Lord Charles Chalkstone - The dapper dandy of the snooker halls.
Gentleman potter Lord Chalkston was always immaculately turned out. Although deadly serious when competing, things lightened up considerably when he won, as he invariably blew his entire winnings on champagne for his opponent and the audience.
He should have won the Open in 1924, but was thwarted in the final frame when his Bryl Cream melted under the lights and smeared his monocle.
James ‘Beaky’ Dawson - He had a nose for a good pot
Dawson was blessed with an unusually long nose which he used to great effect to help line shots up. He had a peculiar quick of adding chalk to the tip of his nose as well as his cue, swearing that it helped his game.
Dawson’s success as a sportsman began to peter out in his early forties, but he retrained and went on to become a highly successful sommelier through the wine regions of Europe.
“Wide Bill’ Willamson - Canada’s ever-cheerful cueman
A former lumberjack, ‘Wide Bill’ made his own cue using a tree branch he whittled down. Much loved by fans and fellow professionals alike, his exhibition matches were always packed out. The highlight of his shows was always when he knocked the cap off a bottle of beer from twenty paces using the cue ball.
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