EXPERTS say that if a sports official goes un-noticed then they're having a good game.

With this in mind, the little that is known of local snooker referee John Timperley tells its own story.

Burnley-born, John has been officiating at snooker matches for the best part of thirty years at a variety of levels.

"I'm the team captain at Whalley Conservative Club and started refereeing when I began playing there back in the 70s," says the 60-year-old.

"However I've officially been a referee for about a decade and I'm currently at class one level."

John, a father of two, mainly officiates in Blackburn and Accrington in the latter stages of competitions - dinner jacket and all!

"An official and neutral referee isn't required until the quarter final stage of knockout tournaments," he says.

"Until then it's usually a member of the home side who referees which isn't an ideal situation - I've seen many a match boil over due to some peculiar decisions!

"Unfortunately though there simply aren't enough referees in the area to go around - those who do officiate in the county are of an excellent standard, but with most having full-time jobs as well, getting to matches can prove difficult."

With professional referees getting younger and younger, John, a retired accountant, hopes the same will soon apply on the amateur scene.

"During a match at Queen's Park WMC, a regular told me his young son was keen on becoming a referee.

"It's pleasing to know that the interest is there, but it's taking that interest a step further which is the difficulty."

John, who now lives in Blackburn with his wife of 31 years, Patricia, is in no doubt what the trickiest issue in snooker refereeing is.

"It's got to be the miss rule, without a shadow of a doubt," he says. "Particularly in the professional game, the rule has been taken to a ridiculous extreme.

"In my experience, the calling of a miss is largely down to the referee's discretion, and because of this it's the only cause of unrest between officials, players and spectators during matches.

"The majority of snooker's regulations are clear cut and written in stone, but the ambiguities of the miss rule just create problems for everyone involved."

John is respected throughout the region and, in all his thirty years of refereeing, has never put a finger out of place. Or has he?

"At a recent ladies competition, instead of replacing a potted pink I instead placed a red on the spot without noticing - much to everyone's amusement.

"Well, we all make mistakes don't we!"