Patsy Fagan Q&A
Patsy Fagan, winner of the first UK Championship in 1977, reflects on his career and his enduring love of snooker…
Patsy, firstly what are your memories of Ray Reardon, who sadly passed away recently?
I played him a few times, I remember the two matches we had at the Crucible, he beat me there in 1977 and 1985. He was a great player, the best of the era. He had a big personality. Sadly a lot of the players from my time have passed away, including Ray, Alex Higgins, John Spencer and Eddie Charlton. Hopefully I’ve still got a few more years in me!
Do you still play snooker?
I play a bit in the seniors events, I do a bit of coaching and work with Alfie Burden. I still love the game and I’m a fanatic for watching snooker on TV. The players are better now than they have ever been and it’s wonderful to watch how good they are. And I love going to the Masters because the atmosphere is great.
What are your predictions for this season?
I’d love to see one of the young Chinese players do well. I enjoyed watching Si Jiahui get to the semis at the Crucible last year. Ding Junhui must be disappointed that he has never won the world title and he needs to win it within the next two or three years, for such a great player it would be a shame if he doesn’t.
Every year when the UK Championship comes around, your name crops up because you won the first one in 1977. Where does that rank among your best moments?
It doesn’t seem like 47 years ago! I remember parts of the final against Doug Mountjoy. Joe Davies presented me with the trophy which was fantastic. The following year I beat Alex Higgins 13-12 in the last 16 at the Crucible, that was a great match. And I beat Higgins in the final of the Dry Blackthorn Cup in 1977 at Wembley Conference Centre, that was my home crowd because I had moved to London. Those are the moments that stand out.
Who is the greatest of all time?
There’s no doubt. If anyone says that Ronnie O’Sullivan is not greatest, they are watching the wrong TV. I hope he wins one more world title, just to put aside any doubts for anyone.
