An excellent game to watch, wager on and play was originated on a very wet and miserable day in Jubbulpore in India in 1875, by Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain. Gambling games such as pyramids, life pool and black pool were popular in the officer’s mess at Jubbulpore. "A real snooker” was a comment made by Chamberlain about one of the players who missed a shot which actually referred to his lack of experience. The word ‘snooker’ was a concurrent invention by a first year cadet and the game of ‘snooker’ was subsequently born.
A product of many outdoor stick-and-ball lawn games like croquet in the 15th century gave birth to the offspring of billiards, which was extremely popular during the middle ages. Billiards commonly known as a 'gentleman's game' was first played in the 1500’s. It was highly popular amongst the royal classes at that time. The game was initially being played without cushions or rails. Twelve elephants had to be slaughtered at a time in order to make one ball. Snooker balls in those times were made of Ivory.
Chamberlain spent much of his time in promoting snooker in army circles. Snooker grew and grew. In 1882, the first official set of rules for snooker was drafted in Ootacamund in Madras province. The popularity of the game blossomed dramatically in the region during this period most particularly due to the element of gambling. Bringing it to England was a difficult matter though. It was decided to introduce snooker in England in 1885 when British billiards champion John Roberts travelled to India and met Chamberlain.
The English Amateur Championships took place in 1916 as the first officially organised competition. In 1927, the professional world snooker championship was released with the help of Joe Davis. Joe picked up the first crown and continued to win until his retirement in 1946. Thereafter, his brother Fred took on the mantle and proved dominant until 1957. Both the brothers dominated for half a century and contributed in developing the game into a genuine competitive sport.
Snooker’s rise was not without disruption as a dispute developed between the games' governing body between 1952 and 1957 and its popularity waned to such a level that no World Championship was held between 1958 and 1963. Snooker was put in front of the public with the invention of colored television. The BBC invested in a snooker tournament entitled ‘Pot Black’ in its zeal to display the technological advances that it had made. It turned the game of snooker into an overnight competition.
The World Championship which was first televised in 1973 received extensive television coverage. Cliff Thorburn’s 147 breaks in 1983 saw a significant rise in player lifestyles and an explosion of talent. Many young and dedicated players like Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry began to emerge. Snooker reached its popularity in 1985 with the world final where the championship came down to the final black with Dennis Taylor claiming the prize.
The game is still talked about today, after 18.5 million people tuned in to catch this piece of sporting legend. With a steady popularity base, it became the most played table sport during the 1990’s. Tobacco brands have proven to be the main sponsors for the sport throughout its existence.
Stephen Hendry, who broke many of Steve Davis records, was the dominant force through the 1990’s. He won seven World Championships in his career. However, a ban on tobacco companies to sponsor sports tournaments in the U.K badly hurt the snooker market. But the positivity of this game is its mass popularity throughout all of China that would be helpful in bringing the sport back across the globe. The future of the game looks secure as there are lots of youngsters who are taking up the game. Snooker has seen it’s up and downs over the years but it has managed to strike back. Currently, it has also become one of the most popular sports to bet on.
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