ACTUELLEMENT ÉPUISÉ

The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life and Times of Alex Higgins by Bill Borrows (Hardcover, 2002)

Born on a council estate in Belfast, Alex Higgins left school at 15. At 17 he won the Northern Ireland and All Ireland snooker championships, and turned professional when he was 20. In 1972, aged just 23, he became the youngest person ever to win the world championship. He repeated this achievement in an emotional final ten years later, in the process becoming the biggest box-office draw the game has ever known. Alex Higgins was a showman, gambler, comedian, bully, charmer and alcoholic. His antics - and ferocious temper - were legendary yet he was loved by millions. Now, dying of cancer, he has spent everything he has and divides his time between Manchester and Belfast, where he survives by playing GBP10 snooker matches in pubs. Bill Borrows has had unprecedented access to Higgins and reconstructs vividly the terrifying roller-coaster ride that is his life. Outrageous, gripping and ultimately, emotionally wrenching, this is the definitive account of the one of the most charismatic and self-destructive figures ever to appear in British sport. 'I had more fun with Alex than any other player. He was a nightmare because you always knew you'd have to lend him money when he played for you - and as soon as he'd done that lot at the bookies, he'd be back for more... But he put bums on seats and was great for the game.' Barry Hearn

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