If you're choosing a new set of snooker balls, two names come up a lot: Aramith 1G and Dynaspheres. Both are Belgian brands and both make phenolic resin balls. They're aimed at different priorities, though, so here's how they compare. Aramith 1G: The Tournament Standard Aramith has supplied Tournament Champion balls to the professional game for over 40 years. The 1G set looks like a standard Tournament Champion set, but it's built to a tighter spec. A standard Tournament Cham

Search "Maximus Cues" and you won't find a workshop website with a founder's story on it — you'll find the brand's cues stocked by specialist retailers across the UK, and its name attached to two of the biggest events in women's snooker. That's the pattern with several of Thailand's cue makers: the profile is built through who plays the cues and who stocks them, rather than through a polished maker's-own website. Maximus is one of the country's most established names in that

Most cue makers who supply top players learned the trade at a lathe. Sunny Akani learned it at the table. Akani Songsermsawad started playing snooker at eight, turned professional in 2015, and still competes on the tour while running a cue-making business from Bangkok. That combination is the heart of his pitch: he builds cues the way a player thinks about them, and he has been noticed at the very top of the game. One British tabloid, in coverage quoted on his own site, credi

When Mark Selby lifted the World Championship trophy for the second time in May 2016, the cue in his hands needed work before he could pick it up again. The ferrule had worn down from years of use, the shaft showed the marks of a title-winning run, and the people who fixed it were the same family who'd built the cue for him a decade earlier: Stamford Cuemakers, working out of a small Lincolnshire workshop that most of the sport has never heard of. That's the pattern with the

Welcome to the latest issue of the Snooker247 Newsletter! Sent out to our subscribers on September 24. In this edition, we cover the most exciting moments from recent matches, behind-the-scenes updates, and upcoming tournaments you won't want to miss. 🎯 Snooker News September 24: 🌪️ Jimmy White, 64, Rolls Back the Years in Leicester 🤝 Mark Allen's Absence From the Tour Continues 🌍 Around the World: Shenzhen Open Preview, Irish Women's Open, US League Returns & European Di

When most players think about upgrading their cue, a handful of names dominate the conversation — Peradon, John Parris, the bigger production houses that supply pro shops and sponsor televised events. But snooker has always had a quieter, more personal tradition running alongside the major brands: the independent snooker cue maker, working alone or in a small team, turning out cues one at a time rather than by the thousand. These smaller outfits rarely have the marketing budg

Robin Cook runs Robin Cues from Carlby, a small village near Stamford in Lincolnshire, England — and despite operating well outside the spotlight enjoyed by some of the bigger-name English cue makers, he's built one of the most loyal followings of any independent snooker cue maker. Cook has been making, repairing and altering snooker, billiards and pool cues for over 30 years, working entirely to individual customer specification from carefully selected timbers. What Players

While the UK dominates the world of independent snooker cue making, Kevin De Roo has built a strong reputation from the other side of the Atlantic, working out of Vancouver, Canada under the Deroo Cues name. He's frequently recommended in cue-sports forums as one of the go-to names for players outside the UK looking for genuinely handmade, professional-quality snooker cues — with a client base that reportedly extends across Asia as well as North America. What Sets Deroo Cues

Mike Wooldridge is one of the most talked-about independent snooker cue makers in the UK, operating out of his workshop and selling under the HandMadeCues banner. His cues are built entirely to order, using ash shafts as standard — Wooldridge has been vocal about preferring ash over maple for the feel it gives players, though maple is available on request through his custom design process. The Cue Range Wooldridge's catalogue runs across several named lines, each aimed at a d

Walk into most snooker clubs and you'll see racks of cues that all came from the same handful of factories. But look closely at the cue in a top player's hand, or ask a serious league player where theirs came from, and you'll usually get a name, not a brand. Someone in a workshop. Someone who spliced that shaft by hand. That's the part of snooker that doesn't show up on a scoreboard: an almost entirely private, word-of-mouth craft, kept alive by a genuinely small number of pe

