Sir, - Your sport pages of April 20th referred to James Wattana of Thailand as "potentially snooker's second overseas world champion". Later in the article we are told of "Canada's former world champion, Cliff Thorburn". One might therefore logically presume that Cliff Thorburn was the first "overseas" world champion. One might also now begin to question how The Irish Times defines "overseas".
Ken Doherty of Ireland was snooker's world champion in 1997 (so too were Alex Higgins and Denis Taylor in their time). It seems that The Irish Times subscribes to the British trait of passing off Irish achievements (be they sporting, musical, literary, etc.) as their own.
It is difficult enough to witness the misplaced triumphalism of the British media, week in, week out, without blindly feeding the monster. - Yours, etc.,
Patrick Monahan, Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3.