Leicester snooker hall

Filbo65

Filbo65

Thatched roofer
I used to play at the big – 22 tables, I think – snooker hall which was where the St Martin's shopping centre now is. Got demolished in the mid-80s, I guess it would've been. Used to go down a narrow passage way, with the door in to the side. Bloke in a hatch round to the right, and the usually covered 'match table' just to the left. Proper smoky atmosphere with the light shades over each table adding to it. Think it was called Riley's, but I might be gettting mixed up with the table brand...
Anyway, does anyone know of any photos of the old place please? Ta in advance...
 
I used to know Ernie Osborne. We got him to install 2 snooker tables in the Student Union games room up at the Percy Gee building at Leicester Uni.
Better than the faacking table tennis tables that were there.
The City players used to get down Osbornes on many an afternoon. All good fun watching folk like Len Glover trying to hold a cue.
 
Ah yes, of course – Osborne's! I got the number of tables right though...
Thanks v much Buz. Could there be any pics of the inside floating around t'net...?
 
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Thorne practised there. I used to play there when I was at Southfields Tech on Newark Street
 
Sad to say that I have no recollection of the area before St Martins shopping area even though I used to go down Cank Street records a lot and before that me mum used to drag me as a kid to Nat West on hotel street. Used to play Snooker more in Loughborough but did play a few times in the big club on Belgrave Gate in the late eighties.
 
I'd forgotten about St Martin's records! I was a Revolver boy, as my Uncle had lent them the money to start up.

There was a small – 5 or 6 tables – hall on a corner as you went up Belvoir St. Used to skive off school on Wednesday afternoons and get the bus down there. Up some stairs just round the corner into the side street, it was on two floors above whatever shop was at street level.

I guess Willie opened his club up shortly after Osborne's closed.
 
buz_not_buzz said:
I have been looking as I figured that was really what you were after but no luck so far soz.
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I saw Steve Davis play Fred Davis on the match table in an exhibition. A Saturday morning, I think it was. Steve was about 17. Fantastic to be a cue's length away from them. I hoped it might feature in that documentary about Davis and Hearn that was on TV a couple of years back – they did show some footage from what BH called SD's toughening-up tour, but it was some other club somewhere.
 
Filbo65 said:
I'd forgotten about St Martin's records! I was a Revolver boy, as my Uncle had lent them the money to start up.

There was a small – 5 or 6 tables – hall on a corner as you went up Belvoir St. Used to skive off school on Wednesday afternoons and get the bus down there. Up some stairs just round the corner into the side street, it was on two floors above whatever shop was at street level.

I guess Willie opened his club up shortly after Osborne's closed.
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I saw St Martins Records in the pictures (Cank Street Records was a smaller place under where the art place was on Cank Street itself) and had forgotten it was there. I remember it ended up where that Sushi(?) place is now opposite MacDonalds on Horsefair Street but I am sure it was somewhere in-between but cannot for the life of me remember where. And, yes, Revolver and Ainleys for me before Rockaboom.
 
Played there every Friday afternoon and sat mornings regularly
Thorne used to practice on the match table next to us and would offer us a game or two for money He always won no matter how many start we had. Brilliant watching him practice before he got his own centre in Charles st
We continued with Osbornes in their new premises as well as frequenting Willie's place
Lots of snooker halls those days and many good club players about
Happy days
 
Not Osbournes related but I did play there many times,
In the early 80's playing at a snooker hall in the Rushes, L'boro - can't remember the name of it
Just the two of us playing and all the other tables empty and in walked Tony Drago with gorgeous fur coat clad woman on his arm with some other guy who I didn't recognise.
They went over to the match table and started practicing.
Then in walked Len Ganley in dickie bow and they started playing a proper match with Len calling out the scores
Never did find out what was going on but assume it must have been some qualifying match for a big tournament
The woman looked bored out of her skull
 
Played at Osbornes in the late 1960's.

Managed to persuade the games teacher at Longslade when it was wet pitches he would allow us to have double games on Wednesday afternoons in Osbornes. He threatened he would come and check up on us but he never came.
 
We used to catch the bus into the city go to Osbornes then down the match if city were at home, I was 12 and looking back even though there was never a problem I think there were several dodgy geezers in the club.
 
Used to finish Tech ( Newark Street) at
4-30pm leg it down to Osbornes for 2 hours then leg it back for our evening class at 7pm
Finish at 9pm and over to the Town Arms for a pint

Happy Days
 
Thorney said:
Used to finish Tech ( Newark Street) at
4-30pm leg it down to Osbornes for 2 hours then leg it back for our evening class at 7pm
Finish at 9pm and over to the Town Arms for a pint

Happy Days
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What did go tech for Thorney. I was there 1976-1979. Its was a tinder box, how did it not burn down? The refectory did good grub though
 
Ah, the Town Arms too!
This is precisely the sort of 'good old days' pick me up I needed. Thanks all (y) (y)
 
George Ferris said:
We used to catch the bus into the city go to Osbornes then down the match if city were at home, I was 12 and looking back even though there was never a problem I think there were several dodgy geezers in the club.
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I was about 14 when I first went in. I remember zilch about anyone else who was ever playing there but, with hindsight, I would be desperately disappointed if there weren't some dodgy geezers. I could never tell my mum where I'd been – snooker halls were definitely 'dens of iniquity' in her eyes :D
 
Nomadic Fox said:
No, think it shut down a few years again. It was at the bottom end of Mill Lane by the ring road.
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I didn't realise it was closed. Millstone Lane is the road with the the R&D, Friar Lane is parallel [corrected, moron moment] and is the one that had the snooker club as I recall. Mill Lane is where the Poly is - and where City (well, the Fosse) used to play.
 
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mickyhoss said:
What did go tech for Thorney. I was there 1976-1979. Its was a tinder box, how did it not burn down? The refectory did good grub though
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And me. The college was officially the number one fire risk in the city at the time.
I mean where else would they teach young plumbers to lead burn and soldering in a building where the floorboards were crammed with cotton between the joists. How the hell it never caught fire is a miracle.
Osbornes loved it, miss it, that old woman behind the sliding door as you went in was a national institution.
And how many times on the black and the light just went out. !
 
neverbemastered said:
And me. The college was officially the number one fire risk in the city at the time.
I mean where else would they teach young plumbers to lead burn and soldering in a building where the floorboards were crammed with cotton between the joists. How the hell it never caught fire is a miracle.
Osbornes loved it, miss it, that old woman behind the sliding door as you went in was a national institution.
And how many times on the black and the light just went out. !
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Same on the Top floor burning old paint off doors with a blow lamp !!
 
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