by elliott west
Dylan Smith is not a widely recognised name outside the social circles of snooker but within the snooker clubs and social media sites, his name is one that resonates. The 11 year old rising star from Kent is following in the footsteps of another leading light Ben Sizer, a multiple Kent champion. Dylan from Tunbridge Wells, embarked on a tour of junior events last year and managed to come runner up. Very impressive for a competition that is open to any player up to the age of 21. Smith has made a great start, compiling a highest break of 30 and has competed against snooker greats such as Jimmy White and Mark King. Dylan has also spent time at the Crucible and the Star Academy in Sheffield and has been able to practice on a professional Star/Strachan table thanks to a generous donation by John Higgins and has been working with my friend Alan Trigg to improve his game. Trigg has praised Smith saying “Having coached thousands of juniors and hundreds of professional players alike over the past 45 years, I can say that with the correct motivation and hard work, Dylan will become a top player in the world”.
Dylan has become a star overnight, starring in a film about the Victoria Club in town and was even supplied with a three-piece suit free of charge for the part. He has his own Twitter account and posts regular tweets and video footage of his progress in the sport. Having played Jimmy White, Dylan has adopted the same attacking style of play; splitting the reds in any game at the earliest opportunity and is often pictured next to other professional players to champion and promote his cause. Having watched much of his social media footage, this boy really does blast the baize and has an amazing clearance speed, a player who would never wind down any shot clock in a match. Cue makers and sponsors are literally queuing up, pardon the pun, to work with and promote this young lad and his trophy cabinet is expanding by the week.
Players such Dylan are cherished in our sport and should always be championed. They don’t come along very often and when they do, their rise is explosive, capturing the eye of worldwide audiences, pundits and players. Snooker is not a sport for the faint hearted and there are often highs and lows to this career as an amateur or professional. One minute you may be on a winning streak with exceptional form and on another day you won’t be able to string a break together and miss balls that you would never miss in a practice session. All players have experienced these sporting mind games and only experience can help someone cope with the mental anguish that the sport can cause.
China currently has the upper hand on the progress and development of the sport, developing many players at an early age and so the youth such as Dylan Smith really are a a blessing for snooker. I hope in the coming years we are able to heavily invest in the amateur game as we did in the past. Because only when we do this will the abundance of youth talent appear in snooker clubs and eventually migrate to the professional tour. Dylan Smith we praise you and may many more men and women with your talent come into the snooker world!
