with the audience...golden period of snooker...rest well dracula.xx
Lovely to see Reardon at his best a master at his craft.Spencer was no mug on a billiard table but with Reardon in that form he didn't have a hope.🤗🐻👍
Snooker
@@edmundpower1250 loopy
@@nguyendailam6703 snooker loopy nuts are we
@@edmundpower1250 Snooker is played on a billiard table.
Ray passed away recently August 2024 R.I.P.
Top class from Reardon. Loved how he thumped in the long pots at will. Did well to concentrate with the racket in the background.
The old ivory balls they sound so different.
@@leebeardshall2888 not Ivory ,they had not been used for years ,they were crystalite ,super crystalite came out in 72 and Alex Higgins used to carry a set round with him as most clubs in the early 70’s were still using the old balls .It was the new supers that were responsive and changed the game .
Gold from the archive - funnily enough, in more 'pristine' picture quality than a lot of the fuzzy home video tapes from the 1980s and 90s.
Great upload. Ray played amazing in that. About the best ive seen him play.
Thanks for uploading this, this is fabulous.
The commentary is so refreshing! No cliches, no amateur psychology, and no imbecile honking about the cue ball. He got a couple of calls wrong, but that still happens today.
Every other shot he called wrong. Car crash commentary 🤣
WhERe'S tHE CUe bALl GoINNNN'!!!!!
What a player Reardon was. This break is awesome with the old heavy balls, tight pockets and slow cloth
Cloth wasn't slow that is a nice speed on that table the balls they are ivory.
I play with ivory they are heavy.
you nailed it
The pockets were NOT tight ( that's myth ),they were a lot bigger back then. The cloth was slower and the balls heavier but the pockets were bigger. I have just watched Dennis Taylor and Ken Doherty talking about how many people thought the pockets were tighter back in the day but it isn't so and they are actually tighter nowadays
@@leebeardshall2888 not ivory my friend. crystalate
@@davidmellish3295 how much bigger were they then, you say " a lot bigger" and yet produce no evidence for that?
Henfry, Davis and even Robertson have said in recnt years the pockets were bigger though the person in charge says they are the same yet won't divulge the pocket aperture, angle (tightness) nor the depth back of the pocket.
No openess in this side of things, as such, anything said is all heresay regards modern tables
Some amazing pots by ray what player he was I was only a kid when he was at his best but watched old videos of him amazing r.i.p ray
I have to say it's faster than I thought it would be. Nice potter Ray, also its great to see this well done.
That was a fabulous 127 break from the great Ray Reardon!😊
You can actually *see* how big and heavy the balls are. It's amazing they can play some of those shots and play them accurately. Makes Alex Higgins' play even more remarkable.
Thank you for uploading this, what a rare and wonderful glance back at how it used to be.
Reardon almost at his peak as a player making the game look so easy. Spencer was a great player, 3 times world champion and the blue in the 4th frame on that quality of table used back then was an outstanding shot
This was how the modern game developed. This was the birthplace of it all. Amazing to see
Great upload. It's interesting to see the crowd drinking, smoking and talking during play. Didn't seem to put the players off even with the background chatter! It is very much like a working mens club.
It is a working mens club in Sheffield
It was probably noisy but I suspect another thing to consider is TV mics at the time were unable to target sound as precisely as in the 80s, and would catch much more scattered sound, especially in locations with worse soundproofing such as this one.
@@garychapman4294 Crookes Working Mens Club to be exact , the World Championships was held there at least once .
Great ❤️ energy from the crowd. Suits and ties galore ❤️ The brilliant ❤️ Mr Reardon 😀❤️❤️
Thanks for uploading, what an amazing piece of snooker history!
Beautiful commentary. I love it. Keith Macklin was a brilliant sports all rounder.
He kept calling all the wrong shots!
@@Eat-MyGoal So did Ted Lowe but like Keith, he had a good voice for it!
@@Eat-MyGoal I found it nice to not have a know-it-all pro blabbing about terrible shot this, horrible that... It was a nice, comfortable pace of speech that made you feel like he was there at your home enjoying the game with you.
The olden days of cigarette sponsors. I think Embassy did the World Championship. Ray with his cue arm about 30 degrees to the vertical, probably guiding his cue on his waistcoat. Spencer vertical arm. Many ways to greatness. The ref sounded like John Smith but was in fact Bruce Tomkin. Happy, smokey days.😃
I thought he said the ref was Bruce Duncan (Scotland)...could be wrong.
Brilliant to watch,and to see the audience. Top stuff.
Thank you for uploading. Great to see these early efforts to televise snooker.
Brilliant clearance of 127 by Ray who dominated the years to come
Great video! I want to see more from this period,-'it's a foreign country ,they do things differently there'👍
Great upload. Thanks for bringing us this classic.
Thanks, many times for upload! Ray Reardon Great Player!
The cheer Ray got from this packed house as he knocked in that thin cut black for the century. Fabulous!
Over fifty years ago now incredible
it is weird watching snooker without the score on the screen
Mjt you have done it yet again i an enjoying this.
Another great video.
Great to see Reardon on top form.
Unbelievable find. Superb match and in colour.
15 minutes in and Reardon hasn’t missed a pot yet.
Clearly Ray knew about going into the pack long before the commentator understood the concept
The commentary is fine, don't know why people are complaining about it. The game had only recently developed a professional circuit and snooker commentary was itself in its infancy. Look it at through the proper context not through 2021 eyes, and the commentary is more than adequate.
At least there's not a prick shouting "Where's the cueball going?!?!?!" every five minutes
The table, cloth and balls were different back then, that made break building hard. Hence the focus on safety.
What a great find! Brilliant...
