THE RULES OF THE ROCKET
One of the best days of 2010 was definitely working with Joel up in his home city of Sheffield. WE spent a few hours working on his game and for me it was about understanding his game and where his strengths and weaknesses were. I found it really rewarding to be able to help and hopefully impart some of my experience and know-how into his game.
Joel’s made his first steps into the pro game taking part in the World Snooker Open where he made the second round before losing to an old hero of mine, Malta’s Tony Drago.
Another nice touch for him was receiving a handmade John Parris snooker cue worth more than £1,000. Getting to grips with a really good cue that feels right and balanced is a massive help to all players.
So Joel’s on his way, and I honestly think the future looks bright for him. The question is, will our 2011 champion end up being a rival on the pro circuit in the year’s to come?
Do you think Power Snooker was a sucess?
I think it was a brave move to show how snooker can adapt. I think there’s a place for Power Snooker, I think there are options for a shortened game and then you’ve got the World Championship. They’re all valid in my book because they all offer something different. The World Championships finds out the best in the world but there’s talent to take on other forms and I think we have to think of the punters and giving them something a bit different.
Finding a new star for the future
We’ve launched Future Stars of Snooker 2011 and after the great success of last year I can’t wait to see what the competition is going to offer us. Finals will again take place during the World Snooker Championships up in Sheffield and once again we’ll be setting tasks to find out which boy or girl has got what it takes to not only win the tournament but also be a name to be reckoned with in the future.
Go to the Tournaments page here on the site for full details of how to enter.