Hartlepool Snooker Centre was opened in February 2003, providing a top class snooker venue for the people of Hartlepool and its surrounding area.
Top class professionals such as Paul Hunter, Peter Ebdon and Jimmy White have appeared at the club, but it became apparant that it was not only the local league players that wanted this facility, but an ever increasing amount of younger players were taking up the sport.
At this time, John Hartley, an experienced coach in the Teesside area, decided to start the Junior Coaching section, starting with a small number of children on a Monday night. This has now escalated, and there are over 20 players receiving coaching and advice, with the newer players working on groups on Monday evenings, and the more advanced coaching taking place with the experienced players in one on one sessions.
The coaching covers all aspects of Snooker and Billiards, starting with Basic cue actions and stance, before moving up to Practice Routines and Break Building exercises.
The majority of the material used in coaching has been written and developed by John Hartley, and has proved successful in the fact that several of the top junior Billiards players in the country have received coaching from John over the past seven years. In 2007, Ryan Clark reached the National under 16 billiards final, giving John a record 6 years in a row of coaching one of the two finalists. In 2008, Ryan surpassed this achievement, by winning both the English Under 16 and Under 19 Billiards titles on the same day.
Information is available throughout this website on not only the coaching, but also the Blindcraft Junior Cue Sports League, which was set up in 2005.
If your interested in joining the Academy, then please email your details to me at hartlepoolsnookercentre@hotmail.com and we will be in touch.
Alternatively you can come along on a Monday or Tuesday night between 5pm and 6pm and ask for John, and he will give you details.