Michael Holt brings curtain down on snooker league season

Division 1 Champions Station Road Club receiving their trophy.

Nottingham snooker professional Michael Holt brought the curtain down on the L&L Property Contractors Snooker League season.

He produced a superb exhibition at a packed Workington Working Men’s Club, delivering a memorable evening of entertainment and elite-level cueing.

The former world top-20 player played nine exhibition frames against league players from across the divisions, showcasing his immense talent while embracing the Cumbrian banter that flowed freely throughout the night.

Holt wasted little time demonstrating the sort of quality that has seen him compete at the highest level of the professional game for nearly 30 years.

In the opening frame, he thrilled the crowd with a magnificent break of 119, drawing rapturous applause from the packed Station Road Club crowd.

He later produced another stunning century, a contribution of 129, underlining the class and scoring power that has taken Holt to eight appearances at the Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

The evening also included entertainment from local acoustic guitar soloist, Harry Basnett, who kept the crowd entertained at the break while Holt interacted with the guests.

Back on the snooker front, it was great to see league players afforded the rare opportunity to test themselves against a seasoned professional, and they were most definitely treated to an awesome display of superb potting and pinpoint cue ball control that led to effortless break-building throughout the night.

Holt, who famously captured the Snooker Shoot Out title in 2020, remained in high spirits throughout, chatting with spectators, exchanging jokes between frames and ensuring the evening was as enjoyable away from the table as it was on it.

Following the exhibition, Holt, who holds a massive social media following, presented the league’s trophies and individual awards before joining players and supporters for drinks and post-season celebrations, further cementing his popularity among the local snooker community.

League chairman and master of ceremonies Kevin Basnett said: “Michael was fantastic – a truly genuine guy, very professional, and a brilliant ambassador for the game of snooker. He embraced the event with genuine warmth and humour, and the standard of snooker on show was world-class.

“The two centuries Michael made were a real treat for everyone watching and showed exactly why he has enjoyed such a successful professional career.

“Nights like these finish the season off perfectly, and Michael’s presence made it the night we were all hoping for.”

The event, which took six months of planning, would not have been possible without the efforts of Colin Fawcett, of Workington Working Men’s Club, league treasurer Dave Chapman and league secretary Andrew Mitchelhill, all of whom played key roles in delivering a smooth and successful evening.

The league also expressed its sincere gratitude to its dedicated sponsors – Leigh Musgrave and Lewis Tilley of L&L Property Contractors, together with Stephen Jackson and Andrew Carter of Derwent Valley Asbestos Removal and Demolition – whose continued support has been instrumental throughout the season.

Basnett added: “I’m absolutely delighted with how the evening went. The players, the crowd and, of course, Michael made it truly special.

“But I can’t thank Colin, Leigh, Lewis, Stephen and Andrew enough for their support in making this night possible.

“Their backing, along with the hard work of everyone involved behind the scenes, helped create a fitting end to another fantastic season.”