Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , snooker legend and broadcaster Dennis Taylor has given his perspective on the player he admires most today, where Snookers "home" is in 2026 and his favourite rivalries in the sport both previously and presently.
Looking ahead to the World Snooker Championship , the former World Champion reflects on his memories of Sheffield , revealing what he splurged his winnings on in 1985 and gives his perspective on the prize-money debate and whether a £1 million prize fund is attainable for the competition while staying in the Crucible Theatre.
Elsewhere , the Northern Irishman also tackled a number of topics including the performances of veterans John Higgins and Mark Williams i n 2026, the rise of Welsh Snooker, his assessment of Irish Snooker in 2026 and whether Rory Mcllroy is the countries sporting goat following his Masters success.
Taylor's Takes
The Player I Admire The Most
Zhao’s style is something else. The way he strikes the ball, the power he creates without any effort whatsoever. He's got a wonderful cue action. If you're looking at cue actions, then Shaun Murphy has probably one of the best cue actions we've ever seen in the game.
Is Britain Snooker's Home?
To think that it was Mike Watterson and his wife, Carole , who started it all. He promoted the 1976 World Championship in Middlesbrough . Carole had just happened to see a show at the Crucible . She said to him she’d seen a great venue for snooker. That's how it started. He went to have a look at it, and it wasn't just quite big enough to get the two tables in. He took the chance and had it there in 1977, and the BBC gave it blanket coverage, over 100 hours of coverage, and that was when snooker took off.
I got to the semi-final in the first one and lost in the last frame to Cliff Thorburn . When Terry Griffiths beat me in the final, I think we were two new players through to the final of the Crucible and that sort of helped to open the game up and helped a lot of players to think that they could do it too.
Snookers Greatest Rivalries
It would always be great if you got Mark Selby playing Ronnie . They have had some wonderful battles. That's a big rivalry. But Judd Trump against Ronnie , that's also been a thing. To that, Mark Williams , Ronnie and John Higgins , at the age of 50, are still competing. It is unbelievable. And they're all in with a chance at this year's World Championships . There's lots of great rivalries still.
Judd and Zhao will continue to have quite a few battles, too. “I don't know how long Ronnie wants to carry on playing for, he can play for as long as he wants, but Ronnie , the greatest ever against Zhao, the world champion; that’s mouthwatering. That would be one of my favourite matches to commentate on.
Career Reflections
Sheffield Memories
We've seen Sheffield grow as a city. I remember going round with the Mayor one of the years when he used to do a little mini documentary to show during the World Championship.
There were a lot of areas, like the steelworks, which needed an awful lot of regeneration. To see the city centre develop the way that it has turned into a magnificent city. It’s always had a great buzz about it, even way back to the very first World Championship . And I think everybody that drives into Sheffield for snooker, their hair rises up on their arms. There’s nothing like it.
My Crucible Winnings: £50K of £60K On A Car!
I can’t believe I did that, but yes, it’s true! The first car, when I came to England when I was 17, cost me £15. I had it for 18 months and got £7.50 back for it. I just decided to treat myself to a top-of-the-range BMW. I wouldn't do it again and never have. It was just something that you did at the time.”
Do You Regret It?
No, no, I've been so lucky. When I turned professional, there was no money in the game. There were only 16 professional players, including me, in the world then. Seeing the game grow and being involved in the 80s, the mid-80s, when the game was unbelievably popular, it was a great time to be in the sport.
People ask me if I would rather be playing now with the prize money there is. I wouldn't have changed anything because it was just a fabulous time. We got to travel all over the world with the Pot Black team. I can't believe I'm still travelling and going back to China at my age, and you think nobody's going to know you. But they do. If someone had told us 41 years on, people would still be talking about my final, which nearly a third of the nation stayed up til after midnight to watch, I’d never have believed it.
Prize Money
Prize-Money Debate
I can understand that the players want more prize money. To see the darts first prize at £1m and snooker half that is wrong. It should not be the case. I know they can get more people into the darts. Barry Hearn was hoping to match that darts prize. For me, get the television and get the sponsors to pay more money and keep the venue.
£1 Million Goal
That was Barry Hearn’s aim. I thought we would get there because he said every player who turns professional should have that dream that they can win a million pounds at the World Championship in the Crucible . I think it can happen. The fact he's done it with darts, I would think he'd be wanting to do it with snooker sooner rather than later.
Staying At The Crucible
It’s fantastic. Nobody saw that coming, not even Steve Davis, who is still very close to Barry Hearn . I don't think anybody knew what the outcome was going to be, and it is brilliant news. It also means if I'm there next year, I'll have done all 50 world championships, either playing or commentating.
