The Welsh Potting Machine Mark Williams has impressed everybody of all ages to maintain going as he picks up the elusive Champion of Champions trophy in Bolton for the primary time. Proof you’re by no means too outdated to maintain your targets going.
The almost 50-year-old (49) Welshman advised ITV sport after his convincing win 10 – 6 in opposition to China’s Xiao Guodong that he wouldn’t retire till he falls off the tour.
Williams, who turned professional in 1992, gained his first World title in 2000, after which 2003, after which, remarkably, 15 years after in 2018.
He mentioned after his emphatic win “I’ve bought nothing to show anymore. I’m simply going to get pleasure from it.”
He added: “The older I’m getting the extra the group appear to be supporting me.”
However he fell wanting saying he could be enjoying for the subsequent 20 years as Xiao Guodong eloquently mentioned he needed Ronnie, John, and Mark (the category of 92) to play for the subsequent 20 years.
Guodong mentioned Williams was a legend and was pleased to have performed a legend – “I’m pleased to play legend, he mentioned.”
He this yr scooped the Wuhan Open, his first rating title, and got here off the again of a exceptional week in Bolton on the Champion of Champions.
Beginner Snooker in Surrey…
Now, on the different finish of the spectrum…
There are various folks in snooker who’re enjoying week in week out in UK snooker leagues throughout the nation conserving going due to the love of the game.
The Oxshott league has all kinds of ages for snooker from folks of their 20s to 80s with some over 60 who’ve performed within the league for 35 years. They’re good gamers.
We spoke to at least one man within the Oxshott League over the weekend who merely mentioned this, “the beginner recreation is dying.”
He added that lots of people (largely youthful adults) would favor to exit and spend exorbitant sums of cash in overvalued pubs and golf equipment moderately than go all the way down to a neighborhood social snooker membership like The Oxshott Membership with snooker, pool, and darts, and it’ll value half the worth of these bars or golf equipment and you may nonetheless afford an Uber on the finish…
Social golf equipment are slowly closing (Leatherhead Social Membership this yr is closing) within the Oxshott League , however there are nonetheless folks keen to advertise and placed on leagues in small golf equipment like Oxshott, Ashtead, Hersham, Surbiton, and some others within the space.
Anybody can take part a neighborhood league, merely go to your native social membership, or snooker membership, and ask if there are any groups accessible to play in.
The Cobham Village Membership (was within the Oxshott League as did many others has, on the again of it, the newly shaped Surrey Snooker Academy with Brian Cox and Gareth White, and you may get on three skilled tables there with 1g balls, heated tables and an excellent teaching arrange as commonplace.
Larger golf equipment are dwindling within the space, with solely the likes of Woking or Frames Sports activities Bar in Coulsdon – the place, at Frames Sports activities Bar – you may play on considered one of eight tables with the Marco Fu Unique cloths both as a pair or as a single participant. We confirmed this with Tony Thompson.
Walton Snooker Centre, which was a staple for native snooker in Hersham, sadly closed down within the 2000s.
13 different golf equipment we phoned additionally confirmed that you would be able to play on their “finest” tables as commonplace as a single participant in case you grow to be a member – and this additionally included the likes of the luxurious Landywood Snooker Membership in Walsall who mentioned you probably have been enjoying snooker for a interval and/or are a member of a league, then you may play as a single participant on their finest tables. However most of them mentioned that ALL their amenities there have been open to all of any commonplace.
The Oxshott Membership has an honest commonplace of desk on Desk 1 (the fabric goes to be refitted quickly), and the desk remains to be regarded by those that have performed on it, together with myself, as probably the greatest tables on this Surrey space.
Surrey, like a lot of the UK has pockets of snooker however the numbers at league stage are dwindling as a case instance of the Oxshott League.
The Oxshott League was a really large league and is likely one of the oldest leagues established since 1910 with a wealthy heritage of gamers and historical past akin to Harry Champion, a founding member of the Oxshott Membership, and who turned President of the Membership and who donated a trophy within the Sixties however sadly handed away in that period, with a lot of groups and golf equipment however has dwindled down to 6 in 2024, however remains to be going sturdy with good gamers of 40/50 break requirements or extra and good golf equipment remaining, and competing and welcomes new gamers yearly to the league.
This yr, after enjoying for 8 years at Woking, I used to be welcomed into the League and developed into an Oxshott A participant.
Williams has impressed everybody of any age to select up a cue. It’s not about turning into a World Champion or an Beginner champion essentially within the sport, it’s about inspiring as many individuals as doable to benefit from the recreation and enhance in addition to compete in pleasant atmospheres throughout the nation in leagues.
The way in which to develop the sport correctly is to get as many individuals enjoying within the social golf equipment, in addition to the snooker golf equipment – and this drives progress in addition to the monetary centre of it. No gamers = no progress in snooker…
#Snookerisforall…
Oxshott A play Oxshott B this week, we’re trying ahead to supporting the workforce and enjoying in week six and 7 …
