Hello from Worthing, West Sussex

[tom-k]

Evening all. Only found TSF yesterday after exhausting topics in /r/snooker. I've not been able to close it since and have read the last 20/30 threads in a half dozen on the forums on here. I'm a 29 y/o with a lifelong love of the game. Having played snooker every Saturday as a much younger man I've been away from the big table since i was maybe 17 years old. This year I've decided (being otherwise hobbyless) that I fancy picking up a cue again. I'm lucky enough to work somewhere with a pool table so the three days a week I'm at HQ I play American 8 ball with some weird house rules for my whole lunch hour and am regularly top dog in the dozen or so roster there so I think my action and understanding around a table is still decent.

For context I was a regular teens to 20s break builder when I was busy misspending my youth, all time max break of 46.

Mid week last week I started doing some Googling and found that as well as the noisy bustle of the pool hall in town with a few tables, there are a load of working mens clubs and sports academies near me with tables so I wanna pick up a membership and start practicing again. Also need to get hold of a cue since my "Jimmy White" BCE cue (£15 from sports direct in around 2005) has been in the shed for six years and is likely not in good nick

There's a long way to go but ultimately it'd be cool to start getting involved in the local leagues or with a club etc. in the future. Ultimately I just enjoy the game and am looking for a way to unwind.

Anyone got any tips for getting back into the flow as a returning novice?
Any tips for a decent cue/case/extension bundle for under £150?
Also with my reading it seems a lot of you lads/lasses are playing an hour or two, multiple times a week ?!? How does that fit in with the rest of your life? Is that the average? Are club league players putting in this, or more?
Best I can hope for is a couple hours most weeks, is it unrealistic to expect to improve at that cadence?

[DeanH]

Welcome to TSF Tom.

Being in and around Worthing, I would point you to Frank Sandell, he is a great person with long experience in the snooker/billiard world.

I have just spoken to him, always up for a chat is old Frank and he says you are more than welcome to contact him and pop round and see what he can do for you

http://www.franksandellcuesport.co.uk/

My advice would be, if you go round, is to give yourself all afternoon, etc. as you will really not want to leave

And let us know how you get on

[Mark187187]

Welcome to the forum. I play at the Castle Club in Brighton if you ever get over that way. It's a decent club, and they have plenty of snooker and english pool tables and a couple of full size American tables. They have various new and second hand cues for sale as well if you wanted to try anything out.

[tomwalker147]

Welcome Tom!
You'll find people on here play allsorts of hours and have differing ability but the fact you have a cue in your hand a few times a week is great regardless of the cue sport.
if i were you i'd just get back into playing before worrying about anything too technical and see what level you get back to.
if you do want to pick up a few tips then BartonSnooker on youtube is a good place to start, Steve Barton used to post on here and is a really nice lad. I know Steve from tournaments around the midlands area and he didn't take up the game until his 20's i believe and is now making centuries - just shows anybody can do it regardless of age or breaks from the game!

[Stakers]

Hi Tom, I've been browsing this forum for a little white but just seeing your post gave me the incentive to post. I'm also in Worthing. I've been playing 9 ball pool for 20 years but just turned to snooker last year. I play in the Worthing league now and have got up to a 58 break since starting.
I've had a couple of sessions with Frank Sandell at his home, can't recommend enough. £50 for a 2 hour session and you get a history of billiards/ tour of his museum thrown in too.
League has been great fun. We play every Thursday. 9 teams in the league. I managed to win 2 singles trophies and the doubles, and just started up a 'B' team for my club and we won the Summer league! Go me! ;-p
The working men's clubs in and around Worthing, Durrington and Goring are all great, with a bunch of good people in the teams. Best thing is the price. I'm used to paying £6-7 per hour and pub prices for beer. Not anymore!
If you're interested in joining a club and want a group of players to practice against, drop me a PM. We've got a whats app group and normally easy to get a game with any of us.
Welcome, and hello to everyone else here! Great forum and full of useful info. ( I bought a cue from Snookercrazy to get me started )

[tom-k]

Welcome to TSF Tom.

Being in and around Worthing, I would point you to Frank Sandell, he is a great person with long experience in the snooker/billiard world....

Yea he's showing up as something of a celebrity, lucky to have him local so once I've got my eye back in I'll certainly head his way.

Welcome to the forum. I play at the Castle Club in Brighton if you ever get over that way. It's a decent club, and they have plenty of snooker and english pool tables and a couple of full size American tables. They have various new and second hand cues for sale as well if you wanted to try anything out.

Yea quite often in Brighton so I'll check it out, we've got one proper "club" over here then a group of Working Men's that have tables but without the club having much competition everything but their "match" english tables aren't great in terms of maintenance.

Welcome Tom!
You'll find people on here play allsorts of hours and have differing ability but the fact you have a cue in your hand a few times a week is great regardless of the cue sport...

Tom, appreciate it, great name by the way, yea I've seen yourself whilst lurking on the forums, could tell you'd done a lot of practice. Love to get to any level really, I'm just about the right side of 30 (by a week or two ). Yea I'm hoping there's a bit of transferrable sighting and action etc from the pool.

Hi Tom, I've been browsing this forum for a little white but just seeing your post gave me the incentive to post. I'm also in Worthing. I've been playing 9 ball pool for 20 years but just turned to snooker last year. I play in the Worthing league now and have got up to a 58 break since starting...

Mate that's impressive, half-cents in the space of a year. Which league is that out of curiosity? It was only on a fluke I saw something about there being leagues in Worthing and that's how it all spiralled. Are you with a particular club? I've got a membership for Slick's but have only been a couple times in the last year and haven't played their snooker tables since they were on the seafront. Looking for somewhere out of the town centre anyway with the parking and all that arse ache, plus now Slick's in all in one room there's a lot of noise for a game of snooker in there I reckon.

[Stakers]

Hi Tom, I'm a member of Slicks but play for one of their 8 ball teams on a Monday, not for snooker. Pockets are like buckets and not the right atmosphere for snooker. I play in the Worthing Snooker league Worthing Billiards and Snooker - Home (worthingsnooker.org) for West Worthing Tennis. Its a handicapped league so anyone can play regardless of standard and still have a good game. The good thing about joining one of the clubs is that prices are minimal for a table and there's a ready main group of players to play with. Learnt a lot by playing some of the better players in the league and then meeting up for friendlies at one of the clubs.

[akofb]

Hi Tom, I'm a member of Slicks but play for one of their 8 ball teams on a Monday, not for snooker. Pockets are like buckets and not the right atmosphere for snooker. I play in the Worthing Snooker league Worthing Billiards and Snooker - Home (worthingsnooker.org) for West Worthing Tennis. Its a handicapped league so anyone can play regardless of standard and still have a good game. The good thing about joining one of the clubs is that prices are minimal for a table and there's a ready main group of players to play with. Learnt a lot by playing some of the better players in the league and then meeting up for friendlies at one of the clubs.

We've just re-covered both of the tables at Worthing so they have some nice new speedy cloth on them now