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Romford Snooker Club
Walk into the hall at Arcade Place in Romford and the first thing that catches the eye is the tables. There are twelve of them, but one is table 13, and there is a reason it has stayed that way for half a century.
Table 13 is where a teenage Steve Davis was spotted practising by a young promoter called Barry Hearn in the mid-1970s, sowing the seeds of one of British sport's most famous partnerships. This year marks 45 years since Davis lifted his first world title in 1981, a run of six championships that turned him into the defining figure of 1980's snooker and put the Romford club firmly on the map.
With the UK Championship returning to York this winter and the professional tour back in full swing, it is a good moment to look at the place where a lot of that history began.
Snooker and billiards have been played at Arcade Place since the 1920s, when the venue opened as a temperance hall. It later joined the Lucania chain, a string of London halls often found above Burton's tailor shops, before Hearn bought the group in 1974 and established the Matchroom Club here in 1982 in what is now the darts and pool area. Richard Willis took over in 1989 and renamed the venue The Romford Snooker Club, and he has run it ever since.
The professional connection has not faded. Steve Davis has returned to the club to celebrate the 75th Anniversary and to present a number of exhibition matches in support of St Francis Hospice. In recent years the club has been visited by Jimmy White, John Parrott, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Stuart Bingham. The tables have also had their turn on the big screen, the club has been a film location for Jack Said, TOWIE, and Birds of a Feather.
Alongside the twelve match-standard snooker tables, the club has dedicated areas for 8-ball English pool and 9-ball American pool, a darts room with teams competing in local leagues, and a fully licensed bar pouring Camden IPA, Becks and the usual run of spirits. Snooker and pool equipment is sold on site, and coaching is available daily at £20 an hour for adults and £15 an hour for children, plus the standard table rate.
Membership runs for 12 months and unlocks the club's full tariff. Standard rates are £9.30 an hour for snooker and £9.80 for pool. Solo players, under-18s and senior citizens all pay half price until 6pm, which works out at £4.65 for snooker and £4.90 for pool. Members can bring a guest for £2.75.
For anyone planning a longer session, the pre-paid Play All Day passes cover 10am to 6pm from Monday to Sunday and cost £44 for snooker for two to four players, or £46 for pool. Regular handicap competitions run across snooker, pool and darts throughout the year.
The darker evenings tend to bring cue sports players back indoors, and the club's diary of league nights and handicap events is one of the busier in this corner of east London.
Details of membership, coaching and the current tariff can be found on the Romford Snooker Club table tariff page, with seasonal deals listed on the club's special offers page.
A century on from the first frames played at Arcade Place, the club still trades on a simple idea. Good tables, and our outdoor area known as Cue Gardens, a proper bar and a bit of history in the room. You can visit Romford Snooker Club at 1a Arcade Place just off of South Street RM1 1RS, you can contact us on the phone on 01708 743168 or on email romfordsnooker5@yahoo.co.uk. Alternatively visit our website.
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