He was a better potter than Harry Potter even! Nice video. :)
Wow, excellent upload. pure gold
How the game's changed. Not a single 'power shot' in the break: just pure subtlety.
Love how the crowd are just chatting away. During the match
Back when you could enjoy the game with a pint and cigarette while using the floor as an ashtray 😅
The 2 greatest players of the 70s and 2 of the best ever
Higgins was the other giant of the 70s
@@denisdaly1708 in terms of talent Higgins was the best of the 3 in terms of consistency he was the least best of the 3
The commentator does about the same job I would manage if commentating on Cricket. Some good attacking snooker by Reardon here though.
Great find . interesting to see the crowds reaction and behavior . drinking.smoking n talking but see the applause for reardons big break .
Ray has potential to be a multiple world champion!
Ray Reardon just about 40yrs old in this clip. Always looked older but now looks amazingly younger at 91 years.
Impressionante como jogavam bem esses senhores em 1971!!!!👍🏼
Great great player John Spencer sadly missed
Classic footage all round 😊
Fifty years ago
The Count was on top form making this 127 clearance.
average wage in the uk in 1971 was £25 per week so not a bad wee lift of £727
Just imagine how good he would have been in his 20’s!
And what sounds like chatter at a bar in the background as well is a feature you wouldn't get just a few years later.
Ray Reardon!preciso,como um relógio “Ômega!
Awesome video from this my birth year. Thanks for posting
Awesome nostalgic video. Did spot a couple of ladies in the audience surrounded by a room full of suited up men! I like the reaction of Reardon when the red balls almost falls in after potting the black. Looks like he enjoyed playing to the audience as much as playing the game itself. Good character and I'm guessing after the match, he and Spencer went straight to the bar and had a beer with the supporters. Unlike some of the robots of today's era!
They may well have done on this occasion, however they certainly weren't mates.
"Spencer played down talk of a friendship between himself and Reardon and stated that they never socialised together."
Spencer and Reardon were never close friends away from the table, perhaps a reason why their rivalry on it was so fierce. "Everyone thought we were the best of friends, which certainly wasn't true as far as I was concerned," Spencer said a couple of years ago. "I never really got to know him personally," Reardon, a six-time world champion, confirmed on hearing of Spencer's death. "But he was a great player."
I think they had a lot of respect for each other but were never pals.
@@RogerJJSmith They sometimes played golf together which is strange considering they weren't pals.
Not sure if Spencer was jealous of Reardons fame and earnings or he just didn't get on with anyone..
Ray knocks the balls in with nonchalance. Pockets look a bit smaller than these days. Commentating has come a long g way since then
Ray getting a round of applause for a 59 break 😊❤
You only get applause for making 100 or more today.
shows precisely why Reardon at his peak would easily be able to compete at the top level now. With his potting ability, calmness and safety play he was better than Alex Higgins overall and this shows not just in matchplay win % but titles at the top. Higgins would struggle in the modern game toplayers even outside the top 64 IMO due to the weak side of his game and despite his great ability potting wise, whereas Reardon wouldn't be out of place at all.
Best safety player of all time IMO.
Thing is this wasn't even his peak. He was nearly 40 here and pro snooker was just taking off. Imagine him in his 20s and 30s he would've been absolutely unbeatable.
@@MachineNightmare And Reardon said in his 20s and 30s, Cliff Wilson was a better potter than he was, when they played in the Welsh clubs. Imagine! Wilson worked in a steel factory, whilst Reardon was a policeman.
The game would never be as popular without Higgins, fact. He brought it to the masses.
One century clearance from Reardon.
That's nothing today.
I love the way they'd describe middle aged guys as 'young men' back then.
WOW. D'you have any Alex Higgins matches from this tournament? Incredible stuff
Alex Higgins was not in this park 600.
He arrived 1972 won the Irish professional championship world championship at the first attempt & men of the Midlands.
5:47 Ray Joking :)
Reardon trained Ronnie on tactics and that first break was just like watching Ronnie take a table down
Quite an unusual sporting theme tune for tv,there....!
At 27.14, did the commentator call that plant attempt a birdie?
Snooker would be at this time on ITV would be regional with late night or Summer Sunday Afternoons in the Football close season
The late great Keith Macklin was an outstanding Football Commentator but it's painfully apparent that his knowledge of Snooker was very limited ...
Cue ball ....looks huge..❤❤❤❤
Ray at his best by look of it
Vintage footage. Are they sitting on beer crates though ?
Yes empty ones. Alex got there first
Classic Ray!!
Why didn't they concede frames in these old matches?
Hi mjt do you have by any chance the paul hunter vs John Higgins 2004 masters semi final.
the angle of the camera makes the table look like a 3/4
127 from a long red starter ,,,,there is nothing anyone could do against sort of play,,,perfect frame.
Was this played on a 10-foot table? Maybe it's just the camera and angle, but it looks so much smaller than in modern games.
It's just the angle. That was a very shallow angle here, and modern broadcasts are also closer in, filling the screen more. Plus Ray was a tall guy and the cushions are thinner, giving an added subtle illusion of less table space.
I hadn't realized how fast a player he was.
This commentator clearly knows nothing about snooker
I know. Oh dear, he's got to play a safety shot now. When there was a thin cut on the black on.
He was would you believe it the first presenter of Pot Black before moving to Yorkshire TV as their region's football commentator
0:31 - How do you win a frame 55-25???
In Colour. A rarity then for most.
Colour TV was introduced in 1968 but it took a while before everyone upgraded , my Grandmother was still watching a Black and white TV in 1990 and as her TV was of the old 405 line type she had to use an adaptor box .
What size table is that ? It looks really small
4:10 and a ''tremendous backspin''
🤣
I keep on forgetting the 70s are no longer 20odd years ago, but 50 going on 55