Snug O'War

Snug O'War was a piece of short Coronation Street fiction which appeared in TV Times for the issue of the week of 27th January to 2nd February 1963. Illustrated with a photograph of Ena Sharples, Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst in the snug of the Rovers, it was written by Jack Rosenthal.

Plot
Wednesday 4th June 1930 - Alfred Sharples, on his way home after losing a bob each way on the Derby catches his boot in the tram rails on Rosamund Street and tears the sole. Scared of incurring the wrath of wife Ena for gambling and damaging his boot, he instead heads for the Rovers Return. Percy Longhurst is tired of the crying of baby Lily and the unsympathetic excuses of his wife Martha and also heads for the pub. On the way, he encounters Armistead Caldwell, keeping out of the way as Clara, one of their many cats, is delivered of four kittens. Not liking cats, he is taking a long time shaking the table cloth clean outside when Percy sees him and persuades the teetotaler to go with him to the Rovers, strictly for a ginger beer though.

The three put-upon men are safely ensconsed in the snug when their wives come in. Landlord Fred Turner tries to head them off, saying that the men and ladies aren’t allowed to mix in the snug - a rule that Ena has never heard of before. She takes advantage of it though; she and her cronies enter the snug, order their menfolk home and sit themselves down, Ena in the middle, Minnie on her right and Martha on her left. Ena gives the parting men a word – from now on, the snug is there's and there's alone...

...and so it has remained to this day.