In Part 3 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story moves into the years when talent had to become a profession and ambition had to survive reality. Shaun reflects on the early certainty that snooker was never simply a dream, but the only plan. There was no fallback, no second option, and no diluted ambition. From the time he made his first century as a boy, he believed this would be his life.

This episode explores the difficult transition from gifted junior to hardened professional, and Shaun speaks with refreshing honesty about how unprepared he was for the tactical demands of the top level. He could score, attack, and thrill, but he had not yet learned the darker arts of match play — the safety, strategy, and patience that separate a dangerous talent from a true champion. His account of those early professional lessons is insightful, self-aware, and full of perspective for fans of both snooker and pool.

Along the way, Shaun shares terrific stories about seeking advice from the best players he could find, including a young Allison Fisher, and about the unforgettable education he received simply by being around great players and great events. He also offers a fascinating look at what it means to win snooker’s Triple Crown, why those BBC majors still carry such weight, and why joining that exclusive club remains one of the proudest achievements of his career.

The episode also dives into the magic of century breaks and 147s, the relationship between player and crowd, and the charitable purpose Shaun has attached to his scoring feats. Part 3 is a wonderful blend of humor, candor, and high-level insight — a chapter about growing up in the game, learning how to win, and still believing that the best may be yet to come.

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 2 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story moves from raw ability to the disciplined framework that helped shape one of the game’s true champions. This episode offers a revealing look at the system behind Shaun’s early development, as he reflects on the rigorous, highly structured approach created by his father — a man with no background in cue sports, but a remarkable instinct for preparation, accountability, and performance. Monthly goals, honest self-assessment, and a relentless focus on improvement became the foundation for Shaun’s rise.

But this chapter is about far more than training routines. Shaun speaks openly about what that life demanded of him as a young boy: the childhood experiences he missed, the social life he largely gave up, and the pressure that came with chasing excellence so young. He also shares a painful and deeply personal account of the bullying that drove him away from school, and how snooker became both his escape and his future.

There is humor and color throughout as well. Shaun tells the wonderful story of his Doc Martens sponsorship as a teenager, including the surreal experience of finding himself alongside Madonna at a London store opening. He also remembers the unforgettable characters from the snooker clubs of his youth — the hustlers, mentors, and larger-than-life personalities who helped teach him how the world worked both inside and outside the game.

Along the way, this episode explores Shaun’s early amateur success, the values his father tried to instill, his admiration for the gifted but tragic Lee Spick, and the surprising role golf played in his young sporting life. Part 2 is funny, moving, revealing, and filled with the lessons, sacrifices, and formative experiences that helped create “The Magician.”

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In this first installment of our five-part conversation with Shaun Murphy, the snooker great takes us back to the beginning and opens up about the difficult early years that shaped both the man and the champion. Long before becoming a World Champion and one of snooker’s elite Triple Crown winners, Shaun was a young boy whose family life changed dramatically after financial collapse turned comfort into uncertainty almost overnight. What followed was hardship, hustle, and a growing realization that snooker might become far more than a pastime.

Shaun recalls the family’s struggle after his father left a successful career, the loss of their home and security, and the way small junior winnings from snooker events began helping the family survive. He shares the charming story of asking Santa for a Commodore 64 and finding instead a little Steve Davis snooker table that would alter the course of his life. From there came the obsession: long hours at the club, a century break as a 10-year-old, and a fierce desire not for prize money, but for medals, trophies, and mastery.

This episode also explores the key influences in Shaun’s early development, including his father’s determined guidance and the profound impact of Mark Wildman, whose knowledge of billiards, snooker, and three-cushion gave Shaun a deeper education in cue sports than most young players could ever imagine. Along the way, Shaun reflects on leaving school at 13, turning professional at 15, and learning that raw attacking talent alone would not be enough in a grown man’s game.

Part 1 is the origin story of “The Magician” — a story of adversity, discipline, curiosity, and the first sparks of greatness.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In the final chapter of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the story comes full circle. Mary reflects on the closing years of her competitive career, the health battle that changed everything, and the determination that carried her back to the table playing better, in some ways, than ever before.

With candor, wit, and hard-earned perspective, Mary shares how she rebuilt her game after serious illness, teaching herself how to swing her arm again, refining her fundamentals, and discovering new ways to aim that she wishes she’d known from the beginning. She looks back on the stamina demands of tournament pool, the painful decision to retire, and the one shot from the 1989 U.S. Open she would take back if given a single career mulligan.

But this episode is about more than competition. It’s about legacy.

Mary tells the remarkable story of how a few forgotten boxes of photographs became an extraordinary accidental archive of pool history. What began as a personal trip down memory lane turned into a passion project that has preserved thousands upon thousands of images of players, tournaments, and moments that might otherwise have been lost. In doing so, Mary has become the game’s unofficial historian, reconnecting generations of fans and players with the sport’s rich past.

She also opens up about life after touring professionally, from dealing poker and caring for family to writing, commentary, and chronicling the people and personalities who built the game she loves.

Asked how she hopes to be remembered, Mary’s answer says it all: as both a survivor and a steward of pool’s history.

This moving and memorable finale is a fitting close to the life story of a woman whose impact on the game extends far beyond the titles she won.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Episode 6 of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the story moves from championship pool to one of the most beloved rooms in the game’s history—and then to a life-altering challenge that few champions ever face.

