Let Me Tell You About Alex

Bol Partner

There is a tribute book to be written about the nicest man in snooker - but this isn't it. Whatever else he was, Alexander Gordon Higgins wasn't nice. Unpredictable, wild, demonic and obsessive for certain. The People's Champion. An unstoppable force who single-handedly transformed snooker from a niche sport into a gripping phenomenon. When snooker was at its most popular in the 1980s, Higgins was at the peak of his powers. It was no coincidence. John Virgo knew Higgins as well as anyone. He made no apologies for his friend and was frequently driven to dispair by his antics. The gambling, the drug-using, the sheer, uninhibited madness of the man. But there was always a buzz around Alex, there was always something happening. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVdmn4KEKF8

Bol

'We went into the foyer to sign autographs. Well, I signed - Alex produced an ink pad and stamp marked A Higgins . Sorry, bade, he said between the thump of prints for 150 crestfallen fans, I'm only stamping tonight. JOHN VIRGO There is a tribute book to be written about the nicest man in snooker - but this isn't it. Whatever else he was, Alexander Gordon Higgins wasn't nice. Unpredictable, wild, demonic and obsessive for certain. An unstoppable force who single-handedly transformed snooker from a niche sport into a gripping phenomenon.