‘It was September 1996,’ remembers Willie Thorne, drawing a deep breath. ‘My playing days were over and I was commentating at the Regal Masters in Motherwell. After a match, I was having a Chinese with Dennis Taylor when in walks John Parrott to get a takeaway. He’d just flown in from Heathrow and someone had broken into his car at the airport and nicked his cue. He knew I was a big punter and looked me in the eye and said, “Don’t back me tomorrow, Willie, whatever you do!”

‘I had a hard-on immediately. Pound signs flashed before my eyes.