Spanish National News

ICING ON THE CAKE FOR LOS MONTESINOS REPORTER ANDY AS SNOOKER LEGEND HIGGINS SINGS FOR HIM!

Andy Atkinson (left) and Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins pictured at Preston Guild Hall in 1982.

Los Montesinos, Alicante, sports reporter Andy Atkinson looks back to snooker legend Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins in the wake of the UK Championship beginning in York. “Alex was something else!,” said Andy, who often sat with Higgins – drinking in the VIP lounge during the UK Championship at Preston Guild Hall.

Twice world champion Higgins died, aged 61, in July 2010, after a long battle against throat cancer. He was found dead in his flat in Belfast. Higgins flew to Spain in a quest to undergo surgery – to get new teeth he lost during cancer treatment.

However Higgins was regarded as not fit enough to have the surgery, and was said to be too frail to have an operation by the medical profession in Spain. Fellow snooker professionals had raised £20,000 to help Higgins undergo the surgery in Spain – who weighed seven stone – and had to have his food pureed.

“I was at Preston Guild Hall in 1987 – when Alex head-butted WPBSA tournament official Paul Hatherell – of which he was fined £12,000 and banned for six months,” recalled Andy. “On the other side of the coin Alex could be great company.

I once sat down next to him in the bar and he started singing to me: ‘If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake’, said Andy.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/45710/

Published

9 years ago

Nov 27, 2014

National Spanish News Roundup from theleader.info

Andy Atkinson (left) and Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins pictured at Preston Guild Hall in 1982.

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Los Montesinos, Alicante, sports reporter Andy Atkinson looks back to snooker legend Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins in the wake of the UK Championship beginning in York. "Alex was something else!," said Andy, who often sat with Higgins – drinking in the VIP lounge during the UK Championship at Preston Guild Hall.

Twice world champion Higgins died, aged 61, in July 2010, after a long battle against throat cancer. He was found dead in his flat in Belfast. Higgins flew to Spain in a quest to undergo surgery – to get new teeth he lost during cancer treatment.

"I was at Preston Guild Hall in 1987 – when Alex head-butted WPBSA tournament official Paul Hatherell – of which he was fined £12,000 and banned for six months," recalled Andy. "On the other side of the coin Alex could be great company.

I once sat down next to him in the bar and he started singing to me: ‘If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake’, said Andy.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/45710/