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Nice to see more girls in the sport!
The occasion when Molly reffed some frames with Ronnie is almost certainly the exhibition in Liverpool on November 28, 2007.
Some pics from the event are available in the gallery, including Molly in action
in this album http://www.thesnookerforum.com/galle...ls.php?album=9
A 16-YEAR-OLD has made her big break into the snooker world by becoming one of?? the country's youngest female referees.
Molly Newbold has overseen professional games played by Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White.
She is now aiming to pass more exams so she can referee international championship matches across the world.
Molly, of Grange Avenue, Breaston, was inspired by watching top referee Michaela Tabb on television.
She said: "Michaela is a big inspiration to me. Snooker is quite a male-oriented sport but she has made it at the top level and I want to as well.
"There are times when male players won't take me seriously because I'm young and female but if you are calm and do the job well they respect you."
Molly, who finished her GCSEs at Wilsthorpe Business and Enterprise College this year, passed her Class Three basic refereeing exams when she was 14.
In August she passed the next level – Class Two – which enabled her to referee to a low professional standard.
It will be two years before she can take the Class One exams which will allow her to referee at an international level.
Molly says that the learning curve has been tough.
She said: "In my first game I somehow managed to put the yellow and the green on the wrong spots. One of the players quietly pointed it out to me and I felt so embarrassed.
"On another occasion I was respotting a ball and it slipped out of my glove, crashing to the table and rolling away. That was a bit awkward."
But she persevered with her coach and throughout 2006 into 2007 began to regularly referee matches at evenings and weekends at Potters Snooker Bar, in Coalville.
During this time she was also invited to oversee professional ladies' matches and immediately warmed to the bigger games.
"It's so exciting at the higher levels. There's so much tension and I was so nervous at first but I know this is the level I really want to be refereeing at."
She also got her first taste of real professional fame when she was chosen at a moment's notice to referee a few frames for Ronnie O'Sullivan.
She said: "Ronnie asked me personally when I was invited backstage to meet him.
"He was so friendly. My coach later told me he'd set it up but I was so surprised.
"I had to borrow some gear because I just had casual clothes on."
Molly's father, Paul, said he was surprised by Molly's determination to get into the sport.
He said: "At first, my wife, Kay, and I thought it was a pipe dream. All kids say these sort of things but Molly just kept on about it. It's certainly an odd one for a young girl but we supported her fully."
Molly Newbold has overseen professional games played by Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White.
She is now aiming to pass more exams so she can referee international championship matches across the world.
Molly, of Grange Avenue, Breaston, was inspired by watching top referee Michaela Tabb on television.
She said: "Michaela is a big inspiration to me. Snooker is quite a male-oriented sport but she has made it at the top level and I want to as well.
"There are times when male players won't take me seriously because I'm young and female but if you are calm and do the job well they respect you."
Molly, who finished her GCSEs at Wilsthorpe Business and Enterprise College this year, passed her Class Three basic refereeing exams when she was 14.
In August she passed the next level – Class Two – which enabled her to referee to a low professional standard.
It will be two years before she can take the Class One exams which will allow her to referee at an international level.
Molly says that the learning curve has been tough.
She said: "In my first game I somehow managed to put the yellow and the green on the wrong spots. One of the players quietly pointed it out to me and I felt so embarrassed.
"On another occasion I was respotting a ball and it slipped out of my glove, crashing to the table and rolling away. That was a bit awkward."
But she persevered with her coach and throughout 2006 into 2007 began to regularly referee matches at evenings and weekends at Potters Snooker Bar, in Coalville.
During this time she was also invited to oversee professional ladies' matches and immediately warmed to the bigger games.
"It's so exciting at the higher levels. There's so much tension and I was so nervous at first but I know this is the level I really want to be refereeing at."
She also got her first taste of real professional fame when she was chosen at a moment's notice to referee a few frames for Ronnie O'Sullivan.
She said: "Ronnie asked me personally when I was invited backstage to meet him.
"He was so friendly. My coach later told me he'd set it up but I was so surprised.
"I had to borrow some gear because I just had casual clothes on."
Molly's father, Paul, said he was surprised by Molly's determination to get into the sport.
He said: "At first, my wife, Kay, and I thought it was a pipe dream. All kids say these sort of things but Molly just kept on about it. It's certainly an odd one for a young girl but we supported her fully."
The occasion when Molly reffed some frames with Ronnie is almost certainly the exhibition in Liverpool on November 28, 2007.
Some pics from the event are available in the gallery, including Molly in action
in this album http://www.thesnookerforum.com/galle...ls.php?album=9
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