Ken Doherty speaks out about Alex Higgins as he reveals snooker icon's 'special code'
Former world champion Ken Doherty recalls his relationship with snooker hellraiser Alex Higgins, which began when he served drinks to the 'Hurricane' at a tournament in his youth
Snooker hellraiser Alex Higgins once revealed his secret booze code to a future world champion. The Hurricane captivated sports fans with his brilliance at the table and chaotic lifestyle, which featured a string of bust-ups and controversies.
Ken Doherty idolised Higgins in his youth after first watching him on TV in the legendary Pot Black tournament. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the 1997 world champion, always managed to stay on the right side of the Belfast-born maverick, who died in 2010 aged 61. Doherty said last year: "I was one of the guys he actually liked!
"I never had one run-in with him. I was one of those guys he seemed to like and we got on pretty well. He was my hero. He was the one who made me want to play snooker.
"When I first saw him play on Pot Black as an eight-year-old, I wanted a snooker table and I got one from Santa. I was hooked."
Their positive rapport began when a young Doherty, fresh off winning the Irish under-16 championship, served as an usher at the Irish Open held at the legendary Goffs venue.
Doherty recalled: "I was 14 and had just won the Irish under-16 championship. I got a week off school and got a job there, taking tickets off people, showing them their seats. I could just sit on the middle of the steps and watch the snooker.
"I got a tap on the shoulder one Wednesday afternoon while a match was going on and got brought up to the office. I thought I was in trouble but, lo and behold, there was Alex Higgins. I couldn't believe it!
"I was as nervous as a kitten. He said, 'Congratulations babes [on the winning the junior championship], hopefully one day I'll be playing you here at Goffs'.
"He then said, 'By the way, when I'm playing tonight, when I ask you for an orange juice, that means a vodka and orange juice'. I said, 'while you're playing, Mr Higgins?' And he said, 'Yes kid, and if I ask you for a vodka and orange juice, that means a double'.
"About 10 years later, I'm playing him there. I played him twice there and it was just incredible. That was like a dream come true and we became quite friendly over the years."
In a touching twist of fate, Doherty was the last World Championship opponent of Higgins in 1994. Despite Doherty's victory, it was the Hurricane who stole the show.
"He had a stand-up argument with the referee, John Williams," added Doherty." He signalled to John to stand on his left and John said, 'no Alex, I've been standing here all day, I'm not in your line of sight'. Higgins retorted, 'you're not in my line sight, John, you're in my line of thought'. It was so funny."
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