CLUB owner Steve Thomson is serious about putting style back into snooker.

Appalled by what he claims are falling sartorial and other standards at many clubs, he has pumped more than £70,000 into his newest venture.

The Serious Snooker Club just off Week Street, Maidstone (in the former offices of engineering consultants Babtie) occupies two floors.

Steve, partner Chrissie Morel and their helpers spent hours converting it into the county town's latest snooker venue.

Pictures of snooker legends, such as Joe Davis and brother Fred, line the wall. "It would be nice to get it back to where it used to be," says Steve nostalgically.

He insists he does not want "a drinking hole with a snooker facility”.

He harks back to the golden days when players were gentlemen and people in snooker clubs were smart.

"You don't want shorts, tee-shirts and sweaty armpits over the tables," he said.

He aims to ensure his club lives up to its name, Serious, by operating a strict security and dress code.

"There are a lot of good players out there who could be better if they were playing in a different environment," he said.

"I feel there is room for the gentlemen's side of it."

Snooker no longer has the same high profile it enjoyed during the golden era of Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths and Dennis Taylor.

But the game remains widely played and followed, with millions of television viewers gripped by the recent tense world championship final between Mark Williams and Ken Doherty in The Crucible, Sheffield.

His club may have been launched at a difficult time for the game, but Steve hopes his emphasis on quality will help uncover a local Stephen Hendry or Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Steve has pot black pedigree. He ran Tonbridge Snooker Club before its conversion into a general nightspot. At one time, it had 1,000 members and 13 teams.

His club offers more room around the tables and a separate room for championship play.

It is open from 11am to 11pm. Membership costs £30 a year, and £6 or £8 (championship room) an hour. A £500-a-year membership is also available with free use of the tables.

Business can tap into a corporate membership costing £2,000 for up to four employees.

Steve said: "I've run my own club before and this will be as successful in a different area. I want it to be a top-class club and this is as good as it gets."