Young players are pooling their talents at the world championships
"My dad played pool so he just took me down to the club one day."
Riley O'Donnell
Three Taranaki teenagers are among 15 young people nationwide selected to represent New Zealand at the height of pool playing.
The junior team has been selected by national pool club Masse´, which runs 8-ball leagues and supports players around the country. They have been sending players to the VNEA (Valley National 8-Ball League Association) International Junior Pool Championships since 2014.
Mario Hildred, 17, from New Plymouth, is crossing over from his usual snooker to compete in the 9-ball at the VNEAs, which will be held in June and is one of the largest amateur pool leagues.
‘‘It’s my first time playing it on an international stage,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s just competing against better players and the experience of all of it.’’
He said pool had bigger pockets and was easier to play than snooker.
‘‘Snooker’s more of a really mental game, a long mental game to me, but with pool the game can be over in minutes.’’
He’s going to the tournament to win, and would like to make it onto the world circuit.
‘‘I always believe in myself.
‘‘I plan to keep playing pool but mostly snooker as well.’’
Riley O’Donnell, 14, said he was looking forward to seeing other people from around the world play pool.
‘‘My dad played pool so he just took me down to the club one day,’’ he said. ‘‘I find it fun.’’
He wants to continue playing pool but he’s not sure if he wants to play as a career.
Crystalee Jane, 18, is the third Taranaki junior going to the worlds, and said she was looking forward to competing on the international stage after mostly competing in New Zealand.
She was grateful for Masse´’s sponsorship, and wanted to get better and compete against the big guns.
‘‘They get there by putting in the practice and playing.’’
Masse´ Pool Club general manager Bernie Endres said the team’s chances were ‘‘pretty good’’, having already picked up titles in the last few years.
‘‘It’s more teams that are always really well prepared and the kids that go over there are pretty talented.’’
He said while having a good eye helped, the most important attribute was practice.
‘‘You can never be guaranteed anything but we’d expect them to do really well.’’
Masse´ chair Dene O’Kane said the competition among the juniors is tough, but the team is ready for it.
‘‘We’ve come a long way from when we first started when we named a team and then headed straight to the States to compete, simply relying on the raw talent of the players,’’ he said.
‘‘This year we named a national junior development squad of 24 who met every month with our club coaches for simulated tournaments, and they were set drills to complete every week.’’