by elliott west
I have been watching snooker for over thirty years and have seen many players come and go but in recent times one of the most exciting players that I have been lucky enough to meet and watch is Kurt Maflin.
Maflin is London born but now considers Norway his home and lives there with his wife Anita and family. Kurt is a person who took to snooker like a duck to water and has compiled more than 170 century breaks during his career and is among 25 players to have made multiple 147 breaks in professional competition.
Maflin comes from the Jimmy White mould, an attacking player who is never afraid to go for that daring shot and oozes with flair and natural talent. In fact Jimmy White is a family friend and was at the wedding when he married Anita Rizzuti in 2013. Maflin is a multiple Norwegian amateur champion and has also won the World Amateur Championship.
I don’t often anoint a player as a future champion but I will make an exception for Kurt. If ever anyone wanted to be enthused by this sport then watch this gifted talent play. He goes into the pack at the earliest opportunity and is a superb break builder.
Like Stephen Maguire he crafts his break by playing a game that is aggressive yet a guilty pleasure to watch. Having only seen him play on television, until recently I had the pleasure to watch Kurt play live at the UK Championship in York and what a run he had. In the end he was narrowly beaten by Mark Allen but his talent was clearly apparent for all those there. Any person who can control the cue ball to develop shots is for me a master of what is an extremely difficult cue sport to play.
Maflin can be nailed to the baulk cushion but can pot a divine red with ease and quickly create a century from nothing. Few players can do this and that is why I strongly believe that this adopted Norwegian will soon be on course for a string of titles. Watch this space and remember the name Kurt Maflin!
