FATHERS AND SONS

Oliver Lines won the first qualifying event of the Snookerbacker Classic at the weekend, an event which culminates in its two finalists having their entries paid for Q School.

Lines is the 17 year-old son of Peter Lines, a professional from Leeds, which is where the event was held.

Time flies. I remember Peter talking about his then very young son when he made his Crucible appearance in 1998.

Oliver was into football in a big way but has decided to try and emulate his father by becoming a professional.

This remains relatively rare in snooker, whereas it is more commonplace in some other sports, such as cricket.

For instance, Chris Cowdrey, son of the great Colin Cowdrey, was briefly England captain during a calamitous summer in which the national side had four captains.

Snooker’s best known father and son remain Geoff and Neal Foulds. They played each other in a couple of tournaments, not a nice situation for either who would usually be supporting the other.

More latterly, Steve Davis’s son, Greg, entered Q School. Steve himself was tutored in the ways of snooker by his own father, Bill. 

But it’s very hard for the sons of really successful players to make any sort of impact themselves, as their careers will always be compared to that of their celebrated fathers.

Blaine Hendry, son of Stephen, has played as a junior but it would be difficult for him to make a snooker career in his own right.

Alex Higgins started the now well worn trend of bringing babies and children into the arena at the end of major victories. These youngsters will always be known as the offspring of famous fathers regardless of what they do with their lives.

So to follow them into the same profession is perhaps a further diminishing of their own identities.

Peter Lines has been a very solid pro, a UK Championship quarter-finalist, but not a major title winner. So Oliver, if he does make it on to the tour, has a chance to shine without being known just as ‘son of...’