By Elliott West
Introduction
Think of the country Austria and what normally comes to mind are castles and palaces built in the Habsburg reign, the composer Johann Strauss and the beautiful river Danube that flows through the country. However, dig deeper and you will find a long history of association with snooker. Austria had played its part in the snooker roadmap over the years, holding pro-amateur and professional tournaments with tournaments such as the Vienna Open, the Austrian Open in Wels and the European Open in Dornbirn.
For the purpose of this piece, I would like to explore some of these tournaments and show how they have helped fuel snooker in Europe. Austria is a country that is brimming with history and culture and snooker has formed a small part of the fascinating jigsaw puzzle makeup of this nation. Hidden amongst the historic streets, lie snooker clubs and players who have been enthused from watching the sport on Eurosport, encouraging them to pick up a snooker cue at their local snooker club and play.
The Magic of Austria
Alans’ Memories
Alan McManus recently wrote a snooker blog, entitled ‘Location, Location, Vocation’, in which he names his top 10 snooker locations, based on his 30 years in the sport. One of which is Gmunden where the Scot played in the European Matchroom League. Alan recalled his time in Austria, saying :
“This left-field inclusion may hold a surprisingly lofty position in these charts, but as you read on, it’ll become apparent why Gmunden is as far removed from Black Lace or Joe Dolci as it gets. Although I only played there once, in the European Matchroom League, it provides me with both vivid & memorable recollections. On the day I arrived there back in the early ’90s, I somehow or other contrived to spend the evening in a billiard club playing my maiden game of 3 cushion billiards (carom) with Steve Davis. You know one of those cosy places where a lemonade & lime doesn’t fit in with the local custom of a mass (stein) of beer? It would obviously have been the height of rudeness to renege on sampling some local libation. Anyway, a few hours of carom and a high break of two (yes 2) later, it seemed sensible to retreat to the hotel. The combination of beer and fresh air on the saunter back resulted in the inevitable symptom of late-night munchies taking a firm hold. Just opposite the main square from our digs, was a late-night deserted diner that looked the perfect post beer remedy. The only problem was a lack of local currency at the time (schillings). Whether or not we looked like trustworthy scruff I don’t know, but the guy spotted us a couple of pizzas and a few drinks on condition that we drop the money in the following afternoon (something that wouldn’t happen on your local high street). One of those places where the more senior locals spend the afternoon in the town square playing chess or boules gives you an idea of the easy-going vibe of the place. The next day’s match, unsurprisingly, felt a touch foggy in both body & mind. If you ever make it to Gmunden, be sure and replicate what was a red-letter day, in one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. Overall experience = 9 out of 10.”
The Vienna Open
Austria also holds a true gem in its snooker history with the annual holding of the Vienna Open. Held over many years, this tournament is a pro-amateur event and held at the 15 Reds Köö Wien Snooker Club. Since first being held in 2010, the tournament has produced winners such as Stephen Lee, Mark King, Peter Ebdon, David Grace, Michael Georgiou and Mark Joyce with Peter Ebdon and Mark King, having both won the event twice. A tournament that has a total prize fund of 10,000 Euros.
The Austrian Open
Held between 1992 and 2012, the Austrian Open was a pro-amateur tournament held in Wels, Austria and had victors such as Graeme Dott, Robin Hull, Mark King, Tom Ford, Ryan Day, Judd Trump and Mark Williams. An event that brought together many of the neighbouring countries to compete for this prestigious European title.
A Promising Start
Austria has started to produce some talented players. One such snooker player is Paul Schopf. Paul, who is a player and coach, has already competed at the Q School, pro-amateur tournaments and the Paul Hunter Classic. A snooker disciple, whose aim is to spread the gospel and growing game in Austria, this young player provides hope and encouragement for aspiring snooker players across Europe. Schopf commented on his venture, saying:
“When I started playing snooker in 2004, there were no coaches around and nobody in Austria took the game seriously, so I would like to be someone to help grow the game as a coach and player. I still love to compete in International Tournaments and I will compete in Q School 2019 and see how far I can get. My goal is to become one of the best playing coaches in the world and try to do both.”
Summary
Austria had been an integral part of building snooker as a major sport in Europe. Of course, this will be a slow process and the pandemic hasn’t helped matters. However, this country continually acts as a building block for the expansion of the sport and often produces shoots of promise with its various tournaments over the years. A vital link in the snooker legacy and one that will inevitably continue to grow in the future.
