Friday 13th May was far from unlucky for members of the Surrey Snooker Academy and their friends, who were treated to a brilliant exhibition match by two great-value entertainers.
Three centuries and a 147 maximum break!
Let’s start with the quality of the snooker. Okay, exhibition matches are fairly relaxed events but it still takes a lot of class to make a century, let alone a maximum break. So we couldn’t have asked for a more impressive seven frames than these two outstanding players served up. And in case you think there’s not as much pressure at events like these, Mark said his heart was racing in his chest as he powered his way to his first maximum break at an exhibition. The roar from our packed club when the final black went in showed just how much we all enjoyed the show. We might even have been treated to two maxis had Joe Perry not suffered an unusual bounce as he went for his ninth black in frame 3. Still, he can be justly proud of the 116 he achieved.
Laughter and magic in the air
Evenings like this are made extra special when the players engage in a bit of banter with the audience. Joe and Mark weren’t just on good snooker form, they had us laughing throughout the evening with good-natured teasing and witty one-liners. Mark’s maxi raised our spirits even higher yet it wasn’t the only magic on show. In the half-time interval our very own Dean Jorgensen kept the entertainment flowing with a mind-boggling display of magic tricks. It’s a shame Shaun Murphy has taken The Magician as a nickname because that’s what Dean does for a living.
Great reviews
Both of us are thrilled that Joe and Mark were so complimentary about what we’re trying to achieve here. Mark described our Academy as an awesome venue, whilst Joe thought our table was the best he’s ever played on at an exhibition. Chris Gaynor of SnookerZone.co.uk was also in the audience and gave us a great write-up, which you can read here. We know we’re doing the right thing by creating a venue that offers our members the environment, equipment and support that is normally only available to the professionals, so to hear it direct from them is highly encouraging.
Great food and drink
Finally, a big thank you to the people who host our business, the Camphill Social Club. They put on a great barbecue in their sunny beer garden and kept us well-watered throughout the evening. Keep an eye out for the next event. We’ve got plenty of great ideas up our sleeves.
