Pint-sized player’s big break
It’s one big table for one small person but Riley James makes it look like child’s play.
The 9-year-old Kapiti boy might have trouble reaching over the snooker table but that doesn’t stop him potting ball after ball.
The key to success was keeping cool said Riley, recently chosen to represent New Zealand in July’s world amateur championships for under-18s in China.
‘‘It’s a mental game and a physical one. If you’re going to get angry, you’ll lose, so you may as well quit.’’
Riley first picked up his snooker cue as an 8-year-old but was already a dab hand at pool after learning that game aged 5.
‘‘I liked snooker more because it’s a serious, tactical, competition game; pool is more something you can play without thinking about it.’’
It’s a serious game for the Kenakena School pupil, who trains about 30 hours a week and travels to Stratford every fortnight for coaching.
‘‘It’s important to be fit because you walk around the table a lot. I also lift weights so I can hit the ball even harder.’’
It was his talent on the pool tables at Paraparaumu’s Club Vista that first got him noticed by the snooker community, said Riley’s dad, Garry James.
‘‘Everyone convinced him to try playing on the big snooker tables and that was the beginning.’’
Snooker player Chris Barnett said he was astounded by Riley’s ability and began to coach him.
‘‘He’s the sort of talent that comes along once in a generation. Cue action is the important thing and he’s a natural – smooth flowing and deadly.’’
In March, former New Zealand snooker coach Stan Bunn took Riley on. A month later, the youngster was offered a place in the three-person squad for China, where his team-mates are 15.