Pot Black mourn local legend Mick Ginley
PLAYERS from the Pot Black snooker team held an emotional minute’s silence before this week’s Southampton Social Clubs League match.
Captain Steve Boterhoek led his side in a moving tribute to teammate Mick Ginley who passed away last week aged 59.
The team dedicated their first win of the season, a 3-2 victory over Division 3 rivals Romsey Conservatives, to the memory of Mick. He lived in Northam and died on September 24th. He joined the struggling Pot Black team back in 2001 having returned to the game five years earlier after an absence of over two decades.
As a youngster he financed his table-light at a club in Shirley with a part-time job sweeping sawdust which was thrown onto the floor to soak up spilt beer. Being young and confident he was soon challenging the top players in the area, and was regarded as one of the brightest talents around. As he grew older Mick became a hustler on the snooker circuit like his hero - Patsy Hoolihan - a somewhat unknown player but one of the biggest hustlers around.
He regarded Hoolihan as the best player in the world; a view shared by Jimmy ‘The Whirlwind’ White and many other professionals. Mick’s unique style of ‘no-fear’ snooker held him in good stead when he won the regular number one spot for his sole team, Pot Black. He was instrumental in the success of the club over the past few years bringing in new players who could compete even for his own place, a true team player.
Steve Boterhoek, 28, remembers Mick (The Hustler) Ginley’s first game for the club: “I’ve never seen a frame with so many outrageously difficult shots consistently drilled into pockets. He had an ability to destroy his opponent’s confidence in just a couple of visits to the table.”
Mick always insisted that: “The modern game is completely different compared to years ago when the game was harder, pockets were tighter, and the balls were heavier and less responsive.” Boterhoek added: “I’ve never seen a player like him and don’t think I’ll see that sort of talent again. The team and snooker has lost something very special indeed.
We are all devastated by our loss but will continue to play with spirit and enthusiasm so that his legacy lives on. Our thoughts go out to his entire family.”
Edited report from an email by Steve Boterhoek (2nd October 2006)