Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

127 Master on the baize up and asked the landlord if he’d been. He raised his eyebrows. ‘Has he been? He’s played two blokes in there for a pound a game, won them both, drawn the raffle and gone!’ Asked if he ever considered turning professional, Edwin answers quickly. No. I was a good player, but to turn professional I would have had to play and practice all year round. The demands of professional cricket meant I couldn’t do that in the summer, so I was content with playing as I did. My best years at snooker coincided with my playing career and to get on to the professional circuit I would have needed a sponsor, something that was harder to get then than now. I’ve had a lot of good times at it though!