Welcome to the latest issue of the Snooker247 Newsletter! Sent out to our subscribers on September 17. In this edition, we cover the most exciting moments from recent matches, behind-the-scenes updates, and upcoming tournaments you won't want to miss. 🎯 Snooker News September 17: 🏆 Ali Carter, 47, Wins Emotional English Open Title 😱 World No.1 Zhao Falls to Lines in Round One Shock 🌍 Around the World: Zhao's UK Struggles, Bai Yulu's Hat-Trick, US Nationals & European Cham

Welcome to the latest issue of the Snooker247 Newsletter! Sent out to our subscribers on September 10. In this edition, we cover the most exciting moments from recent matches, behind-the-scenes updates, and upcoming tournaments you won't want to miss. 🎯 Snooker News September 10: 🏆 Jak Jones Stuns Selby to Win British Open 🎱 Highfield's Maiden 147 Sparks Run to Semi-Finals 🌍 Around the World: Zhao Stuns Trump, Evans' 13th UK Title, Pan Am Champs Wrap & English Open Jak Jo

If you’ve ever watched a snooker match and thought, "I want to try that," you’re in the right place. Snooker is a fantastic game that combines skill, strategy, and a bit of patience. It might seem complicated at first, but with the right approach, anyone can learn to play and enjoy it. I’m here to guide you through the snooker basics for beginners, sharing tips and insights that will help you get started confidently. Understanding Snooker Basics for Beginners Before you pick

elcome to the latest issue of the Snooker247 Newsletter! Sent out to our subscribers on September 3. In this edition, we cover the most exciting moments from recent matches, behind-the-scenes updates, and upcoming tournaments you won't want to miss. 🎯 Snooker News September 3: 🚑 O'Sullivan Withdraws From British Open 😱 Williams Whitewashed as Wu Sets Up Wilson Showdown 🌍 Around the World: Chinese Contingent in Cheltenham, UK Women's Championship, Pan Am Champs & Home Nati

Welcome to the latest issue of the Snooker247 Newsletter! Sent out to our subscribers on August 27. In this edition, we cover the most exciting moments from recent matches, behind-the-scenes updates, and upcoming tournaments you won't want to miss. 🎯 Snooker News August 27: 🏆 Trump's Perfect Start Keeps World No.1 Hopes Alive 😱 World Champion Wu Stunned by Latvian Debutant Zizins 🌍 Around the World: Xiao's Wuhan Hat-Trick Bid, UK Women's Championship, Pan Am Champs & Pola

With the China Open drawing to a close in Taiyuan, snooker fans barely get time to catch their breath before the tour rolls straight into its next stop: the 2026 Wuhan Open, running from 23–29 August. It's the third ranking event of the 2026–27 season. After a China Open packed with early shocks, the field heading into Wuhan looks wide open. So, who's actually in the frame to lift the trophy? The Form Players to Watch Anyone assessing the Wuhan draw has to start with the play

Snooker looks complicated the first time you watch it. Seventeen colored balls, a green baize table the size of a small room, and players who seem to be doing complex math in their heads before every shot. But once you understand a handful of core rules, snooker becomes one of the most satisfying sports to watch — and to play. This guide breaks down everything a total beginner needs to know: the equipment, the object of the game, how scoring works, and the basic rules that go

The China Open is back on the World Snooker Tour calendar for the first time since 2019, and it hasn't taken long for the tournament to live up to the drama fans have missed. Running from 8–16 August at the Riverside Sports Centre in Taiyuan, the event carries a total prize fund of £1.2 million, with £250,000 going to the eventual winner — a payday that has drawn snooker's biggest names, including Ronnie O'Sullivan and defending champion Neil Robertson, back to Chinese soil.

If you've spent any time around a snooker table, you've probably held a Peradon without even realising it. Founded in 1885, Peradon is the oldest cue manufacturer in the world. Their cues are a staple in clubs, pub leagues, and pro players' collections alike. This guide breaks down who they are, what they make, and which range suits your game and budget. A Quick History of Peradon Peradon has been hand-crafting cues from their factory in Liverpool since 1885. They were the fi

Stepping up from a house cue to your own is one of the best upgrades a club or pub league player can make — and you don't need to spend a fortune to feel the difference. This guide walks through the best snooker cues under £200. What £200 Gets You At this price point, you're typically looking at solid ash cues from established manufacturers — brands like Peradon, Riley/BCE, and John Parris all make well-regarded cues in this range. You won't get hand-spliced joints or premium