By Elliott West
Introduction
Snooker always craves new talent and revels in the news when a new and talented player breaks into the sport. The latest and most exciting example has to be the rising star from Cork, Leone Crowley. Crowley, now only 14, has already excelled in snooker, receiving a high level of praise from his local school, Scoil Oilibhéir and the local and national media. Unlike most teenagers who would immerse themselves in social media or the latest computer game, Leone had put his heart and soul into a game that he is naturally gifted to play and reaped the fruits of his labour.
A Burning Hunger for Success
Leone Crowley had been playing snooker since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. A number one seed in the Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 national rankings, Crowley has already won numerous Cork, Munster and National titles in all categories and age ranges under the age of 18 and has also been crowned as the Under-16 champion when he was only 12 years old! A remarkable achievement for a boy so young, in a sport that few can play to a high and consistent standard.
In 2018, Leone represented Ireland in the World under-16 home nations international snooker tournament in Russia and reached the last 16 in a competition of over 70 players. He was also a guest of Ken Doherty for the 2018 World Championship, where he played a demonstration frame of snooker against the former World Champion and won.
A super young man, Crowley practices extremely hard and has already won two national Republic of Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association (RIBSA) titles. A child prodigy from the age of 11, Leone has been dubbed with the nickname ‘Lightning Leone’ and also reached the last 32 stages of the 2019 Irish Amateur Championship, defeating Richard O’Sullivan 4-2 before losing to Robert Murphy 4-0.
His latest achievement is becoming the Under-18 National champion earlier this month. Held at Newbridge CYMS in County Kildare, this tournament was played in a knockout format of the best of five frames throughout. Attracting the most talented junior players, the event had some very close snooker matches and in the final, Leone played Alex Currid. Alex took a two-frame lead including a black ball finish in the second frame before Crowley made a marvellous comeback, winning three frames in a row including two frame winning half-century breaks
Summary
Leone Crowley is definitely on the rise in snooker and won’t be long before he follows in the footsteps of Aaron Hill and joins the professional tour. An exciting player to watch, Leone plays a very mature game and is so well polished for someone so young. The name Leone derives from the Greek word for lion, a name that has become popular in France, Ireland and Spain over the years and boy can this lad roar! An exciting prospect for the future of snooker, Leone is tipped for the top and is already planting the seeds for future triumphs.
