Being number 67

I wrote this on return from Carlow in Ireland, where I competed in the Irish and European Open Billiards championships.

When I tell people I play billiards, I tend to get one of three responses:
- "Is that the game like snooker with two whites and a red?"
- "I didn't know you played snooker."
- "Right.'

If you're in the 'right' camp, you probably have no interest in reading any more. The first answer demonstrates most awareness, the second less-so, but both merit a little more explanation.

So here goes.

It is usually played on a standard snooker table. It started life with two whites (one with a black spot) and a red. It evolved over time to feature a white, a yellow and a red, and both the white and yellow now have red spots.

This latest round of evolution was to make the movement and interaction of the balls more easily visible for television. In practice, however, it's pretty much never on television and no-one would watch it if it was.

There are numerous rules and many anomalies in the game for referees to contend with, but the basic method of play is very simple. Each player has their own cue ball (either the white or the yellow) and you score by potting or going in-off the red (3 points), potting or going in-off your opponent's ball (2 points), or hitting your own cue ball against each of the two others to form a 'cannon' (2 points). Like snooker, you continue your break as long as you keep scoring, after which the turn falls to your opponent.

Generally speaking, you try to avoid potting your opponent's cue ball, as that then stays down until the end of your break and therefore limits your remaining scoring opportunities.

You can play the game on a timed basis (e.g. whoever is in front after say, one hour, wins), or up to a certain mark (e.g. the first player to reach say, 200, wins).

Many of the top players in billiards also play snooker. There are many similarities in the skill required. That said, there is a fundamental difference in that snooker primarily relies on the accuracy of potting and cue-ball control, whereas billiards tends to favour those with a deep knowledge of the shots to play, and how to play them. As such, there are many excellent billiards players who are well into their 70s and 80s, who will still comfortably teach people like me a lesson or two on how to play the game. The accuracy and cue control necessary for snooker tends to favour the younger generation with keener eyes and steadier hands.

Like snooker, the best players will rack up regular breaks of over 100. Unlike snooker, there is no natural limit on the highest break, other than winning the game. In longer matches, breaks of  over 500 are often seen. Currently, the highest recorded break is 1,346, achieved by Peter Gilchrist, the world's 2nd ranked player.

People who say that "you just get the two balls wedged in the pocket and keep nudging them to make cannons" are talking rubbish. On today's tables, you can barely get one ball in the pocket, never mind two.

Instead, break building tends to consist of a combination of cannons, pots and in-offs.

You can find out more at www.world-billiards.com, if you so wish.

Billiards is undoubtedly a niche sport, with only around 320 players registered on the world ranking list. I come in at 67.

The gulf between someone ranked 67 and someone who regularly features in the top 5 is enormous. I played the world's number 1 ranked player, Dave Causier, in the European Open. I might as well have been playing Djokovic at tennis.

The top players make some money through tournaments, exhibition matches and sponsorship. Players at my level just spend money on the game. As such, it's little more than a hobby.

But hobby or niche sport, I'm number 67 and that means a lot to me. After all, who remembers the world's 68th best player.