The Big Issue – August 19, 2019

20 | BIGISSUE.COM ǼȄɯǽȀg&g]cǽǻǼȄ

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Snookerlegend

letterto my

younger self.

Stephen

Hendry

never watched snooker on TV, but two weeks before my 13th

birthday I got a toy snooker table for Christmas. My mum

had seen it in a shop window and asked what I thought of it

as a Christmas present. I had bicycles and footballs, so it was

ƫżŰĪƸŊŏŲŃģŏdzłĪƣĪŲƸ᠇rǣłÿƸŊĪƣᡉƫłÿƸŊĪƣǝÿƫÿǜĪƣǣŃżżģƠŧÿǣĪƣ᠁ÿŧƸŊżǀŃŊ

hediedbefore I was born. The talent skipped a generation and within a

couple of weeks, I was making 50 breaks. Even when I started winning it

ǝÿƫƫƸŏŧŧÿŊżěěǣ᠁SǝÿƫŲᡉƸƸŊŏŲŤŏŲŃÿěżǀƸÿĜÿƣĪĪƣ᠇

I look back now and think, if I hadn’t been good at snooker, what

would I have done?SŧĪǽƸƫĜŊżżŧǝŏƸŊŲżƢǀÿŧŏǿĜÿƸŏżŲƫ᠇ŧƸŊżǀŃŊS

ǝżǀŧģŲᡉƸěĪěżƸƸżŰżłƸŊĪĜŧÿƫƫÿƸƫĜŊżżŧ᠁SĜĪƣƸÿŏŲŧǣǝÿƫŲᡉƸŲĪÿƣƸŊĪƸżƠ᠇

My dad had a fruit and vegetable business with three shops, so whether

SǝżǀŧģŊÿǜĪƫƸÿǣĪģŏŲƸŊÿƸěǀƫŏŲĪƫƫSᡉŰŲżƸƫǀƣĪ᠇

When I won the Scottish Amateur snooker title aged 15, I could

choose to play the World Amateur Championship, which I had a

good chance of winning, or turn professional. In those days, you

ĜżǀŧģŲᡉƸšǀƫƸŃżƸżƢǀÿŧŏłǣŏŲŃƫĜŊżżŧÿŲģŃĪƸżŲƸŊĪƠƣżłĪƫƫŏżŲÿŧƸżǀƣ᠇

The only way was by winning your national championships or the

àżƣŧģŰÿƸĪǀƣ ŊÿŰƠŏżŲƫŊŏƠƫ᠇rǣƫĪŧł᠁ŰǣłÿƸŊĪƣÿŲģŰǣŰÿŲÿŃĪƣ

thought we might not get another chance. I did an interview in the

Daily Record saying my ambition was to be world champion by the

time I was 21 [which he achieved in 1990]. Some of that was bravado,

but it was also setting myself a goal because people believed in

my talent.

SŊÿǜĪƫǀƠƠżƣƸĪģŰǣƫĪŧłǿŲÿŲĜŏÿŧŧǣƫŏŲĜĪSǝÿƫᙷᙹ᠇ I bought all my

own clothes and all the CDs I wanted by people like U2, Simple Minds

and Phil Collins. Even as an amateur, I would get £500 for winning a

tournament. For someone with no outgoings, it was incredible. But it

was strange for my parents to have someone so independent. Scotland

had no experience of successful snooker players, so even when I was

ǝŏŲŲŏŲŃšǀŲŏżƣƸżǀƣŲÿŰĪŲƸƫƸŊĪŧżĜÿŧƠÿƠĪƣƫǝżǀŧģƣĪƠżƣƸŏƸ᠇

I was brought down to earth at home. My mum and dad had split up,

ƫżŏƸǝÿƫŰǣŰǀŰ᠁ŰǣěƣżƸŊĪƣÿŲģŰĪŏŲƸŊĪŊżǀƫĪ᠇SǝÿƫšǀƫƸŊĪƣƫżŲ

ÿŲģfĪŏƸŊᡉƫżŧģĪƣěƣżƸŊĪƣ᠇¼ŊĪƣĪǝÿƫŲżłÿǜżǀƣŏƸŏƫŰżƣƠǀƸƸŏŲŃŰĪǀƠżŲ

a pedestal. One of the secrets of my success was that I never let any of it

go to my head.

