Fans pay tribute to snooker legend 'Hurricane' Higgins
LOCAL snooker fans have paid tribute to former world champion Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins who died at the weekend.
The 61-year-old, who had been battling throat cancer for more than 10 years, was found dead at his flat in Belfast on Saturday night.
The two-time world champion is credited with having revolutionised snooker’s image, massively boosting its popularity during the 1970s and 80s.
Glengormley man Gerard Crawley, a committee member of the Northern Ireland Cue Sports Players’ Association, described Higgins as “a legend.”
“I thought he was a true legend - he totally changed the game. Whenever he was on form no-one could hold a candle to him. In snooker terms, he was an absolute marvel.
“I actually saw him playing in the QE1 club on the Castlereagh Road last year and he was in good form. He was still hitting breaks of 50 and 60, so he was still very good around the table,” he told the Times.
Mr Crawley said that the former world champion would be “very sadly missed.”
Stephen Gardiner, a member of The Classic Snooker Club in Glengormley, added: “In snooker terms he was a hero. Snooker’s a game where you have to stay still when hitting the ball, yet Higgins had a twitch. His cue action was unbelievable. He was just a naturally gifted player.”
South Antrim MLA and snooker fan Thomas Burns said that although Higgins will be sadly missed, his sporting legacy will live on for generations.
Commenting on the tragic death of the troubled star, the SDLP’s sports spokesman commented: “He was a genius and someone with tremendous natural flair and ability who brought a great deal of pleasure and credit to this part of the world.
“His ability showed that people from here could compete on a world stage at whatever profession they chose. He was a likable rogue and anti-establishment, but when he played people watched and that is how he will be remembered.
“Alex Higgins helped to bring a sport into the living rooms and lives of people all over the world and in doing that helped forge a reputation for the north on a different world stage. He brought snooker to an entire generation who then passed it on and that will be his lasting legacy.”
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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