THE MAN who bought Stuart Bingham his first ever snooker cue said the new Snooker World Championship winner deserves his moment in the spotlight after his thrilling 18-15 win against Shaun Murphy in the final.

John Smith, 49, has known Bingham since he was 14-years-old, introducing him to the game he has now mastered and the owner of Rayleigh Lanes Snooker & Social Club, where Bingham practices, said to see him crowned World Champion 24 years later is a special moment.

And the club was crowded with snooker fans to watch Bingham take the title shortly after 11pm on Monday.

John watched the match in Sheffield with his son before driving home late last night. Although he said he still managed to stay for some of the after-party, with a number of big names including snooker promoter Barry Hearn, before leaving at 1am.

“It was great,” said John. “It was a brilliant result and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke. I have known Stuart for years and years and to see him as World Champion is something special.

“I got to know him when I was running the Victoria Snooker Centre in Southend. His mum used to work with my wife and he came down to try it out.

“But I sold the club before I bought Rayleigh Lanes four years ago and I said to Stuart ‘why don’t you come and join me?

“I gave him a set of keys and he has his own table here and it means he can practice whenever he needs to.”

And Bingham has gone from strength-to-strength, with the biggest win of his career coming on home soil after previous success abroad.

Although that doesn’t come as a shock to John, who said Bingham’s determination was always one of his strongest traits.

“He always had the determination to do well and that was evident on Monday.

“I cannot imagine the pressure he was under, but he was always in control and I was very impressed with his game management.”

John said winning in the UK was great for Bingham, who has won his only previous ranking tournaments overseas.

“It is not often the tournaments beside this and the Masters get much air time, but people have really been gripped by the snooker.

“He has a number of people that support him around the country, and sometimes they even go abroad.”