EVER wondered what a sport combining snooker and pool would be like? Well Jacobstow’s Lenios Demetriou has just the answer after the public release of his new game ‘Snoopool’ at Crackington Snooker Club on Tuesday, December 4.

Snoopool is played on a full-size snooker table with one player having to pot seven red balls and then the black ball while his opponent has to pot seven colour balls; yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and two specially designed ‘Snoopool’ balls, amethyst and graphite before potting the black ball.

Lenios, who is the founder of Snoopool Limited, said: “This game was born by combining the games of snooker and pool, thereby creating a game that is not as difficult or complicated as snooker but a fun and exciting game that is more technically challenging than pool.”

But how did Snoopool come into existence?

Lenios said: “It all started off as a fun idea I had to get my friend Tony Smith to come and play snooker with me. Tony said he didn’t play snooker, so I created this game that I now call Snoopool, so he could come and play with me. I kept this all quiet whilst I was protecting the game (legal stuff etc.) and we had so much fun playing this new game I then involved family and close friends.

“I thought it would be a good business opportunity and touch wood I haven’t had one bad comment.”

Lenios, who has been supported by Crackington Snooker Club chairman Barry Bird in the arranging of the event and the inaugural Snoopool Club Trophy competition which will be held on January 8 and 9, thanked everyone for a brilliant opening.

He said: “Because of work commitments we delayed the start a bit to allow for people to arrive for the introduction. I bought everyone a drink and laid on some food and I was really pleased with how it turned out and the reaction.

“People were given time to read the rules, there were a few photos and then I started the intro as to the rules and took some questions. We then opened up the tables.

“It was a really successful evening, everybody embraced the game and loved the idea and they asked me plenty of questions.

“They played until 12.45am which was fantastic, and it was brilliant for the club as I believe they signed on seven new members on the back of Snoopool.

“In total we had just over 40 people turn up. It was a horrible rainy night, so I’d like to thank them all for making the effort and taking the time. Everyone came up to me to say thank you as they said goodbye at the end of the evening.”

With the Snoopool Club Trophy competition starting next week, Lenios is already excited to see what happens.

He said: “I’ve got six very good players who are very interested and who have all won county titles (in snooker or pool) and everyone wants to enter so I’m really looking forward to that. Because I created Snoopool in Jacobstow and developed the game in Crackington Snooker Club, I wanted the first Snoopool competition to be in Crackington. I’m very excited to see how many people will enter. Everyone took away entry forms and it’s open to the public. We should have over 16 entrants. We have two wonderful glass trophies which I designed and were made by Jo Downs Handmade Glass in Launceston.

“The Snoopool Club Trophy will be engraved with the winner’s name but retained by Snoopool Limited and a smaller but equally beautiful trophy will be given for that person to keep and take home.

“My long-term plan is to arrange and hold a total of 16 regional Snoopool Club Trophy competitions up and down the country culminating in a champions tournament for the Snoopool Champions Trophy with a much larger cash prize.”

But what are the main rules?

Lenios explains: “While it is a game similar to pool, Snoopool has its own set of rules: to start the game there’s a toss of a coin, the winner of the toss gets to choose whether to play for the reds or the colours. Also, the winner of the toss can choose to break off first or let the opponent break first. There are tactical issues in play whether you break off first or not. When you break off you have to hit your choice colour/red ball and one ball from the pack which can be a red or colour must hit the cushion.

“There is also something called an ‘intentional foul’ which you announce to the referee/opponent before you play the shot. It’s just the quirkiness of the challenge.

“There are a number of interesting rules, such as rule 17. This is the ‘timewasting rule’ designed to keep a game flowing and not stalling. It works for Snoopool and I believe a similar rule could possibly be introduced to snooker and go towards solving the current snooker problem regarding timewasting issues with some players.”

Full Snoopool rules can be obtained from the Snoopool website www.snoopool.com

Looking forward, Lenios believes the game can really kick-off.

He said: “Some snooker clubs up and down the country are struggling for membership, so we want to market Snoopool especially to young people to encourage them to come to their local club. Snooker can be daunting and complicated and difficult for youngsters to learn. Snoopool is so much easier but still uses snooker techniques so Snoopool could be a potential stepping stone to snooker. With that in mind I have suggested to the chairman (Barry Bird) that we could approach our local schools with a view to offering Snoopool sessions to the students. This is of interest to him and is in the pipeline for the future.”

While a frame of pool played on a standard British pool table (which is usually 7’ by 4’) takes ten minutes or less, playing a frame of snooker on a full-sized table, (which is 12’ by 6’) for average players can take well over 45 minutes.

Lenios continued: “With Snoopool, if you’re very good you could complete a frame in as little as 10 minutes or less but if you’re a normal player like myself it usually takes about 15/20 minutes. With £1 you get half an hour lights at the club, so you could possibly play two games for that £1. It costs more to play a frame of snooker.

Lenios concluded by praising the club and thanking everyone who came to the introduction evening and also a special thanks to the local businesses who have sponsored the competition.

He said: “Barry has helped me so much, I can’t thank that man enough, he did everything to make it possible. The club committee worked extremely hard to make it all happen. They’re one of the best clubs in Cornwall and the tables are top quality.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming and making it such a successful evening. I’m very grateful that people took the time to turn up and enjoy it. It was fantastic for me to sit back and watch them play and enjoy my game.”

If the sport can reach the popularity afforded to pool and snooker, Lenios will have even more of a reason to smile.

Snoopool can be followed on social media either Facebook and Instagram: #snoopoolballs.