By Elliott West
“Follow your dreams and believe them. The world is yours to have. Just do as Nike says”
Levi’s words of wisdom
Introduction
Snooker has been deep rooted in Canada for many years with home grown players such as Bob Chaperon, Alain Robidoux, Kirk Stevens, Cliff Thorburn and Bill Werbenuik all being able to shine on the main stage. Sadly since those heady days of the 1970s and 80s, general interest in Canada has declined with no further professional players being mooted. However out of the shadows, has emerged a player that plenty of skill and potential. His name is of course, Levi Meiller.
Levi’s Background
Levi Meiller is a natural, having first picked up a snooker cue at the age of 14. By the age of 15, he had developed an all-round game and was taken under the wing of Cliff Thorburn, Kirk Stevens and Gary Baldrey for coaching sessions. As a result, he decided to attempt the tumultuous road to becoming a professional player. Using Stroker’s Billiard’s in London, Ontario as his base, Meiller can often be found here, practising here 4-6 hours a day and also flits in and out of Corner Bank Sports Bar and Grill in Scarborough, Steel City Billiards in Hamilton and a private table in the basement of the home of Mike Millar.
Since turning professional in Canada, Meiller has taken part in many tournaments including the World Senior Snooker Tour and the Pan/Am Tournament in Texas. He has a number of titles under his belt including being three times Ontario snooker champion, three times Junior Canadian Snooker Champion, a semi-finalist in the Men’s Ontario Snooker Championship and was ranked in the top 128 on the 2001/2 Pro Tour and was ranked 46th on the 2018/19 World Seniors Snooker Tour. He also holds records of making his first century (111) within six months of first playing, successfully completing 14 centuries in one day and made his first 147 break within two years of picking up a cue.
After a 15 year absence from snooker, Levi decided to return to the sport and make it a career. Travelling to Sheffield in 2019, he spent some time practising and being coached at the Star Snooker Academy in order to take part in the Q School that year. As a result, he lost in round 1 to Alex Millington, 4-3, Aaron Hill, 4-0 and Daegyu Lee, 4-1. This effort was made possible by a fundraiser organised Steel City Billiards in Hamilton.
Away from the snooker table, Meiller is a family man, liking to spend time with his parents or his dog. He also loves writing poetry, playing darts and golf. A lover of good food and having a beer with his friends. Although serious on the green baize, in his home environment, Levi is funny, loyal, honest, caring and described by his friends as “goofy”. A seasoned snooker player who still has the potential to be the first of many Canadian players to start a new snooker revolution in their homeland and globally.
