Q: Your first world championships were in 1985, the year of the legendary Dennis Taylor-Steve Davis final where Taylor won 18 frames to 17 by potting the final black. Did you see it live?
A: Yes, that was amazing and the viewing figures on BBC when it finished after midnight were close to 20 million, a record at the time.
Q: Snooker produces its fair share of larger-than-life characters such as Alex "Hurricane" Higgins, Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Does The Crucible become like a stage for their talents?
A: It's the ideal environment because the rest of the time it is actually used as a theatre. Snooker's lucky to be regularly punctuated by those sorts of talents. O'Sullivan is one of the most remarkable in the way he plays equally as well left or right-handed. I can't think of any other sportsperson like that.
Q: The late Bill Werbeniuk, who sources claim was over 150kg, struck as curious with his penchant for drinking beer to stabilise a tremor in his right arm ...
A: Yes, an interesting chap. He used to be called Little Bill but became Big Bill after a while. I played him and beat him twice. There's no drinking or smoking while playing now, but in the 1980s those rules were more, shall we say, flexible. Bill would go to the toilet after every frame and eventually during the frame, which began to grate.
Q: How many times did you get a maximum break of 147?
A: About half a dozen. Everyone seems different - you see the opportunity but you've got to make 36 perfect shots.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: I sell top-end Auckland penthouse apartments for Ray White City Apartments. Snooker-wise I head to the UK for the world senior championships around October/November. I play only one or two tournaments a year. It has to be a worthwhile tournament to do the preparation for a decent performance. There's no substitute for time on the table.
Q: You live on Waiheke Island but spent 20 years in London. Describe those years...
A: It's the greatest city in the world. I started in a shocking attic in Hounslow near Heathrow. That was hideous beyond belief, but things got better. The last property I owned was in Barnet, Hertfordshire, just inside the M25. You could be in London - where I used to play at the Connaught club near Holborn station - in about 40 minutes. That was my stomping ground around Covent Garden, Piccadilly and St James's. Beautiful. The property market is also worth well over a trillion dollars per annum. Have you seen that programme Selling London on Choice TV? There are some gorgeous apartments, some worth over 10 million. Wow. But they have so much character.
Q: Pick this year's winner.
A: I reckon Ronnie [O'Sullivan] will make the final, it's harder to pick his opponent between Mark Selby and Neil Robertson. If it's Ronnie against Selby, I'll take Ronnie. It'll be closer if it's Robertson because he's in-form and one of the best long potters in the game. - Andrew Alderson
