'I won World Snooker Championship with £2 cue and I borrowed the money off my mum'

Snooker legend Ken Doherty won the sport's biggest prize with a £2 cue - after borrowing the money off his mum. The Irishman became a national hero after defeating the dominant player of the era, in the 1997 final.

He went agonisingly close to defending his title the following year - and breaking the 'Crucible curse' in the process - only to lose to in the final. And he did it all with a discarded cue he found at a club in his native Dublin. A price of £5 was initially demanded, but a savvy Doherty managed to pull a fast one over the club manager. It has proved to be the best value cue in history. He told ITV ahead of the World Championship: "I still have the cue. I changed cue just recently, just to try it out. But I've had my £2 cue since 1981. I've had it since about 10 years of age.

"I picked it up off the pool rack, I played with it after somebody had left it behind. I said to the manager, 'If nobody comes back, can I keep this cue?' In his broad Dublin accent, he said, 'Give us a fiver for it'.

"I got a fiver off my mother. I put £2 in this pocket, £3 in this pocket and went back. I said my mother couldn't afford the £5, that she only had £2. I put my hand in this pocket and took out the £2. He looked at the cue, he looked at the £2 and he says, 'Give me the £2'.

"I won the World Junior Championship, I won the World Amateur Championship and I won the World Professional Championship with a £2 cue. I think it was good value! Thankfully no one came back to collect the cue."

Doherty, who is commentating for the BBC at the World Championship, was rewarded with an open-top bus tour around Dublin after winning the world title. He told the last year: "When I came home, there was an open-top bus tour through the city centre and a reception at the Mansion House.

"The lord mayor presented me with a cut-glass trophy, there were huge crowds outside, people lining the streets with flags and banners saying 'welcome home champ'.

"Those type of homecomings are only granted to Olympic champions or the national football team, so I was quite honoured and humbled by it. I didn't think it would have such an impact on the country. It was wonderful, what dreams are made of."