Get close to the green baize for the true snooker experience

I was there! It was closer than expected but Shaun Murphy (foreground) eclipsed Ricky Walden in the end

A first visit to a live snooker tournament - in the form of the Betfair Masters - has convinced Joe Dyer that we should celebrate the unique spectator experience the sport offers...

Common consensus suggests there should be no place for snooker in the modern sporting mix. 

With sports getting ever faster, shorter and louder as the Twenty20 effect kicks in, who wants to sit in silence as two men gently manoeuvre 22 balls around the green baize, in a game that can take, like, hours to finish?!

No doubt about it, even a marketing genius would find launching snooker a tough sell in this era, but tradition and history still count for much it seems and a loyal crowd were ensconced in the action as I settled in at Alexandra Palace on a freezing Tuesday night. 

Now sponsored by Betfair, the Masters is in its second year at this grand, old venue after the Wembley era was brought to an end in 2012.

Armed with a pair of tickets (thanks Betfair!) I braved sub-zero temperatures and a wrong turn into the north London suburbs to catch the action up close and personal. 

This was a venture into the unknown for me. Despite spending many hours watching snooker from the sofa, this was the first time I'd caught the game in the flesh. I've attended many a sporting event but none performed indoors and never by men wearing waistcoats and bow ties. 

So what do you actually get for your money? 

First, let's deal with the silence - unless you're on your own or simply don't like to talk there isn't any. Many sit with the BBC commentary on their headsets while those who attend with friends can talk during the action. Don't get me wrong, you can't natter away at pub level volume, but certainly loud enough for your mate to hear you and no-one shushed us or shot annoyed glares in our direction. You can drink, too. Not everyone enjoys a tipple but, for those that do, it's pleasant enough to sup a beer as the players do their thing on the green baize.

Ah yes, the players. I'm glad I mentioned them, that's what we're here for after all. 

Surrounded by an intimate temporary arena, the players are closer than you think. You are never far from the protagonists and I actually felt a tiny bit starstruck to be so close to Shaun Murphy - which was an odd feeling in itself. 

In the opposite corner sat Ricky Walden, which didn't quite affect me in the same way, but Stamina Man (as he is known) certainly played his part in an engrossing contest. 

Sat in the stands you will never get the standard angles seen on television, though monitors above the table show the live feed from the cameras surrounding the table. The result is that there is far more mystery and surprise to the game. And, when a player takes a shot directly in front of you, the cue ball control can be mightily impressive. 

In a scrappy opening session neither Murphy or Walden could get the white ball to behave but a big break of 130 from Murphy set the Sale potter on his way after the resumption. Though it was nip and tuck for much of the game, it was the no.5 seed and 11.010/1 fifth favourite who took the honours, winning 6-4. 

I've always thought Murphy was a top talent and he will win a tournament sooner or later at a big price. He'll have to show better form than he did on Tuesday night, but I suspect he will be a more fluid operator next time out. The 11.010/1 is tempting, certainly as a back-to-lay bet.

I'm glad I've lost my live snooker virginity, and even without free tickets it ranks as a cheap enough day or night out. You may be curious to see the baize action and when it comes to your town and I suggest you do. 

Different it may well be, but we don't need in-yer-face action and fireworks every time we go a sporting event. We should celebrate our sports in all their guises. The quirky charms of snooker give it a unique position in our occasionally homogenised sporting landscape, and that is a very good thing.