I'm trying to find out next years fixtures, as a friend would like to buy tickets for her husband (as a christmas present) for the Crucible next year. If this is not possible you might be able to give her an idea of which way to go about the above.

Next years fixtures can be found on the Embassy Snooker web site. The 2001 World Championships take place at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, (Box Office Tel: 0114 249 6000), from 21st April to 7th May 2001.

Booking forms, for all the major tournaments, are issued with the snooker magazines Pot Black and Snooker Scene. For the World Championships these forms are normally found in the January issue, so I think it unlikely that your friend will be able to have them in time for Christmas.

I would like to know the standard size of each 1-6 pockets (holes) for 6'x12' Snooker table for competetion.

The size of each pocket can only be measured by the official match templates. Only one company is licensed to manufacture them, and they are Thurstons who are based in Liverpool here in the U.K. The pockets cannot be accurately measured without these templates as the full set of four are needed.

Two are required for each of the corner pockets and two for the middle pockets. They measure the pockets for width, shape and undercut, and must fit snugly without movement for the pockets to be considered as standard.

All you can really check yourself is the width of the corner pocket opening - see the reply given to Clifford Knapp. But you must realise that this measurement alone cannot guarantee that any pocket can be considered as 'standard.'

Does anybody know the rules of how to play skittles on a snooker table as opposed to bar skittles?

Skittle sets for the snooker table can be ordered from most good sports shops, and are supplied with a set of rules which cannot be reproduced here as they are protected by copyright.
However, Captain Crawley included the rules of 'The Spanish (or Skittle) Game' in "The Billiard Book" pub. 1866. The game is essentially English Billiards played 21-up (though you can play to 50 or 100 or whatever you choose), with extra points being scored for knocking over the skittles.

His complete rules now appear within the History section.

Robert Byrne devotes several pages of his Wonderful World of Pool & Billiards to the Italian game of Five Pins. The rules vary enormously from those shown above, and is becoming so popular that over 600 hours of television time are devoted to it. Strangely, the players do not continue at the table after scoring, but simply play single strokes, alternately. They therefore have to combine attack and safety in every shot.

I bought second hand a one-piece snooker cue from an elderly player at a club some 15 years ago. It's made of ash. On the Butt-plate, there is the 'Joe Davis Record Break 2501.'

To give me some idea when this cue was made, when did Joe Davis have this Billards break ?

It was made against Tom Newman in the World Professional Billiards Championship final of 1927. This break saw Joe go from 1589 points behind to lead by 912. This was not enough for Joe to secure the match as Newman won by 16000 points to 14763.

They are made from a plastic material, more properly described as "cast phenolic resin." This begins life as a liquid that is poured into a mould, and when set is turned by machine into a sphere.