This week, during his last ever Chandler’s Ford Under-21 Roll-Up tournament, the 21-year-old said: “It’s the end of an era. It’s gone rather quick. Hopefully I’ve gone some way to setting a benchmark for the young lads. Maybe not so much my attitude, but that’s me, that’s how I am, I don’t hold anything back. Hopefully they’ll just look at the snooker rather than that.

He has played in the Chandler’s Ford junior tournaments since the age of 14 but will now have to find something else to do on Saturday afternoons.

When Finn took a gap year from college and toured the country with Locks Heath businessman Mike Daly he received his first ever coaching lesson from Jimmy White’s former coach.

“I had a couple of lessons from Alan Bell. He sharpened up on points that I had already but he didn’t change how I hit the ball.”

“I was playing pool when I was six-years-old in a men’s league in Eastleigh with my dad in all the pubs, so the hand-eye coordination was there throughout. I played cricket until I took snooker seriously so it was naturally there. When I’m really on fire I don’t think about it I just see the table and get down to play.
 
“I was pottering along probably being just an average sort of player at 14 but then I got the old fire in the belly and really wanted to start playing well. I probably haven’t achieved what I really want to achieve but I’ve done enough to satisfy myself.”

He sees the Under-21 Roll-Up as a “good building block” but has a word of warning for the young players hoping for stardom.

“We’ve got young lads coming up here now and it’s quite scary. But obviously they’ve got a long way to go to be that extra bit special. They’re so few and far between these players who have got that edge. It’s going to be a hard struggle for them to do it. As long as they learn the modern game and play the modern game, I’m sure they’ll be fine. I’m sure they’ll achieve what I’ve achieved.”

And the ones to watch.

“Obviously you’ve got Shane [Castle] and Jordan [Winbourne], but you can’t really tell until they get much older. There are players who will be of an amazing standard when they’re young and they won’t improve. Some people can improve and improve and improve but others just stay still no matter what they do. Give them a couple of years and you can make a proper judgement but obviously the potential is there. The ability is there, you can tell already, how they’re hitting the ball.

“As long as they’re left to still enjoy the game I’m sure they’ll do really well and I’m looking forward to playing them when they’re 18. I’ll still be knocking around.”

Finn prepared for his swansong as a junior in his own inimitable way. I think it was England test cricketer Denis Compton who famously arrived at a ground straight from an all-night session, still wearing a dickie-bow, and proceeded to hammer a century.

At 5.30 in the morning, Mike was treating a car-load of friends to hot-dogs from an all-night burger van after a lucrative night at a Southampton casino. As driver Scott McGaw headed off, a police car pulled the lads over and Scott was asked how long it was since he had a drink. “Three months,” replied Scott, and was sent on his way.

After two hours sleep Mike was at Chandler’s Ford to face Dan Hildyard in the Winchester League singles semi-final. He won 3-1. Beginning to feel the effects of the late night or early morning, Mike settled for a couple of ‘hairs of the dog’.

He drew Arron ‘On-Fire’ McIntyre in the first round of his last ever Roll-Up and produced a result only possible when playing on adrenaline and memory. Mike fired in beaks of 108, 53, 58 and 48 in four frames followed by 81, 82 and 76 against Jack Hyom before running out of steam. Dad picked him up and took him home for a sleep - or perhaps not. Plans were already in place for another night out during which it is believed that liquid refreshment will be taken.

And people ask why he is called ‘The Mighty Finn’.

Picture: Kevin Legg