I have received confirmation that the snooker table at Nottingham Forest Sportsman Social Club near Trent Bridge has been removed during the club’s renovation and it will not be coming back. In fact, the table was ‘smashed up’ in order for it to be removed from the building.
The club has been sold and is being renovated prior to its imminent reopening. Whilst it’s always sad to see the loss of another snooker venue, it’s just a sign of the times. Snooker tables take up a lot of space and unless they are used regularly it is simply not cost effective for pubs and clubs to retain them. I wish the club all the best and I am sure it will be successful when it reopens.
Some readers may recall the charitable tour of 2013 when Jon Sully and Steve Burrows visited over 70 snooker venues throughout Nottinghamshire. They raised an amazing £1,300 for When You Wish Upon A Star in the process. Sadly, in the 6 years that have elapsed since the tour, 14 of the venues they visited have either removed their snooker tables, or worse, closed down completely. Here are the other 13:
Arnold Working Men’s Social Club
This club in Arnold had one snooker table. I recall that when we visited the club, despite how busy it looks in the photo, it was struggling for members. They did their best to keep it going but the writing was on the wall. The club subsequently closed.
Gotham Royal British Legion
This village club had one snooker table that it had purchased from the Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station Social Club when it closed. Sadly, Gotham RBL has also now closed and it will soon be demolished and the land used to build new houses.
Jackie Bells
This Netherfield pub had one snooker table, which I remember well as it was a very good steel blocker. When we visited in the pub it was recently refurbished and surprisingly modern and welcoming. I say surprisingly because a lot of people told us to stay away as it had a bit of a reputation for being a ‘rough’ pub. The pub had a lot of history so it was a shame that it closed down and the building converted into flats.
London Midland Railway Club Association
This Netherfield club, which had two snooker tables, was soon to be demolished when we visited in 2013 in order to make way for a KFC. However we were assured that the club was to relocate, along with at least one table, to the centre of the town. The LMRCA club did indeed reopen in Netherfield, but sadly they decided not to reinstall a snooker table, only a pool table. Yet another snooker venue gone.
Longden Terrace Miners Welfare
This club in Warsop was another venue I remember well, mainly due to the ridiculously low hourly rate. It had one snooker table and playing on it would set you back just 60p per hour. When you also consider that back in 2013 they were only charging £2.55 for a pint of lager, you were in for a very cheap night out! The club has closed down.
Pegasus Snooker Club
When the owner of this snooker club decided to remove all 14 snooker tables and convert the club into a restaurant, it was a real blow to the Nottingham Snooker community. There aren’t too many large snooker clubs left in Nottingham and so the loss of this one, so soon after the closure of Beeston Snooker Hall, was hard to take. I’ve heard that the restaurant is doing well, but I’ve not had chance to visit yet.
Plessey Club
This was a lovely club in Beeston with four quality snooker tables. It was a real shame when this historic club closed down.
Staythorpe Working Mens Club
This was a lovely little club in Newark. It was one of those traditional clubs that had retained a skittles alley as well as one snooker table in its own room. This was another club that was struggling for members back in 2013. The Committee did their best to keep it going, putting on live entertainment and the like, but member numbers fell drastically, resulting in the club closing its doors.
The Embankment
The former Boots Social Club near Trent Bridge had four snooker tables. It is a beautiful building with great history and Castle Rock Brewery not only purchased it, but they invested a lot of money in order to transform it into the wonderful pub it is today. Inevitably the snooker tables were all removed.
The Three Lions
This Meden Vale pub had one full size snooker table, surprising really, as it took up a lot of room. It was perhaps inevitable that the table was removed as it was hardly used and in a poor state of repair. However, it’s good to see that the pub continues to thrive.
The Wyvern Club
This club in Kirkby in Ashfield had one snooker table that was seldom used. In fact, so little was it used, that when we visited it on the 2013 tour, a lifting of the table cover revealed a slug on the baize complete with slimy trail! It was a bit cold and damp in that room, perfect conditions for the slug, not so much for the enthusiastic snooker player! The club subsequently removed the snooker table and replaced it with a second pool table. The club is now doing very well and remains at the heart of the local community.
Welbeck Miners Welfare
I had to use a flash in this photo, due to the table having no lights above it whatsoever! It was probably due to this that the table was completely free of charge for club members. Nevertheless, Welbeck Miners Welfare, located in Meden Vale, was a nice big club and a real loss to the local community when it closed its doors.
Willowbrook Club
Willowbrook Club housed one lovely antique snooker table that is fondly remembered. Like The Embankment, this pub was bought by Castle Rock Brewery, the table removed and the pub renovated. It remains a very popular pub and is doing very well.
3 thoughts on “Snooker table removed from yet another club”
As i understand it Steve the lovely Welbeck Club on the Welbeck Estate on the outskirts of Worksop has also closed down. They haven’t played in the Worksop League for a few years.
I’ve fond memories of playing there, having a 132 in the final frame of the scratch in 2013, against Ashley Carty.
Quite funny really as is was the final frame of the season and the highest break trophy had already been engraved with Ashley’s name, having had the highest break previous to mine.
It was a cracking table though. Not sure what has happened to it.
That was a fantastic venue Guy. It’s disappointing to hear it’s closed down. It was our favourite venue on the whole tour. I’ll have to make some enquiries to find out what happened to the table. Cheers, Steve
One of the Plessey tables was relocated to Chilwell Golf club , it had steel cushions on it .
and I hear That the golf club may also be thinking of getting it removed .
having read the article above of closed venues , it is sad , as each one of those tables I have worked on in the past when I worked for Elston & Hopkin Billiards of Nottingham .
As i understand it Steve the lovely Welbeck Club on the Welbeck Estate on the outskirts of Worksop has also closed down. They haven’t played in the Worksop League for a few years.
I’ve fond memories of playing there, having a 132 in the final frame of the scratch in 2013, against Ashley Carty.
Quite funny really as is was the final frame of the season and the highest break trophy had already been engraved with Ashley’s name, having had the highest break previous to mine.
It was a cracking table though. Not sure what has happened to it.
That was a fantastic venue Guy. It’s disappointing to hear it’s closed down. It was our favourite venue on the whole tour. I’ll have to make some enquiries to find out what happened to the table. Cheers, Steve
One of the Plessey tables was relocated to Chilwell Golf club , it had steel cushions on it .
and I hear That the golf club may also be thinking of getting it removed .
having read the article above of closed venues , it is sad , as each one of those tables I have worked on in the past when I worked for Elston & Hopkin Billiards of Nottingham .