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OCR	Decline Of Halls - By - Product Of Affluent Society PUBLIC billiard halls , Para for their atation . doxically , thigh , the few youngsters we are regulars at the billiar tables are the richest teen - ers of the lot while he was world billiard champion , did the legion of players consider the game worthy of their efforts , budding nderland foot ballers making a name and a bank balance or themselves . once among the most popular places of enter tainment in the days of the depression , have just about vanished , especially in the North - East . Many people , certainly , still enjoy a game of billiards or snooker , but nowadays it's in a social club , youth club , or in some other organization's meeting place . In the old days there were many amateur leagues for billiard players , especially church institute and non conformist leagues . The more skilful players among the regulars included Jimmy Henderson , the Richardson brothers , George Henderson , Baker and Thirkettle . 1 C The public halls are a thing of the past . Like the gym nasia and boxing booths of the 20's , they were a product of the times when hundreds of men were out of work , and when an afternoon in a . antare hall alled a gap in an otherwise dull day spent on a chilly street corner with other idle miners and ship yard workers . There were then in Sun derland about a dozen bil liard halls in High Street . Fawcett Street and Roker Avenue . All did a roaring trade . The decline set in after the war and now there is no public hall in the town to which a man can resort for half an hour at the tables þ + LAST TO GO The last to go was Sloane's 1 in Sunniside , which last year became a private club fol lowing the installation of gaming equipment . Now only members may play there . In the traditionally dim background of the hall , with the blaze of light providing a startling contrast above the green of the tables , and with the silence broken by the regular click of the snooker balls on the tables , Mr Tommy Maidment , ex - pro fessional footballer , enthusi astic billiard player , and manager of the club for more than ten years , ponders the reasons for the death of the game which he regards as one of the cheapest forms of skilful entertainment offered . In a word , affluence . Youngsters have more money in their pockets , and many ifferent attractions compete UNUSUAL But like to people who habitually usd public bil liard balls ad kept them open for S long , these players work musual hours . They have ne cccasional afternoon free from training , or the day beore a big game Ewhen there is not much else to do . Unut working hours … or hos bing hours Pay all kept th alls open m the depressio The other modern regul are often shift workers ho have a game at time of day when others are working . It's no coincidence that the keenest players turn up at the Miners ' Hall in Roker Avenue . Miners work per haps the most unusual hours of all . Of the doen tables in Sloane's , it i rare to see more than thee or four in use during an fternoon , The busiest time the week is Friday night , when most of the regulars tome in " FINISHED " " Billiards ? ' s finished in Sunderland , " ays Mr Maid ment , of Enton Street , Sunderlan , who well remembers the days when the game booned . " We have only one set billard balls here and the are hardly ever used . Sometimes lads will finish off with a game of billiards , but they come in to play snooker , " he says . " I suppose there are more balls to hit inooker . When they do set hem up for billiards , they usually put the red on the pink spot instead of the plack " it At one time he recalls , was billiares that was fashionable , Snooker scarcely had a fook in . Not until Joe Datis took an . academic interest in snooker The professionals , too , would come up for exhibition matches . Famous names like Joe and Fred Davis and Billy Smith , would take part in matches in the Y.M.Č.A. / then in Fawcett Street , and in other halls . The best of the North East bunch , says Mr Maidment , was a Newcastle player , Alf Nolan , who was about the only one to get anywhere in the professional game . INTEREST In the South of England , the billiard hall as a sporting centre is not nearly the dead duck it is in Sunderland particularly , and the North East generally . Mr Maidment took an interest in billiards at an early age when he was introduced to the tables by his elder brother at a youth club . It was for the club that he played football , too , and at the height of the depression he turned profes sional , when he went to Lincoln City in the middle 20's . He had spells at Cardiff , Portsmouth , and Workington , then in the North - Eastern League . At Fratton Park , Ports mouth he teamed up with Jackie Smith , of Whitburn . " It wasn't the life they lead today , though . In those days we got about £ 8 a week and it was much less than that if you weren't in the first team . " return to Mr Maidment , who is 59 , has no illusions about any popularity of billiards and snooker - at least not in public halls . " It's had its day and there will be no comeback , " he says regretfully . SPORTRAITS TOM

OCR

Decline Of Halls - By - Product Of Affluent Society
PUBLIC billiard halls ,
Para
for their atation . doxically , thigh , the few youngsters we are regulars at the billiar tables are the richest teen - ers of the lot
while he was world billiard champion , did the legion of players consider the game worthy of their efforts ,
budding nderland foot ballers making a name and a bank balance or themselves .
once among the most popular places of enter tainment in the days of the depression , have just about vanished , especially in the North - East . Many people , certainly , still enjoy a game of billiards or snooker , but nowadays it's in a social club , youth club , or in some other organization's meeting place .