I would tell my younger self to try to be my own person a bit more.

SŊÿģÿǜĪƣǣģżŰŏŲÿŲƸǿŃǀƣĪÿƫÿŰÿŲÿŃĪƣ᠇SÿŲᠢ'żǣŧĪᠣƸżżŤĜÿƣĪżł

everything. It allowed me to concentrate on playing snooker, but it

allowed him to dominate my life completely – choosing what suits I

ǝżǀŧģǝĪÿƣ᠁ǝŊżSǝżǀŧģƫĪĪ᠁ƸĪŧŧŏŲŃŰĪǝŊĪŲSĜżǀŧģÿŲģĜżǀŧģŲᡉƸƫĪĪ

my girlfriend. He controlled my life. I have to counter that by saying

ƸŊÿƸǝŏƸŊżǀƸŊŏŰSǝżǀŧģŲᡉƸŊÿǜĪŃżƸƸżǝŊĪƣĪSģŏģ᠇ǀƸƸŊĪƣĪǝĪƣĪ

times I resented the things he made me do.

I looked at Jimmy White gambling, drinking and going to nightclubs

and thought it looked glamorous. But my management would

say, “You are not going anywhere near that.” There were distractions

ĪǜĪƣǣǝŊĪƣĪŏłǣżǀǝÿŲƸĪģƸżŃżģżǝŲƸŊÿƸƣżǀƸĪ᠇ŧĪǢNŏŃŃŏŲƫƫƸƣǀŃŃŧĪģ

with drink all the way through his career – and he was not a nice drunk

ĪŏƸŊĪƣ᠇àŊĪŲŊĪᡉģŊÿģÿģƣŏŲŤŊĪǝÿƫżŲĪƸżÿǜżŏģ᠇SƫÿǝƸŊĪŊǀŃĪ

drinking culture. I would tell my younger self to choose moderation and

ģĪǿŲŏƸĪŧǣÿǜżŏģģƣǀŃƫᠲłƣżŰǝŊÿƸSŊÿǜĪƫĪĪŲ᠁ƸŊĪǣƫĪĪŰƣŏģŏĜǀŧżǀƫŧǣ

easy to get hold of.

We were seen as boring winning machines with no personality. I took

my cue from Steve Davis, pardon the pun. He was the dominant player

of the time and totally dedicated to the sport. He was clean living and all

ŊĪǝÿŲƸĪģƸżģżǝÿƫěĪƸŊĪěĪƫƸƫŲżżŤĪƣƠŧÿǣĪƣŏŲƸŊĪǝżƣŧģ᠇NĪģŏģŲᡉƸ

ƫƠĪÿŤƸżŰĪǝŊĪŲSƫƸÿƣƸĪģżǀƸ᠇NĪģŏģŲᡉƸƣĪÿŧŧǣƫƠĪÿŤƸżÿŲǣěżģǣ᠇àĪ

had very little interaction until we were both past our best. But we went

down similar paths of being the dominant player and being hated,

then getting more popular at the end of our careers because we started

ŧżƫŏŲŃ᠇¼ŊĪǝÿǣǝĪƫÿĜƣŏǿĜĪģƸŊŏŲŃƫƸżŃĪƸƸżƸŊĪƸżƠŏƫÿŧƫżƫŏŰŏŧÿƣ᠇

We both got divorced from our wives who we had our children with

because, basically, when you are single-minded and want to get to the

top, everything else comes second.

I

ᚇᚕᚕᚐ About to take on Jimmy

White in the 1994 World

ŊÿŰƠŏżŲƫŊŏƠǿŲÿŧ᠇SƸǝżǀŧģ

be his fourth consecutive

ǜŏĜƸżƣǣÿŃÿŏŲƫƸŊŏŰŏŲƸŊĪǿŲÿŧ

ᚇᚕᚔژ Budding

player Hendry

aged 13

ژᚆᚇᚔ With partner,

children’s entertainer

Lauren Thundow,

in London

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