Snooker starlets cue up to play at record-breaker's academy

Snooker stars of the future have been cueing up to take part in a new Saturday morning academy at St Michael's Snooker Club, in Wakefield.
Anthony Hebblethwaite with the starlets at his new snooker academy.Anthony Hebblethwaite with the starlets at his new snooker academy.
Anthony Hebblethwaite with the starlets at his new snooker academy.

The academy is run by World Snooker coach Anthony Hebblethwaite, from Ossett, who has set himself the target of attracting more youngsters to the sport and the new weekend class is proving a big hit with those taking part.

He teamed-up with his brother Nathan to play non-stop for 76 hours in June 2014 to set a Guinness World Record and raise more than £1,000 for The Paul Hunter Foundation.

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This laid the platform for further work with the charity, which helps introduce youngsters of all backgrounds into cue sports.

Since then Hebblethwaite has introduced ‘Snooker into Schools’ at Ossett Academy and is still volunteering at World Snooker events throughout the UK.

The snooker academy at St Michael’s, where he played as a youngster, is the icing on the cake for Hebblethwaite, who said: “Saturdays at St Michael’s are busy.

“In total, I am now coaching 14 kids in two ability groups and I am looking to take at least three more youngsters into my beginners’ snooker class. We keep things simple for the new players and stick to my tailor-made booklets, which help them step by step, and each week there’s a £5 challenge that they seem to like.”

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Anyone interested in learning how to play snooker or requesting further information should contact Anthony Hebblethwaite on 07512338077, visit www.snookerclass.com or email [email protected].