It's just been the most wonderful venue. I know there's some of the younger players, and even John Higgins didn't like it when they first went there because it was so tight with the two tables. But when you get to the one table, there's nothing like it. It’s going to be closed in 2029 while they put the extra 500 seats in, and it'll be a complete circle with 1500 seats. It’ll be sensational.
Capacity Concerns
A capacity of 1500 will be perfect. I think snooker has always been a television sport, no matter if you've got 500 people in or 5,000. You can still have a great atmosphere. But the way the game has grown around the world, you're getting audiences of 2,500 at the Masters . You can maybe get even more than that in Hong Kong . I think there was 5,000 or something when Ronnie played Marco Fu out there.
The Crucible , even with the extra 500 seats, is such an intimate venue. Everybody, even in the back row, has got a fantastic view.
Class of 92
Reaction: Zhao Xintong 10-1 Higgins
He's so experienced that John will quickly forget about that. It can happen. I had a couple of drubbings off Steve Davis and still managed to come back and play well against him. He beat me 9-0 in a ranking event, and after that, I had to go out and do trick shots in the evening, tell jokes and make people laugh! He's been around so long and played so many matches he can put that to the back of his mind. He still looks fantastic, John , but he was just totally outplayed by Zhao .
Mark Williams
You can never write Mark off, but I’d be very surprised. He reckons he doesn't put the practice in. I don't know whether that is the key or not. It’s time also that Judd won another world title. He's only won the world championship once. I think if he had beaten John Higgins in 2011 when he played unbelievable snooker, he would have been a three- or four-time world champion now. And you can’t forget Mark Selby . Sometimes Mark is a little underrated because he's such a wonderful match player, and he's won four world titles.
Welsh Snooker
I think it's the working-class background if you think about it. There are three world champions from Scotland, there's three world champions from Ireland, and the Welsh have had three world champions as well. I think it's just the background, the working men's clubs where you had the sort of place to practice. South Wales was always a hotbed of snooker. Scotland not so much until Stephen Hendry came on the scene, and then, of course, in Northern Ireland, Alex Higgins came along, and that was that. I practised with Alex . He moved over to England when he was 18. I played him when he was 18 at an exhibition in my little club.
He came to Blackburn, where I was based, practised for 18 months with him, and he won the world championship. So, he and John Spencer helped me to turn professional. Practising with Alex told me that I've got a chance if I had a go at the professional game, because I used to do well with him in practice, so that opened the door for me a little bit. The fact that they were just working-class places that we came from, and we had clubs we were able to go into and practice. Snooker fascinated me. They used to talk about a misspent youth. But to be good in any sport, you've got to have misspent your youth, you've got to have put the time in.
Irish Sport
Mark Allen
He doesn't like me tipping him! He was the first Northern Irishman to win the Masters , after Alex and me in the 80s. Mark achieved it, I think, in 2018. There's been no world champion from Northern Ireland since me in ‘85, so it would be nice to have another one. He certainly has got the ability to do it, but it's so tough.
Does Changing Coaches Work?
“Not particularly, I don't think. Coaches are great, but really sometimes coaching is not the best thing for everybody. Stephen Hendry won seven world titles, and then he finished up with a few different coaches. But how can you coach someone that's one of the seven world titles? You can spot little things and help, but I think a coach is there more of a mental thing that will help you get your mind free. A bit like a golfer with their caddy.
Is Rory Northern Ireland’s Goat?
There has been George Best and Mary Peters is obviously up there. Mary was unbelievable to win her gold medal. Bestie was just an icon, but you would have to say globally, Rory is just incredible, especially after what he did at the Masters this weekend.
He’s one of the best-known sportspeople in the world without a shadow of a doubt. I know his parents quite well. I mean, what he's achieved and what they've sacrificed, it's just a fabulous story. They're so down to earth, and Rory's still so down to earth.”
Snooker In Ireland
I've still got one sister there in the north of Ireland in Dungannon . I still do a bit of work over there, both north and south, so you're always over for a visit.
Up And Comers?
It doesn't seem to be as good, now, the clubs, there's no real top players from the north coming through. Young Robbie McGuigan is still trying to make it through. And in the south, Aaron Hill would probably be the best.
There aren't that many coming through over in Ireland . And in the UK , we're falling behind the Chinese, that's for sure. We need to get some more youngsters coming through, and that's all down to the clubs giving them the facilities to practice here.
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