PHOTOS:
Ian Ashworth is right on cue in Pembrokeshire snooker circles
Ian Ashworth
Malcolm King and Ian Ashworth

 
After over 40 years of involvement in local snooker, 30 of them playing for the Balfour Club in Haverfordwest, Ian Ashworth is now the chairman of the Eddie Rocks Pembrokeshire Snooker League and not only enjoys playing as much as ever but taking an active part in its administration.
 
Ian is a regular player with the Balfour ‘B’ team in Haverfordwest but also chairs the county committee’s monthly meetings, attends the finals of the various cup competitions (and sometimes does his share of refereeing the games), as well as acting as the unofficial press officer by providing the results, reports and photographs for the local press.
 

Started in Butlins and then the Balfour Club

 
His love of snooker stems right back to a family outing to Butlins, in Pwllheli, as a ten year old, where they had 12 tables and he went in every day – and enjoyed every minute of it, despite the fact that her could hardly reach over the table and so wasn’t the game’s greatest break-builder.
 
But there was little chance to play much snooker once back in Haverfordwest until his late teens, when a friend took him to the Balfour Club in Quay Street and rekindled Ian’s snooker embers.
 
“I joined the club and soon learned a great deal more about the game than I ever thought possible,” admitted Ian, “when I was allowed to practise alongside some of the town’s snooker legends of the time, like Des Barnett, Ronnie Narbett, Gwyn Vaughan and Al Gordon, who stayed as the league’s Hon Treasurer for an amazing 40 years.
 

Great help from Des and Co

 
“They were far, far better players than I could ever be but showed patience in giving me advice – and one particular aspect of this from Des Barnett, a gentleman of the sport but a fierce competitor once the first shot was played.
 
“Des never knew when he was beaten and showed me the importance of quality defensive play alongside the ability to look good with spectacular long shots, and I was really chuffed when I started playing competitively for the club.
 
The Balfour had three teams in those days and Ian was chosen in the ‘C’ team with Dai Morgan until the club dropped to two teams and Ian joined Dai in playing for the ‘B’ team alongside real characters like Andy Roach, Denzil Davies, Dai Codd and Richard Williams, who are all better-known in other sports.
 

Same sextet has stayed together for two decades

 
This sextet has been together since the 1990s and enjoys each other’s company for home games on a Tuesday evening and away matches on Mondays. They have sometimes yo-yoed between divisions one and two but their only cup silverware came in 1994 when they won the DT Pearce Cup, the knockout competition for second teams and played on an aggregate points’ basis.
 
“That was 21 years ago,” said Ian, “ “and our long wait for more silverware could have ended as we  battled our way through to the final of the DT Pearce Cup again and take on the Manchester Club ‘B’ team, from Milford Haven, with home advantage because this competition’s final is traditionally played at the Balfour Club.
 
“It would have been great to win,” Ian told us, “but we had the consolation of winning the division two title.”
 

Likes sport photography – and snapped the top snooker stars

 
As well as being an unofficial press officer for the snooker, Ian was also held in high regard as a sports photographer in his work, especially with regard to action pictures of cricket, rugby and football.
 
“I also photographed the likes of Steve Davies, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, Matthew Stevens, Mark Williams and Jimmy White in action at Eddie’s Snooker Hall,” Ian told us, “and all of them were great with the crowds.
 
“On one trip to the Welsh open with my son Ryan we passed current top player Stuart Bingham on the stairs and when Ryan said hello he stopped and chatted to us as if we were old friends.
 
“I think there is a special characteristic amongst top snooker players that they always seem to have time for their fans – and Steve Davies is undoubtedly the best.”

 
Snooker league involvement

 
Ian was voted on to the committee of the Pembrokeshire Snooker League over ten years ago.
 
“We meet in the British Legion Club in Milford Haven on the last Thursday of each month and Howard Webber did a great job as chairman for almost 20 years until he stepped down a year ago and I was roped in to try and fill a very big pair of snooker shoes.
 
“I can only do my best in following him and I’m very lucky that he and Al Gordon are always on the end of a telephone line if ever we need advice – and I’m also glad that Mackie King is still going strong after 49 years of administrative involvement, most of them as Hon Secretary, so he knows everything there is to know about the running of the league.
 

Major changes over the years

 
“Things have definitely changed a lot,” admitted Ian, “because years ago there were more clubs with a snooker table and so a much bigger league. Now we have the Black Rabbit Club and the Power Station Social Club in Pembroke, the Balfour Club in Haverfordwest, Saundersfoot Social Club and Neyland Athletic Club, plus the Manchester Club, the Waterloo Club, the Conservative Club and the British Legion, all in Milford Haven.
 
It would be great to see more tables being set up but they are not about any more in a lot of areas.
 
“Now we present the trophies to winning clubs or individuals on the night of the finals whereas we used to have a huge presentation/dinner evening where the men wore black tie and their wives came in gowns, and it was a very big social event in the county, but sadly that is the way of the world.
 

It’s about more than winning

 
Ask Ian about his own play and he would say that he has a top break of 50-plus in practice, with a highest break of 37 in a competitive match.
 
“But for me it’s more about enjoying an evening with my team-mates, win or lose, and renewing acquaintances with opponents we have known for many years.
 
“For example, Neyland ‘B’ have Glyndwr Lewis (83), John Fantham (87), WMB and Brian Griffiths (both in their mid 70s), and Chris Walters as the nipper at 56; an average age of 75, but they still play as competitively as ever, but with a sense of fun as well.
 
“It might sound clichéd but it is true that it is the taking part that counts!”
 

And finally . . .

 
And there is no doubt that Ian does just that because he really is committed to taking part for as long as he can, which could be for a while yet if he can emulate some of today’s old stagers.
 
He also enjoys his administrative role and although the snooker scene has indeed shrunk somewhat over the past decade it is in safe hands with the likes of Ian Ashworth on board and long may he continue to be involved in his chosen sport!