SNOOKER or pool game has gained momentum in communities around the east Malaita region, at the moment.
During a visit by Star Sports to the area last week saw the game being played by most youths as well as kids as little as six years of age.
One of the places that was obsessed with the game was the youths and kids of Kwai/Ngongosila Island.
They started off with home-made snooker tables with some marbles bought from Auki. With the Islands rich in the number of unschooled carpenters, making the snooker tables using nets, nails, PVC pipes, and other materials in the village is not an issue.
In an interview, youths of Kwai Island said the game was introduced to them by some of the boys who have returned from Honiara in the beginning of this year.
“We were being taught the rules of the game and it was easy to play. We have played it on mobile phones before, so introducing the game to us is not something new.
“The boys in the village collected whatever materials that we can use to create a home-made table and cue stick plus marbles. Now, we are so obsessed with the game, just to kill time,” Toramo Haro told Star Sports.
They also made bets when playing the game, to make it more interesting and time killing.
Snooker, generally regarded as having been invented in India by British Army officers, is popular in many of the English-speaking and Commonwealth countries, with top professional players attaining multi-million-pound career earnings from the game.
Touring professional players compete regularly around the world, the premier tournament being the World Snooker Championship, held annually in Sheffield, England.
For the youths and kids of Kwai/Ngongosila, playing the game professionally using the original materials is what they have been dreaming of.
By RONALD TOITO’ONA
In Auki
