Ken Doherty, the 1997 World Snooker Champion, revealed that he won the title using a £2 cue bought with money lent by his mother. The cue, abandoned at a Dublin club, was initially priced at £5 by the manager, but Doherty negotiated it down to £2 by claiming his mother could only afford that amount.
Doherty, now a BBC pundit, told ITV in 2025: 'I still have the cue. I changed cue just recently, just to try it out. But I've had my £2 cue since 1981.' He added that he won the World Junior, World Amateur, and World Professional Championships with it, calling it 'good value'.
The Irishman defeated Stephen Hendry in the 1997 final to become a national icon. He nearly retained the title the following year but lost to John Higgins in the final. Doherty recalled a hero's welcome in Dublin with an open-top bus parade and a reception at the Mansion House, saying: 'Those type of homecomings are only granted to Olympic champions or the national football team.'
Doherty's story emerged as Wu Yize became the second-youngest champion at the weekend, defeating Shaun Murphy 18-17.
