Hey there! If this is your first time visiting, then welcome to my website.

A bit more about me...

So here's my story.

Many players have the ambition to turn Professional or reach a standard of play. Some make it, some don't. My journey was a little different it seems.

Evidently, I had no ambitions within Cuesports. I started when I was around 8 years old. I had one of those 4ft tables with no legs. My Grandad made me two trellis stands for it out of wood. I was very enthusiastic at the beginning. I even made a sign for my bedroom door which was supposed to say the Crucible, but I misspelled it to read 'Cubical'.

Around a similar time. My uncle had a table in a spare bedroom, where I would go with my mum once a week (probably a Friday night). I would play with my Grandad and two of my uncles. I had a cue in a clear plastic sleeve which I was very protective of. Despite these reoccurring events. I never feel like it grabbed me in a way that would ignite the ambition to achieve...

Fast forward to my early teens. We used to go to a social club, where they had a pool room with 2 pool tables and a snooker room next door. There was a dividing wall which had a window. We weren't allowed to enter the Snooker room. So we would just kneel on the bench and look through the partition window to watch the grown-ups play.

A friend of mine at that time was a really good pool player and I wanted to be as good as him to start with. So I would play as often as I could. Slowly but surely, I did improve. 

Back then, pool was very popular in the club. Community was strong and this was reflected in the Pool room. For example. On any given night. There would be 2x 10p's on top of each other, above the coin mechanism on the cushion edge. These would be stacked all along the length of the table and sometimes around to the narrowest part of the table. It was winner stays on!

So the aim was to play for as long as you could before having to go to the back of the queue with another 20 pence on the table. It would be a long wait indeed!

I would get pretty good over time. Going on to represent Staffordshire County Junior Pool. This was the North Staffordshire Junior Pool League (N.S.J.P.L).

Snooker didn't really feature much in my teens. I would get the odd shot on the table at the Social club. Being sneaked in when the committee members weren't around. Not very often at all. Again no bug caught!

I would also go on holiday in Devon when I was 11. This place had a Snooker table and I remember walking in there just out of curiosity. As I walked in, I saw a young lad playing. While being closely scrutinized by his father. They gave me a look of annoyance as though I wasn't welcome. So I would leave and sadly, no other thoughts would follow.

Another occasion was when I was 15. I went to a holiday camp in Barry Island in Wales. There were lots of Snooker tables and Pool tables. I would be playing pool one day and met up with a lad who played Snooker. He was very good. We got chatting and he would go on to tell me how great Snooker was and that I should take it up properly. He told me that he saw good potential in me. 

After returning home. Not too long afterwards. There would be a new leisure center opening. This would sport 20 plus tables and lots of other facilities. So one evening I decided to go and see what it would be like. I didn't know anyone or know what I was doing really. So I just started to hit balls around. With no clear instruction or structure behind it. It wouldn't last more than an hour or so. So I went back upstairs to the bar area to pay my table light. I remember sitting down in the lounge area afterwards. I was questioning why I was even there. I even remember what was playing in the background. It was 'Teardrops' by Womack and Womack. So I'm thinking...what did he see to urge me to persue this??? I believe this would have been a turning point more evident than any previous occasions. My only response would be to leave. Continuing to play Pool as and when.

Fast forward again to around 18. There was an Amusement arcade local to me, which had a Pool table. I would play here frequently against many others and was very proficient. I would also play in leagues and played in the singles merits one year. Possibly around the same time. I remember getting to the final. For reasons unknown, I didn't turn up to play. Maybe a lack of desire. Who knows, but I haven't lived to regret it. 

The year is now 1996. The introduction of World Rules has happened. Currently I'm playing in one of the local pool leagues again. I resented the new rules and couldn't see the point in continuing to play. So this was the year that I decided to turn my attention to Snooker. 

I had just become a member of that Social club as an adult. So finally getting to play in that Snooker room. I'll be totally honest. It was like starting over again. However good I felt I was at Pool, had no bearing on my higher than normal expectations.

So I quickly learned to fully respect it's difficulty.

There were some really good players there. I would watch them play and could only admire what they did. There was one chap who was very good. I have to thank him for his words of low encouragement!

I remarked on my joy to be able to achieve similar goals. When I was met with the immortal words...

You won't be able to do it!

So here I am. Teaching others that they can too.