Product Description

Born on a council estate in Belfast, Alex Higgins left school at 15 At 17 he won the Northern Ireland and All Ireland snooker championships, and turned professional when he was 20. In 1972, aged just 23, he became the youngest person ever to win the World Championship. He repeated this achievement in an emotional final 10 years later, in the process becoming the biggest box-office draw the game has ever known. Alex Higgins was a showman, gambler, comedian, bully, charmer and alcoholic. His antics - and ferocious temper - were legendary yet he was loved by millions. Now, dying of cancer, he has spent everything he has and divides his time between Manchester and Belfast, where he survives by playing #10 snooker matches in pubs. Bill Burrows has had unprecedented access to Higgins and reconstructs vividly the terrifying roller-coaster ride that is his life. Gripping and ultimately, emotionally wrenching, this is an account of one of the most charasmatic and self-destructive figures ever to appear in British sport.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163117 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'I had more fun with Alex than any other player. He was a nightmare because you always knew you'd have to lend him money when he played for you - and as soon as he'd done that lot at the bookies, he'd be back for more... But he put bums on seats and was great for the game.' Barry Hearn

Barry Hearn
‘I had more fun with Alex than any other player. …He put bums on seats and was great for the game.’

Ray Reardon
‘He was a great player… He turned up for one exhibition with two black eyes after a punch-up with a fan the previous night and walloped me off the table.’