Another frame of pool

I got to know James as we were the only male trainees in our year when we trained together at Gateley Wareing. I had a good few nights out with James and they were always some of the best. We had some great pool battles and I loved to chew the fat with James about pretty much any sport and come to think of it, pretty much anything - he always had something interesting to say.

The last time we were out together was the BTSS annual dinner when James was in sparkling form. We wound up playing poker and drinking whiskey til 6.00 a.m and he card sharked his way into cleaning us all out. Typical Viney.

He was a real bloke, a really genuine generous fella and the best company. He was also a real gent and I never once heard him speak ill of anybody. I shall miss very much his unique wit and his great sense of humour - there's nobody like him. I feel privileged to have spent time with James and I'm sure he enriched the lives of many others. Someday I hope we can have another frame of pool.

Posted on behalf of Michael Bennett, Gateley Wareing