THERE aren't many towns in the country where snooker is played as keenly as in Nelson.

But where are the rising young stars? Where have they been for close on 20 years?

Glenn Stevenson has certainly made a mark in the game, but fans would be hard-pressed to come up with the name of another player, born and bred in Nelson, who has enjoyed similar success.

Other towns in East Lancashire have been turning out the stars since the mid 70s. Colin Morton and Duncan McNally, from Burnley, are still going strong; Mark Boyd of Accrington is being followed by young Chris Norbury; over in Blackburn Shokat Ali has followed in the footsteps of England Amateur champion Steve Longworth, while teenager Justin Astley is following other Darwen stars such as John Harrop and Alfonso Bellusci.

But while Nelson has produced some very good players, such as Steve Ormerod, the town hasn't managed to come up with one really exciting prospect since since the days of Graham "Cabbage" Howard. He is still talked about with reverence by snooker fans throughout East Lancashire, and since Stevenson, now 34, was a promising youngster.

All that is now going to change, says Glenn.

In mid-November he is opening a new snooker club in Nelson and the search will be on for a star of the future. Says Glenn: "There must be some really promising lads around and I'm going to find them and, hopefully, take them to the top."

He is planning a big opening for the club, Chalkers, in the basement of The Arcade at the top of Scotland Road. It will have a dozen tables from 8ft to full-sized.

For the past few years Stevenson has been managing Top Break snooker club in Burnley but he has been looking to branch out on his own for some time. He says: "My new club used to be a real hot-bed of snooker when Willie Holt's ran it throughout the 80s. It's in an ideal spot and I'm really looking forward to the challenge." Assistant manager will be Terry Musk from Rawtenstall who is also well-known in East Lancs snooker circles.

Stevenson was born and lived in Nelson till he got married a few years ago and went to live in Burnley. He had turned professional in 1991 but never managed to make it into the big-time. He won a few pro-ams but didn't have any big-money backing and perhaps he was too nice a lad. He had more success in 9-ball American pool and reached No 6 in the UK rankings.

He is confident that Nelson can support two snooker clubs - the Alexandra is just across the road - and says: "The game is as popular as ever but that competitive edge seems to have gone. The loss of the Golden Cue competitions a few years ago was a big blow to Burnley and Nelson. Perhaps we might get something going again along those lines."

He firmly believes that the future of the game rests with encouraging the youngsters to take up the game and coaching sessions will form a big part of Chalkers approach. "If we can find some good lads who are prepared to put in the time training and will travel around getting vital experience we might just get Nelson back on the snooker map," he said.