famous people in britain, thorne was instantly recognisable. when the players made a pop song with chas and dave, willie thorne happily played along with the bald head gag. # perhaps i ought to chalk it #. unbeatable in practice, in the competitions willie thorne always seemed just behind his best contemporaries, on the brink of greatness. he remained a popularfigure in world snooker long after his retirement as a player. his voice on commentary was part of the texture of the tv coverage — for example, when steve davis defied time to win this match in 2010, thorne described it... steve davis has somehow, and i say somehow, rolled back the years and beat one the all—time greats. backstage at the championship, a favourite companion for thorne was mark selby. both men of leicester, they revelled in the city's football success. selby grew up watching willie thorne and he became world snooker champion.

i used to look at him and he used to inspire me and taught me a lot