John Teasdale is a leading figure on the Workington Pool scene, and I thought it was time I found out more about the game and how it was progressing locally.
John took time to answer my questions and give an insight into how pool is developing and progressing.
John, can you just start by telling us about yourself how you got into pool and how you’ve fared as a player?
It started with me watching snooker when I was growing up as I was a big fan of Jimmy White and loved the characters and the game.
In my late teens I played snooker and pool with friends in the local pubs and found I had a natural ability for me to compete at a reasonable level and soon joined the local leagues where I learned the tactical side of pool and I’ve continued playing for 24 years.
I’ve been a part of great teams which have won multiple Workington League team competitions such as the league, knockout as well as two doubles titles and the Workington league’s Cumbria trophy.
You’ve become an official. Can you tell me what positions you have held in connection with the game of pool?
Since 2016 I joined the Workington league’s committee as the treasurer and writing reports for the local paper but the committee is a team effort so we all chip in to cover all the various committee roles such as organising competitions and presentation evening to ensure the smooth running of the league
How does pool in Workington, and also the county, compare say to 20 years ago?
Over the years the International Pool Association has looked to advance rule sets that promote greater attacking play and less tactical. The county looks set to adopt the newest rule set of the game which are Ultimate Rules.
The Workington league is very much the same as 20 years ago with a few tweaks as the majority of participants understand the rule set and the changes required to update to the national rule set would mean a complete overhaul of how we play and jeopardise the amount of entrants into the league.
The current rule set played helps those starting off in the game as it provides a balance of attack and tactics.
What does Workington Pool League do for players of varying abilities?
What we emphasise is trying to ensure all players have the ability to complete for trophies at their level.
There are not only two leagues with promotion and relegation but we also introduced the handicap system for the knock out cup so all teams including the bottom of the B league have a chance to compete against the top of the A league with a frame head start.
Both A & B league have a singles and doubles competition and last year we introduced the inaugural Women’s singles championship. The ladies singles championship was created to encourage growth in the numbers from the ladies playing pool in the Workington area
Due to Covid measures in July 2020, the league teams could not return to competition so to keep within guide lines we created the singles league and adopted the social distancing measures provided by the EPA.
This singles league has now evolved into the Blackball rule set which allows those competing further afield the practice to compete in national tournaments.
You’re heavily involved in the Workington League but how many leagues are there around the county?
The majority of towns in the area have their own leagues such as Whitehaven, Egremont and Maryport and further afield which are played the majority of evenings.
Also as well as team leagues there are many private competitions for individuals showing the strength and call for the game in the area.
Just tell me about some of the very good players that the Workington League or the county has produced over the years?
There have been many players that have several titles over 30-plus years such as Peter Collins, Tut Irving, Neil Henderson and Garry Southern but one of the most decorated players of the rule set over the years has been Wayne King.
Not only has he won leagues and cups but multiple singles and doubles championships.
From a national perspective Kevin Kirkham has enjoyed television appearances and has turned down the opportunity to be a pro pool player in the IPA as he has moved over to the future of professional pool at Ultimate pool alongside Packhorse player Rob Sim.
Most games/sports do have a coaching set-up to help younger players. Is that happening in pool or is it something you think should be introduced?
Currently there is no coaching set up but it is a fantastic opportunity to address.
At the moment we are trying to provide extra competitions so people can gain extra match practice. If any young players who have an interest in playing cue sports there are many tutorials on YouTube to help understand stance, cue action and how to map out a clearance rather than just been a pub potter.
There’s significant money being offered in national competitions with Ultimate Pool offering £15k to the recent winner of a competition so it is worth those with potential to reach out to the Workington pool league Facebook page to find a team or where they could go and practice.
Some people consider pool a poor relation of snooker. What do you say to that and how many of your league players would you say play both games competitively?
I’ve played both games and snooker requires a greater level of ability and practice. You have to keep practicing at snooker, however a good local pool player can enjoy a few games a week and maintain a reasonable level.
Those that play the game fully appreciate the ability of snooker players and would certainly take no offence but top pool players show great inventiveness and skill that snooker players don’t get the ability to show so it’s not a given that if a snooker player played top level pool that they would win.
Currently at Ultimate Pool there are champion snookers players such as Mark Allen, Mark Williams and others who will play on the pool tour and even four-time snooker world champion Mark Selby plays in Ultimate pool showing the attraction there is for cueists to play multiple formats.
Locally however, due to the decline in snooker teams in the area we have noticed players that have stopped playing snooker competitively have started playing pool both in the Workington league and nationally to great success.
A large amount of current snooker players also play pool but would encourage those wanting to play snooker competitively to join a local team to help bolster numbers.
How much does your League and Cumbria rely on sponsorship and are you well supported?
We have fantastic league sponsor in JJ’s for the Workington league as well as Maryport Bodyworks and West Coast Thermal which helps boost the prize fund as there are several costs in running.
Sponsorship is more vital for the individual players who enter the national tour competitions as the costs can spiral with entry fees, travelling, hotels etc.
Luckily local businesses have helped these players and allowed them the opportunity to compete at the highest level without the financial burden.
If somebody left the Workington League a shedload of money how would you spend it for the advancement of your game?
As the committee we would have to see what all the eligible teams would wish the money to be spent on.
I would like to see an improvement on the tables we play on as some of the tables have seen better days and as mentioned earlier the opportunity to coach the future players.
Incidentally, if anyone wishes to join the Workington pool league then please enquire in your local pub or if you get in touch with the Workington pool Facebook page and we’ll be more than happy to advise.
