BBC snooker commentator Clive Everton, who heralds from Droitwich Spa, has spent 30 years covering the sport around the world but he has also seen every frame played at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

This year's Embassy World Championship, which was won by Peter Ebdon on Monday, was the 26th in the Steel City.

And Clive, nicknamed the Voice of Snooker, has watched and commentated on every one since the tournament went to Sheffield in 1977.

"I've seen every session since it's been here," he said. "My first commentary here was in 1978 - Eddie Charlton v Willie Thorne.

"I rolled up on the first morning not expecting to be on and the producer said would I like to do some commentary this week. I said "yes, when?"; he said "in about 20 minutes."

Clive, who used to live in Corbett Avenue, was a keen sportsman as a youngster, playing rugby, squash and badminton up to 1973, as well as representing Worcestershire at tennis for 13 years.

He was also a distinguished billiards' player, winning the U16s and U19s British Junior Billiards championship before adding the Midland Championship at snooker.

But, later in his career while playing in the world amateur billiards championship in 1977, Clive aggravated a back injury, which put paid to his playing days.

"My back went in a big way in Melbourne," Clive said. "The original cause was a rugby injury when I was 17. Although it got better, all those years of tennis and snooker wore the disc away.

"I had surgery but I wasn't the same afterwards."

So Clive, a journalist since leaving university, saw the potential in snooker and, realising the financial rewards of billiards weren't the highest, decided that was the path to take.

"You can't keep a tortoise alive on professional billiards, not unless you possibly win anything," he joked.

"I thought snooker would take off so decided to concentrate on snooker," he added.

Since then, Clive, who's owned Snooker Scene magazine since 1971 and writes for the Guardian, has commentated on many matches and at least one session of every world final but he is quick to scrutinise his performance.

"Sometimes I come out of the commentary box and I think I've done the best I could and there are other times when I thought I could have done more - I doubt there's anybody more self critical than me."

But, like in any other profession, Clive, once manager of squash player Jonah Barrington, knows it's important to enjoy his work and he doesn't mind laughing at his mistakes.

"I remember there was a close up of a cue ball going tight to the baulk cushion," he said. "I said that's where you want to leave your opponent...dead on the baulk cushion - I don't mind it, I think that's all part of the fun."