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My name is Mike Gillespie, and I’d like to welcome you to my Snooker Workshop. This workshop is to help players improve their game and hopefully enjoy their snooker more.

 

I started playing snooker on a full sized table, at the age of 16. When my father took me to the club he regularly attended at the weekends. Due to me being under age, I was told to sit quietly in the corner and drink my soft drink. On one occasion when a table was empty, I cheekily picked up a cue from the rack and addressed the cue ball to pot a blue into the furthest corner pocket. Boom, down it went and although I was spotted by players on the other table including my father. I could see my father’s face showing dissatisfaction. Before he could tell me off, one of the other players, so impressed with my shot, suggested I start playing every weekend I came in. This became accepted as long as no one was in the club who would complain about an underage person playing on the table, such were the restrictions of the time.

 

Even though I rarely got a game, I’d knocked in my first big break of 67 when I was 17. I became hooked and began practicing in my bedroom with marbles, a dowel stick and a Subbuteo goal mouth. When I became 18, I joined the same club team as my father, winning the local league at our first attempt and getting to the doubles final in the same year, narrowly losing on a black ball. Although having the semi and final on the same night as my father’s birthday, didn’t help as my father had celebrated his birthday rather more than playing the match. I became one of the best players in that league and proved my ability by compiling eleven breaks over 50 in one season. At the time it was rare anyone got a 50 plus break in the league. Still, a fantastic achievement even in today's amateur matches.

 

In 1985, I sustained an injury at work that would eventually cause me to lose my left eye. After the operation removing my left eye in 1986, I had to re-learn how to play snooker again. At the time, such things as snooker coaching or coaching aids, were not available. So table time was the only way to learn, which I did four times a week. By this time, I’d joined teams in Hull, and started developing my game with much better players. I moved up the ranking pretty quickly producing the highest break that season in my third ever match of 72. After five matches I was moved to a scratch handicap which at that time, I became the ninth scratch player in Hull. This was another great achievement and big stepping stone as players should be re-handicapped after six matches.

 

Unfortunately I was in a serious car crash six months after losing my left eye. This would cause dramatic damage to my only remaining eye. Although my game was rapidly improving, this would be short lived as the damage to my right eye would eventually catch up with me. The damage would eventually cause a cataract, causing double vision, and an astigmatism which developed from the impact of the accident. Sadly I struggled to see for 25 years due to the trauma of the accident. But before my vision deteriorated, I had produced over 200 breaks above 90 but only one century break. The best chance of a 147 came when I knocked in a 97 break, missing an easy black. Although since my operation, I have compiled more big breaks including a number of century breaks.

 

In 2016, my vision had become so bad; I was finally supported to have a lens extraction. This was a difficult and serious operation due to me only having my right eye. My vision became so bad, I couldn’t even judge doorway thresholds and colours blinded me. After the operation, I could see things I’d not seen for over 25 years. Once I recovered, I wondered if I could play snooker again to a similar ability as I did as a youth.

 

In 2017, I entered the World Disabled Billiards and Snooker tournament in Derby, in the visually impaired classification. This was named the Paul Hunter WDBS tournament. I arrived as an unknown, only to complete against some terrific opponents in a long weekend of play. I was fortunate enough to walk away with the winner’s medal after losing the first frame in the final against an ex professional player. I have since played in a further seven finals in the WDBS, winning three titles, and have met some fantastic people and a great organisation.

 

I have a lot to thank the WDBS organisation for as they had enough confidence to support me for my WPBSA Coaching Qualification. As you can imagine my snooker had previously been cut short due to my sight issues, but I owe great deal of thanks to the WDBS organisation and Tradewell Snooker Club in Hull, for their continued help and support, in encouraging me to continue playing this fantastic sport.