SNOOKER sensation Archie Greier may have just won a title in emphatic fashion, but he is just getting started.
It has been an intriguing journey for the Island’s most promising prospect with the cue, and now, at 12 years-of-age, his momentum is hard to ignore.
When, aged seven, he asked his parents to show him a snooker table, no one could have predicted just how far he would go.
Something clicked with Greier in that moment, and he began taking weekly pool lessons.
After just over year, his coach, Clayton Coates, declared there was nothing left for him to learn, and suggested he try his hand at snooker.
He was put in touch with Jersey’s leading cueist and World Senior Snooker champion Aaron Canavan, who encouraged the youngster to look further afield and compete against talent in the UK.
Greier took the advice on and ran with it, going on to routinely excel in regional competitions across the south of England and make his mark in the snooker world.
It has become a frequent occurrence for the young star to beat players more than twice his age. For instance, he won his first Cuestars U21 Bronze Tour title at just nine years old – not bad for a player who had to stand on his tiptoes.
In the space of just a few years, Greier has proved his worth to skyrocket all the way to Gold, racking up several titles along the way against top talent.
With his desire to keep pushing the boundaries, momentum is only gathering and, with the new season now getting underway, everything is coming into place at the right time.
Just look at his recent victory in the inaugural Channel Islands Snooker 900 tournament at the Jersey Mechanics Institute last weekend. He may have just scraped through the group stage by a point, but he displayed great resilience to come back firing on all cylinders when it mattered most in the knock-out rounds.
That sensational triumph booked him a spot in next month’s Snooker 900 TV Qualifiers, where they will be competing for a chance to compete under the bright lights of Reading’s LiberWin Arena on the Snooker 900 TV circuit, following in the footsteps of some of the sport’s all-time greats.
The likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson and Jimmy White have graced the tables there – and Archie Greier could very well be next.
“I don’t know whether this is the best I’ve been, but I feel that I really am improving,” said the prodigy. “When my opponent leaves me on the table, I now feel like I can actually make a sizeable break off it, compared to the 20/30 breaks I was hitting before.
“All the progress I’ve made has just been down to practice, especially in break-building – you have to think multiple shots ahead.”
Greier has been hard at training during the break in competition, practicing “every day” to stay fresh on the table.
You cannot really talk about Greier’s training without the mention of Canavan, as the World Senior Snooker champion has had a big influence on his career. That impact has been a huge positive, as the Greier family all noted they are “lucky” to have him in their corner.
“We don’t really go over too much of the technical stuff – we’re more bothered about the match-play situations, like how and when to play the right shots,” Greier continued.
“The mental side is also really important – just as much as potting the ball I’d say. When I’m on the table, I just focus on nothing else apart from what’s in front of me.”
He may now be established as a very promising young talent on the national circuit, but this year really is a transformative one for Greier, as he has decided to take the step up and challenge himself even more.
Rather than enter all the U21 Gold Cuestars regional events, Greier will now look to compete mostly in national events around the country, primarily run by EPSB.
The first one of Greier’s season saw him travel to Leeds, where he competed amongst a stacked field of over 60 of the country’s brightest prospects in what was the “biggest tournament” he had ever entered.
There, he narrowly missed out on the knock-outs with two wins and two losses, but he proved that he really is a force to be reckoned with at this level.
Greier really is not easing his way in, currently in the midst of a busy month which is seeing him compete in three consecutive weekends.
The immensely busy schedule is not getting to Greier though, as he added: “I don’t really like to think too far ahead, I just take it one competition at a time. Juggling school isn’t too bad either, they’ve been so understanding at Le Rocquier and, as long as I do what the teachers say, I’m good.
“Obviously, I have the big dreams everyone else gets of becoming a professional and being crowned world champion, but I’m just going to take it one step at a time and see how far I can go.”
Archie Greier would like to thank Jersey Sport and their Performance Sport Programme, as well as sponsors Le Gallais & Luce and The Summit Group, for all their support.