In the old days there were many amateur leagues for billiard players , especially church institute and non conformist leagues . The more skilful players among the regulars included Jimmy Henderson , the Richardson brothers , George Henderson , Baker and Thirkettle .
1
C
The public halls are a thing of the past . Like the gym nasia and boxing booths of the 20's , they were a product of the times when hundreds of men were out of work , and when an afternoon in a . antare hall alled a gap in an otherwise dull day spent on a chilly street corner with other idle miners and ship yard workers .
There were then in Sun derland about a dozen bil liard halls in High Street . Fawcett Street and Roker Avenue . All did a roaring trade . The decline set in after the war and now there is no public hall in the town to which a man can resort for half an hour at the tables
þ
+ LAST TO GO
The last to go was Sloane's 1 in Sunniside , which last year became a private club fol lowing the installation of gaming equipment . Now only members may play there .
In the traditionally dim background of the hall , with the blaze of light providing a startling contrast above the green of the tables , and with the silence broken by the regular click of the snooker balls on the tables , Mr Tommy Maidment , ex - pro fessional footballer , enthusi astic billiard player , and manager of the club for more than ten years , ponders the reasons for the death of the game which he regards as one of the cheapest forms of skilful entertainment offered .
In a word , affluence . Youngsters have more money in their pockets , and many ifferent attractions compete
UNUSUAL
But like to people who habitually usd public bil liard balls ad kept them open for S long , these players work musual hours . They have ne cccasional afternoon free from training , or the day beore a big game Ewhen there is not much else to do . Unut working hours … or hos bing hours Pay all kept th alls open m the depressio The other modern regul are often shift workers ho have a game at time of day when others are working . It's no coincidence that the keenest players turn up at the Miners ' Hall in Roker Avenue . Miners work per haps the most unusual hours of all .
Of the doen tables in Sloane's , it i rare to see more than thee or four in use during an fternoon , The busiest time the week is Friday night , when most of the regulars tome in
" FINISHED "
" Billiards ? ' s finished in Sunderland , " ays Mr Maid ment , of Enton Street , Sunderlan , who well remembers the days when the game booned . " We have only one set billard balls here and the are hardly ever used . Sometimes lads will finish off with a game of billiards , but they come in to play snooker , " he says . " I suppose there are more balls to hit inooker . When they do set hem up for billiards , they usually put the red on the pink spot instead of the plack "
it
At one time he recalls , was billiares that was fashionable , Snooker scarcely had a fook in . Not until Joe Datis took an . academic interest in snooker
The professionals , too , would come up for exhibition matches . Famous names like Joe and Fred Davis and Billy Smith , would take part in matches in the Y.M.Č.A. / then in Fawcett Street , and in other halls .
The best of the North East bunch , says Mr Maidment , was a Newcastle player , Alf Nolan , who was about the only one to get anywhere in the professional game .
INTEREST
In the South of England , the billiard hall as a sporting centre is not nearly the dead duck it is in Sunderland particularly , and the North East generally .
Mr Maidment took an interest in billiards at an early age when he was introduced to the tables by his elder brother at a youth club . It was for the club that he played football , too , and at the height of the depression he turned profes sional , when he went to Lincoln City in the middle 20's . He had spells at Cardiff , Portsmouth , and Workington , then in the North - Eastern League .
At Fratton Park , Ports mouth he teamed up with Jackie Smith , of Whitburn . " It wasn't the life they lead today , though . In those days we got about £ 8 a week and it was much less than that if you weren't in the first team . "
return to
Mr Maidment , who is 59 , has no illusions about any popularity of billiards and snooker - at least not in public halls . " It's had its day and there will be no comeback , " he says regretfully .
SPORTRAITS
TOM