Joe Perry interview
JOE Perry still has the first trophy he won as a 12-year-old in a local club handicap in Cambridgeshire in 1986.
Fast forward 29 years and the world number nine (pictured) has just claimed his first full ranking title after 24 years as a professional.
In an exclusive interview at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon, where he was guest-of-honour at the Cuestars finals day, Perry spoke about the early days of his career and winning just one frame in his first year competing on the Pro-Am circuit.
The Gentleman revealed where his nickname came from and how important graft, persistence and temperament are to green baize success.
Perry started knocking balls about on a full-sized table at the age of 11 or 12
“I actually looked the other day,” he said. “My first ever trophy, I kept it.
“When I first started out, I can remember it vividly, I played a whole year of Pro-Ams before I won a frame. When I finally lost 3-1, I felt like I’d won a tournament. You’ve just got to keep plugging away.”
And plug away he did. Perry turned professional in 1991 but was forced to wait until March this year to claim a major title, beating Mark Williams 4-3 from 3-0 down in the final of the Players Championship in Thailand.
“Look at the current snooker tour and just see what’s happening in the game,” added the 40-year-old, who lives in Chatteris, Cambs.
“Stuart Bingham – I know he’s had a bit of success – he’s been a pro a long, long time and just become world champion. I’ve won my first event after 24 years.
“It just goes to show that persistence pays off. As long as you do all the right things off the table and keep practising hard, there’s no reason why (success) can’t come later on.
“Not everyone is lucky enough to have instant success. They’re few and far between, those special players. The rest of us have to keep grafting away.”
The Gentleman
Perry revealed it was BBC snooker presenter Hazel Irvine who dubbed him The Gentleman.
“I was one of the players without a nickname,” he explained. “I’d seen her around venues in various places and she’d always commented on, apparently, how polite I was and a general all-round nice person.
“She said I always acted like a gentleman whenever she saw me. So she’s to blame for that one.
“My peers give me a bit of stick but I think it’s a fitting nickname around people I don’t know. I try to do myself justice and the sport justice.
“(Temperament) is a massive part of the game. There’s a 100 players in the world capable of winning a tournament but there’s probably only 25-30 with the temperament which will allow them to win a tournament. Once you get to a certain standard, temperament is huge.”
Joe Perry certainly lived up to his nickname and was generous with his time during his visit to Jesters where he presented trophies, posed for photographs, signed autographs, chatted with the wide-eyed youngsters and played 16 frames against Cuestars competition winners.
Beaten only by Gold Tour Championship winner James Budd (Fareham), Perry gave no quarter on the match table where he recorded seven centuries, including three total clearances. Some opponents played only one shot in their entire frame.
But one of those may yet progress to the professional circuit and relate that tale in years to come to the next generation of Cuestars members.
Report by Tim Dunkley.
Joe Perry action picture by Monique Limbos