Snooker hits Gore

Blocking out distractions is one of the main requirements to being successful at snooker.

Southland’s top player, Shannon Swain, said mental toughness and dealing with pressure were needed to be competitive at all levels of the game.

‘‘You can always get your technique right but it’s the mental side that is important.

‘‘You’ve got to block out people and noise around you . . . there’s a lot more to it than sinkings balls.’’

Swain, of Gore, will be back in competition mode at the 50th Clubs New Zealand National Snooker Pairs in the town on August 31-September 2. He and friend Mike Grattan, also of Gore, will team up for the event.

In July, Swain finished runner-up in singles at the New Zealand Snooker Championships in Auckland, going down narrowly 6/5 in the final.

Playing against different opposition at tournaments outside of Southland was a good way to improve, Swain said.

Swain, 28, used to make regular trips north but since getting married, he hasn’t travelled as much.

‘‘I’m mainly self-taught, I’ve been to a couple of coaching clinics and watched videos on YouTube [in the early days].’’

The Clubs New Zealand National Snooker Pairs is being held at the Gore RSA and organiser Evan Fricker believes it is the first time the tournament has been staged south of Christchurch.

‘‘The quality of entries is extremely high, it’s far higher than we had expected,’’ Fricker said.

‘‘It’s a bit of a coup for us to get it [Clubs New Zealand National Snooker Pairs].’’

Fricker, who will be playing, is the Gore RSA’s snooker section chairman.