EIGHT BALL: Peter Peawkumdee couldn’t get into the pubs until he was 18, but when he did he quickly fell in love with the sport of snooker.
“I played snooker down south at Coffs Harbour and when I moved to Mackay five years ago I wanted to keep playing,” he said.
“But no-one plays snooker here.
“So I took up eight ball.”
Peawkumdee, 30, is now a member of the newly-formed Pioneer Eight Ball Association.
He is proud to be the club’s first open representative in a CQ team.
Together with president Bob Menzies, who will represent the club in the masters division, he will play off against 15 players from throughout the state, in Brisbane on August 30-31 for the right to represent Queensland in the national titles in Darwin on October 12-23.
Peawkumdee said while eight ball didn’t require the fitness of football, it involved a great deal of skill and practice.
“It’s very mental, you have to be patient and calm,” he said. “You have to practice and put a lot of hours in at the table.”
Menzies said Peawkumdee had improved rapidly through attending competitions in Townsville and Hervey Bay.
“I’ll be competing in the masters division,” he said.
“Peter has proven that he’s the master and I’m the apprentice.”
Menzies’ interest in eight ball started when he was duty manager of the Mount Pleasant Tavern in the 90s.
“That was where I really fell in love with the game,” he said.
Established this year, the fledgling club plays on Mondays and Tuesdays at the Golden Gecko Hotel.