The snooker world continues to mourn the lack of legendary commentator John Virgo.
John Virgo, identified to many because the voice of snooker, died in February (Picture: Getty)
BBC snooker icon Dennis Taylor made an emotional request to John Virgo’s household earlier than moving into the commentary sales space for the World Snooker Championship. The game is mourning the lack of Virgo, who died in February on the age of 79. Often known as the voice of snooker, he labored proper up till his demise and was on commentary duties for the Masters simply weeks earlier.
A minute’s applause was held on the Crucible in honour of Virgo earlier than the beginning of play on Saturday. Taylor, who was topped world champion in 1985, lined as much as pay his respects alongside the likes of Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty. It was later revealed by BBC presenter Hazel Irvine that Taylor made a particular request to Virgo’s household earlier than heading to Sheffield.
Irvine mentioned that Taylor requested if he may use a few of Virgo’s well-known phrases on air in the course of the event, a heartwarming option to present his appreciation for one in every of snooker’s biggest icons.
Taylor typically shared commentary duties with Virgo and was amongst these to attend a memorial service at Sheffield Cathedral on Thursday.
After the service, he mentioned: “John wasn’t solely liked by snooker followers around the globe, he was liked for what he did on Large Break with Jim Davidson – folks watched that present of their thousands and thousands – and, after all, he did numerous pantomime.
“He had an terrible lot of help there, which was fantastic. There have been some beautiful phrases from Brook Leah, his daughter, and Gary, his son.”
Irvine, in the meantime, voiced a touching tribute to Virgo in the course of the BBC broadcast earlier than the beginning of this 12 months’s World Championship on Saturday.
She mentioned: “It was an amazing shock to all of us. John was universally liked by everybody on this sport and nicely past it, too. John actually was the voice of snooker.
Dennis Taylor (left) typically shared the commentary sales space with Virgo (Picture: Getty)
“And so whereas we’re all desperately unhappy right here, we’re decided to have fun this nice man’s life and work on this sport.
“We miss him greater than we will probably put into phrases. It is as if he is about to stroll into the sector at any minute. However we stock on, and we stock on with gusto as a result of that is precisely how JV lived his 79 years of life.”
Davis described Virgo as a part of the game’s furnishings, saying: “We’ll miss him dearly. A fantastic commentator however a very good pal to us all, he made you are feeling very particular.
“All of us thought we had been pals with John as a result of he had an incredible coronary heart and he was humorous, typically cantankerous however we liked him for that.
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“All in all, he was a part of snooker’s furnishings, he was a part of snooker’s historical past and an exquisite commentator. He bought the very best out of each match.”
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