Ken Doherty

I think they started investing when Ding Zhongwei came along.

I mean, it was always popular in China.

But then when they had some of their own players and Ding Zhongwei was sort of the pioneer...

at a very young age as well when they saw him and the interest and the young kids that were playing they start investing in academies investing in the players and coaching and everything and like putting snooker tables into schools using it as an alternative sport like if you wanted to play so yeah there was a huge investment and we're seeing the fruits of that like we saw it with Ding Jun Wei but we're seeing the fruits of it now like you know but yeah

primarily because of a big investment from the CPSA which is trying to build this new association and also the government you know right very interesting where's the game here Ken in terms of the next Ken Doherty we could do with you know that investment you know we don't have it you know we haven't had a lot of help from the government yes the national lottery sort of has given our association some money and set up academy and they have a good structure but we could do with a lot more help you know so

particularly for, even for people who have snooker clubs and stuff like that, you know, the rates and, you know, snooker tables, the prices, you know, trying to keep, you know, snooker tables take up a lot of space.

So, yeah,

unless you're getting some sort of help, it's very, very difficult to keep them going.

You know, like in Renla, we had three snooker clubs there at one time.

You know, we don't have any now.

One is a Lidl.

One is a Super Value.

And the other one is gone.

I don't know what it is now, a restaurant or something like that.

But yeah, and that's happening all over the country.

So yeah, you would like to see

some more spring up and try and find some new and younger players and give them a chance, you know, but it's going to be difficult.

we would have discovered it and so is it just there may be talented guys out there and girls out there they're just not being exposed to it that's the issue without a shadow of a doubt yeah without a shadow of a doubt yeah and it's not like there may be one in Salbridge but where's the nearest one to Salbridge they used to be they used to be one in Lucan yeah that's gone as well Raphael's that was a great club as well but yeah

the nearest one to Selbridge I don't know where the nearest one to Selbridge is so that's the problem you know that you don't have it on hand as much as you would have done like when I was growing up you know I mean I used to go into town like you know and have the Cosmo the Home of Billiards the Pierrot all within like a couple of hundred yards of each other you know so you go into one to play

you know, best of three for a fiver.