What a difference a year makes as snooker fights back

A year ago senior Irish snooker figures were bemoaning what seemed an incurable apathy towards their sport.

Jim Leacy, then chairman of the Irish Snooker and Billiards Association, spoke about the struggle to unearth the next generation: “These days we aren’t just competing with other sports, we’re competing with iPads, box sets and all the rest.”

With snooker halls closing all over the country many began questioning the long-term viability of the game. Not that the concern was confined to Ireland.