I was never a fan of Alex Higgins. In fact, I positively disliked the flawed snooker genius from the very first time I saw him. I simply couldn’t understand how the volatile, uncouth Belfast yob could be taken to heart by so many fans - to the point that he was dubbed the ‘People’s Champion’.

OK, he was quick, exciting and flamboyant at the table to the point that he became known as ‘Hurricane’. He also went on to win the World Championship twice and there was no questioning his talent.

But behind the quickfire potting and uncontrollable twitching was a nasty piece of work whose character was revealed to me by a succession of insiders who had the misfortune to have dealings with him.

''I can remember Alex being involved in at least ten punch-ups - and he got battered every time! He just never seemed to learn''


It came as no surprise, therefore, when I read this week that chain-smoking, chain-drinking Higgins, now 58 and fighting a battle with throat cancer, had reportedly punched a referee during a charity match in County Durham.

It was hardly out of character for the temperamental hothead whose violent aggression would have wreaked considerably more damage during his controversial career had he been able to punch his weight (all nine stone of it).

He earned a year-long ban in 1986 for head-butting a match official, and has had countless scrapes with fellow players, the snooker authorities and media men during his long career.

This week’s bust-up came during a match between long-time has-been Higgins and Jimmy White - a relative newcomer to the fallen-hero brigade. The Northern Echo newspaper reported that proceedings ended in chaos when referee Terry Riley refused to carry on after he was punched in the stomach.

"It was a punch and officials are not there to be punched,’’ said Riley. ’’He just came at me and punched me in the stomach - that was when I pushed him away."

Higgins told reporters reporters that the row had been "blown out of all proportion’’, while the event promoter assured the BBC that Higgins only brushed against Riley and did not punch him. Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?

With Higgins’ track record, nothing surprises me. Sordid tales of massive alcoholism, picking fights with authority and even wife-beating have blitzed his career.

It’s not all hearsay, either. A friend of mine who was heavily involved in the professional snooker scene during the 1980s and 1990s tells me: ‘’Alex was invariably the worse for drink and was always picking fights. It didn’t matter if it was players, officials or whoever. I can remember him being involved in at least ten punch-ups - and he got battered every time! He just never seemed to learn. ‘’

The incident that amuses me most involved a former colleague who was covering a major tournament in which Higgins - then one of the game’s big names - was involved. This particular reporter (I’ll call him John, though that’s not his name) happened to be 6ft 5in and built like a tank. Higgins stood around 5ft 9in and weighed roughly the same as the average 12-year-old

The Hurricane decided, for reasons of his own, to get aggressive with John as they stood at the top of the stairs. Higgins began poking him in the chest and firing obscenities at him, but John refused to take the bait. He just said quietly: '‘Alex, please don’t do that’' and brushed the loony Irishman’s finger away. With that, Higgins poked John even harder in the chest, yelling: ‘’I’ll do what I f***ing well like’’, or words to that effect. At which point John merely gave lightweight Higgins a relatively gentle shove, sending him plunging down the stairs.

He landed in a heap at the bottom…to the accompaniment of rapturous applause from the entire gathering.

All of which would bring me to the punch line - if I hadn’t already run out of them.