Mary reflects on the late 1980s, when she stepped away from the tour at the height of her powers to open Cue-Topia in Las Vegas. What began simply as a place for players to gather soon became something legendary. Inspired by a Philadelphia poolroom whose walls were covered with snapshots of the game’s greats, Mary began building her own Wall of Fame—hundreds of photographs celebrating the personalities and champions who passed through her doors. Soon, players from around the world were making Cue-Topia a must-visit stop, spending hours studying the photos and reliving the stories behind them.

Along the way, Mary shares remarkable memories of the game’s icons—late-night conversations with Willie Mosconi, reflections on Ralph Greenleaf’s brilliance, and encounters with road players and champions who defined an era when reputation—and action—mattered more than publicity.

Even while running the room, Mary proved she still had the champion’s touch, returning to tournament play and capturing major titles including the 1989 Brunswick World Open Nine-Ball Championship.

But this episode also reveals one of the most dramatic chapters of her life. After a medical crisis that led to emergency brain surgery and partial paralysis, Mary faced a devastating prognosis. Doctors warned she might never walk again. What followed was a test of willpower, resilience, and the same competitive fire that made her one of the game’s elite.

From building a gathering place for pool’s legends to battling back from a life-threatening setback, this chapter of Mary Kenniston’s story is unforgettable—raw, inspiring, and deeply human.

It’s another remarkable installment in the life story of one of pool’s most respected champions.

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Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 5 of the Legends of the Cue conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road stories, rivalries, and tournament triumphs keep coming.

Mary takes listeners back to the mid-1980s pool scene in Los Angeles, where action, personalities, and opportunity collided in smoky poolrooms and late-night gambling sessions. From becoming the house pro at a bustling barroom to matching up with future stars like Kelly Simpson (later Kelly Oyama), Mary recounts the hustling culture that helped sharpen her competitive edge.

The conversation moves through legendary rooms like Hollywood Billiards, where Mary found pristine tables, tough weekly tournaments, and a chance to test herself against top male players—sometimes beating them along the way. These were the years when Mary balanced road action with tournament play, building a reputation as one of the most formidable women in the game.

A highlight of the episode is Mary’s unforgettable story from the 1984 McDermott Masters, featuring a dramatic hill-hill match against Lori Shampo that ended with one of the most hilarious and memorable moments ever witnessed in a pool tournament.

Along the way, Mary reflects on the rise of the women’s professional game, the dominance of Jean Balukas, and the competitive environment that pushed everyone to improve. She also shares her perspective on the era when women’s pool was striving for mainstream recognition—and the pivotal players who helped elevate the sport.

By 1987, all of Mary’s experience—action games, road matches, and relentless competition—came together as she captured three WPBA tournament victories in a single season, firmly establishing herself among the elite players of her generation.

It’s another entertaining and revealing chapter in the remarkable life story of one of pool’s true pioneers.

In this episode, Mary Kenniston proves once again that in the golden era of pool, every match came with a story.

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Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 4 of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road keeps rolling and the stories keep getting better.

Mary takes us deep into the action-heavy pool world of the early 1980s, from Houston to Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. With her trademark honesty and sharp wit, she recalls the thrill of finding games, protecting her cover, and learning how to survive in a world where toughness, timing, and table smarts meant everything. Whether she was matching up in smoky poolrooms, drawing crowds on bar tables in Southern California, or navigating the nonstop action of Houston’s legendary rooms, Mary was building a reputation the hard way—one set at a time.

This episode is packed with unforgettable road stories: high-stakes lessons from Buddy Hall and New York Blackie, a return trip that turned the tables on a doubter, colorful characters from the gambling scene, and a chilling reminder of the ugliness that still existed in parts of the country during that era. Mary also shares how her hustler’s instincts carried beyond the pool table, as she built a successful jewelry clientele in California before deciding it was time to move on yet again.

What comes through in this chapter of Mary’s life is her resilience, adaptability, and fearless independence. She could win in the poolroom, win in business, and hold her own anywhere she landed.

Part 4 is a vivid portrait of pool’s action years—raw, funny, sometimes harsh, and always compelling—told by one of the game’s true originals.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 3 of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the stories get even richer as she takes us deeper into pool’s road era—when instinct, nerve, and a well-kept spot book could mean the difference between surviving and going broke.

Mary shares her unforgettable friendship with the late Grady Mathews, from first meeting him in New Jersey to their daily phone calls during his final illness. Along the way, she paints a vivid portrait of Grady’s charm, intelligence, and larger-than-life presence, while Allison Fisher adds her own memories of traveling with “The Professor” on a whirlwind exhibition tour.

From there, Mary takes us on the road to Alabama, where backroom action, firehouse games, and a fired-up competitive streak produced some of her most memorable gambling stories. She recalls beating seasoned players, handling herself in a man’s world, and using anger as fuel to bring out her best game. She also reflects on a pivotal turning point in her life—how a failed job opportunity sent her back toward Norfolk, the U.S. Open, and ultimately a life built around pool.

This episode also opens a fascinating window into the hidden mechanics of road play: the handful of women out there matching up, the coded knowledge players carried from town to town, and the legendary “little black books” that tracked rooms, players, stakes, and weaknesses across the country. Mary even shares how that knowledge later helped top pros find action of their own.

And just when you think the episode couldn’t deliver one more great tale, Mary introduces us to Bucktooth—a millionaire jeweler, poolroom owner, and action-maker who could create a gambling scene out of thin air.

It’s a funny, revealing, and deeply authentic chapter in the life of one of pool’s great storytellers and archivists.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”