The snooker dining table – ‘pots and pans’ now takes on a whole new meaning!
There are certain things we associate with the sport of snooker – bow ties and colourful waistcoats, trick shots, over-sized glasses, hushed commentary – but how many of us would think about eating our dinner off a snooker table? Well, the snooker dining table has a long and distinguished pedigree, and although it has somewhat dropped out of favour, there are still companies that produce this dual purpose table. English manufacturer Riley makes a pool table that doubles up as a dining or kitchen table thanks to a special sliding dining top that completely hides its sporting purpose. The same firm also makes snooker and Russian pyramid tables, cues and has a wide range of billiard table models for sale too. Whilst it’s true that snooker has become the dominant member of the wider cue sports family, it’s a relative newcomer in that the modern game’s origins lie in the 1870s. Billiards dates back as far as the 15th century, although the most common form of pool, eight-ball, actually post-dates snooker, having been invented around 1900. The game of snooker was revolutionized by the television era, which greatly increased its appeal, and it has now become a truly global sport, having recently become popular in Asia.