Snooker is thriving in Estcourt
"This awesome game called snooker teaches you how to be competitive on another level"
The game of snooker is alive and thriving in Estcourt. 60 members of the Lord Allenby Shellhole Snooker Club ensure this by practicing regularly and representing the town at competitions in KwaZulu-Natal.
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One of these members is Hansie Moolman (53), who has been playing competitively for the past eight years.
Mr Moolman was born and raised in Estcourt. He completed his schooling career at Drakensview Primary and Estcourt High schools.
After a stint in the military for two years, he qualified and worked as an electrician. He is currently a senior supervisor for Eskom at its Nottingham Road centre.
Mr Moolman says he was first exposed to snooker in 1988, but only started playing league games when he joined the Ladysmith Snooker League in 2012.
Since then, he has participated in league competitions against teams from Durban, Dundee, Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith.
The Lord Allenby Shellhole Snooker Club’s annual competition is also a highlight of the year.
“We play our annual club competition, which usually starts round about July and runs all the way up to December. The format used in this competition is singles and doubles. The snooker club is trying to send a team to the SA Snooker Tournament that takes place in September this year, if the club meets all the criteria,” explains Mr Moolman.
Personally, he feels that snooker is a game that requires skill and concentration.
“This awesome game called snooker teaches you how to be competitive on another level and at the end of the day, snooker ends up being the winner. Some highlights of my snooker career are definitely winning the Club Champs Snooker Singles on three different occasions and then also beating some very good players who have played top-class snooker,” he relates.
When asked about his favourite format of the game, he says, “Playing singles is up there, as you can only disappoint yourself at the end. The club also has a ‘snooker ladder’ and we are all fighting to be the number one player at the club. Currently, our top player is Shane Janse van Vuuren.”
If you’re contemplating trying your hand at snooker, Mr Moolman has some advice.
“Try to start playing from a very young age, like former world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who started playing snooker when he was seven years old and won his first UK Championship at the age of 18. Then, learn your stance. Having a smooth cue action definitely works. Most importantly, control the white ball and you control the game.”
When Mr Moolman is not playing snooker, he enjoys hunting, deep sea fishing and occasional social golf.
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