Dublin snooker hero Ken Doherty had RTE viewers in stiches
when he told a story of his youth spent in Dublin's snooker halls on the Tommy Tiernan Show.
The professional snooker player grew up in Ranelagh and spent much if his formative years in Jason's Snooker Hall. The Darlin' of Dublin won a number of championships and was once ranked second in the world.
The 53-year-old also won the World Championship in 1997. Ken told Tommy about the moment he knew he had a future in snooker.
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He said: "When I used to go into Jason's - and this is a true story - they used to give me a biscuit tin to stand on. You know the old Jacob's Biscuit tins.
"I'd stand on it, play the shot, kick around and play the other shot. I began to beat some of the older boys that were my brother's age - they were four and eight years older than me.
"They used to hide the biscuit tin on me. They said, 'this little b**tard, he is not beating us today'."
He added: "It was sort of then that I knew... it almost became bragging rights or a stature thing. I just wanted to get better and better and better.
"Everyday I'd get off the bus past my mother's house, straight into Jason's, school bag under the table. I'd be cleaning out the ashtray and cleaning the floor just for the free game on the table.
"[I'd be there] until my mother sent my sister around to say the dinner was on the table."
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