On the spot will become a regular G-S-M feature that brings you closer to the top referees in the game. Tell us here who you would like to see featured...
Alan Chamberlain is World Snooker’s most senior referee, having taken charge of his first professional match back in 1982.
Born in Market Harborough on 1st January 1943, Alan’s first sight of snooker was aged twelve when his father brought a 6 foot table home. “It was beautiful”, Alan remembers. “It was a snooker diner with a beautiful mahogany top.”
When he was 18, he played at the Belvoir Billiard Hall in Leicester, introduced by a work friend and it wasn’t long before he joined the local league. “I once scored 147 in the league, sadly it wasn’t a maximum, but in separate visits to the table, I took all the reds with blacks and later got the colours and the frame score was 147-0. In those days we played aggregate score so every frame was played down to the black.”
I remember getting beaten once by Alan in a practice game so I asked him how good he was and who is the best player amongst the referees? “I was good league standard, I made eighty plus breaks, but that was a long time ago.
“Without a doubt the best referee I saw playing was Bob Chandler from Bristol. He had a 147 to his name.”
And it was the local league that brought about Alan’s introduction to refereeing. “I was captain of my team and one night we had a rules situation that none of us were sure about, so we came to an agreement with the opposing team and played on.
“The next day I rang the B&SCC office (in those days the governing body), got clarification of the rule and asked how one became a referee.”
Working with his local tutor and examiner, Alan worked his way up through his referee’s exams, Grade C up to A and also took his billiards exams. By 1981 he’d become an examiner himself and felt ready to apply to World Snooker. He was turned down in 1981 but got accepted in 1982.
It wasn’t long before Alan became a familiar face on our television screens as he explains. “My first televised match was at the Rothmans at the Hexagon, Reading. It was between Cliff Thorburn and Mark Wildman, Thorburn won.”
“Members of the public had sent some questions in to the BBC and David Vine invited me into the studio to answer questions and it became quite a regular feature.”
With more than twenty-five years of matches to choose from it was hard for Alan to select the best match he’d ever officiated. “I think it must be the Benson & Hedges final between Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams. The match had everything and with over 3,000 people massed in the Wembley Conference Centre, the atmosphere was amazing.”
There have been many funny moments down the years as well but the one that sticks in Alan’s memory occurred at the Crucible. “I’ll never forget it and still laugh today. I was doing a match between Bill Werbeniuk and Dennis Taylor; Bill had a shot where he had to stretch over the table and as he went to lift his leg off the table he let out the loudest “fart” you’ve ever heard. It was a ripper!
“Of course everyone started laughing, me, the players, the audience as Bill turned and said ‘Who did that?’. It took a few minutes to calm the audience down and just as we were about to resume Dennis turned to the audience and said “that was a bit half-farted!”
Of course every referee has his nightmare moments, when the pink slips out of his gloves and scatter the reds and Alan is no exception. “It happened to me during an exhibition match between Doug Mountjoy and John Spencer. Luckily the players laughed and I put the reds back approximately where they were.
“My worst moment in a profession match was when I forgot to get the green out of the pocket.
I was refereeing Nigel Bond and I could hear some noise coming from the cameraman’s headphones and thought when I get down that end of the table I’ll have a word with him.
“Nigel potted some balls and took the green into the top pocket and I went to whisper in the cameraman’s ear. To my horror, when I turned round, Nigel had carried on and potted the next red. After he took the blue I got the green out and we just carried on.”
How hard is it to retain your concentration during a long match? “It’s a job, we get used to it. The best advice I could give an aspiring referee is to focus all your attention on the table, just that 12 foot by 6 foot area. Don’t look round.”
I remember one occasion my mind wandered a little. Nigel Bond was engaged in a particularly long safety exchange against Silvino Francisco and the names of other Bonds started running through my head – Basildon, James, Brook etc and of course the next time Nigel potted a ball I stuttered out his name!”
“The other advice I’d give a would-be referee is ‘don’t give up the day job’!”
“It looks easy on the television and people think ‘I could do that’. But it’s not that easy, there’s a fair amount of pressure. And yes, our feet do ache! You also get days when your back aches too.
I had to ask Alan about ‘comfort breaks’. The players leave the arena nearly every frame but it’s rare to see the referee go out. Do referees have particularly strong bladders? “No, we’re the same as everyone else, but I do try not to drink too much before a match.
Many referees make a contribution to the sport in other ways and Alan is no exception. In 1985 he became Chairman of the WLBSA, the World Ladies Association. How did that come about?
“I was at Willie’s club in Leicester, and yes I remember Willie when he had hair! The then organiser of the ladies snooker, Brian Webb, approached me to help and I was delighted to get involved. I was Chairman for about five years.”
And it’s not just snooker, Alan is well known as the Tournament Director for World Billiards events. A contemporary of the great Norman Dagley, he actually took his billiards exams in the club where Norman played.
“I’ve lost count of how many billiards events I’ve done now, but I’ve visited India 26 times now for Billiards and Snooker. I think my favourite destinations there are Chennai and Bangalore, but I’ll always remember a trip to see the Taj Mahal.
Once away from the table Alan likes nothing better than to relax with a Chinese meal and nice glass of Chardonay.
He used to play golf until his appendix operation. “I was worried that swinging the club might do some damage.”
Were you good at any other sports? “Yes, I used to play football for my school and was also a wicket-keeper at cricket. I was also good at table tennis and not bad at bowls, Crown Green bowls.”
Where are your ideal destinations for a holiday? I love Vienna and Salzburg and maybe that’s because I love Mozart’s music and he’s closely associated with both cities.”
Mozart was actually an early billiards player. “I never refereed him!”
Peter Ebdon once described Ronnie O’Sullivan as the Mozart of snooker and Alan has fond memories of two maximum breaks that both involve Ronnie.
“I’ve refereed ten maximums on the professional circuit, although not all in ranking events.”
“It was the final of the LVCC, Hendry had led Ronnie 8-2 and then Ronnie won six frames to level at 8-8, so it was all the more amazing when Stephen made a maximum break in the decider.”
“I think the best maximum which I refereed was Ronnie against Mark Selby in the semi finals of the 2007 UK Championship.”
You must have some other great memories Alan. What is your favourite Crucible memory? Is the Crucible your favourite venue?
“No, the Wembley Conference Centre was my favourite venue. It always had a wonderful atmosphere, it could hold over 3,000 spectators, with extra seating put in round the balcony, and then you had the private boxes right at the top.”
“My favourite memory at the Crucible has to be the final I refereed. It was the 1997 final when Ken Doherty beat Stephen Hendry.”
What are you other favourites?
“I’m a classical music fan, Mozart and some Wagner are my favourites.
“I don’t really go to the cinema very often but I liked Mamma Mia.
“I read the Daily Mail and sometime browse the Car magazines.
“Sporting Heroes? That’s a hard one. I think maybe Mohammed Ali and more recently, Dame Kelly Holmes.
“I don’t watch a lot of television, but I enjoy the factual programmes, the documentaries, real life.
“I used to love Morecambe and Wise and I find Peter Kay funny.
We receive a lot of questions about the rules, refereeing and situations that crop up on the table, and Alan has kindly agreed to answer some questions for you on Global Snooker.
