The Top Spot Snooker Club

More Histories:

Huddersfield’s Snooker Past: The Top Spot Snooker Club

The Top Spot Snooker Club was established as a limited company on January 28, 1980, making it one of Huddersfield’s longest-running recreational establishments. Located at 38 Wakefield Road in the Aspley area of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the club became a cornerstone of the local community’s leisure scene.

The club occupied a prominent position on Wakefield Road, situated in the Aspley district near Huddersfield town center. The venue was easily accessible and became well-known to locals as a friendly neighborhood establishment.

Cue Sports Competitions

For decades, Top Spot served as a traditional snooker and pool hall, offering quality tables and a welcoming atmosphere for players of all skill levels.

The club was known for its well-maintained snooker and pool tables; it had sixteen full sized Snooker/Billiard tables and six 7ft U.K. Pool tables along with a three quarter sized Snooker/Billiard table as well.

The Top Spot Snooker Club had a friendly, inclusive atmosphere that welcomed both casual players and serious competitors, it had affordable prices that made the sport accessible to the local community offering day rates and student discounts.

The club had a well stocked Bar and snacks available throughout the day.

Cue Sports Competitions

Top Spot became part of the Huddersfield Billiards and Snooker Association (HBSA) network, contributing to the local competitive snooker scene and had two teams in the Huddersfield and district Snooker League, one was formed in the early 2000s and the other was long established and at that time was in the premier section of the league.

The Top Spot team won the local three man team event and a kind of knock out tournament that is held on an annual basis, the only trophy not held was the premiership trophy itself.

One great achievement was the first time a Top Spot team member made a century in the league; the break was 108 made by Matthew Tinker, a very fluent professional affair.

Music Venue

Beyond its role as a snooker club, Top Spot gained unexpected cultural significance as a music venue. Most notably, it hosted one of the American punk rock band Green Day’s first UK performances. This early gig would later become a point of pride for the venue, as Green Day went on to achieve massive international success.

The club’s dual role as both a sports venue and occasional music space reflected the diverse interests of the Huddersfield community and showcased the venue’s adaptability.

In more recent years, the club had earned praise for its efforts to modernize while maintaining its traditional character.

In 2010, I created a web-site for the Top Spot Snooker Club and as part of this effort, I also produced a video showcasing the clubs first Six Red Snooker competition that took place in February of that year. Additionally, I captured many pictures to highlight and promote the club.

In 2021, the Top Spot Snooker Club had permanently closed its doors as a snooker venue. The closure marked the end of over four decades of service to the Huddersfield community.

In December 2021, the former Top Spot premises underwent a major transformation. Business partners Richard Harrison and Andrew Hields converted the space into “Smile Bar & Venue,” a new café bar and live music venue. This redevelopment honored the site’s musical heritage, with live music remaining at the heart of the new establishment.

The transformation also included plans for innovative features such as alfresco food service and even a floating pontoon on the adjacent canal, showing how the space would continue to evolve while serving the community.

Historical Impact

The Top Spot Snooker Clubs 40-year history represents a significant chapter in Huddersfields recreational and cultural landscape. From its incorporation in 1980 to its closure in the 2020s, it served multiple generations of local cue sports players and music lovers. Its dual identity as both a traditional snooker club and an occasional music venue made it unique among local establishments.

The venue’s legacy lives on through the memories of countless games played on its tables, the friendships formed within its walls, and its small but significant place in music history as an early venue for what would become one of the world’s most successful American punk rock bands.

Today, the snooker tables are re-purposed as a stage, the building continues to serve the community in a new capacity, ensuring that this corner of Huddersfield remains a vibrant part of the town’s cultural fabric.

John A Smith
Cues n Views