11-year-old makes 137 break
ON THE day he was given an “A minus, could do better” by his snooker coach, Hampshire’s Shane Castle responded with a monster 137 break.
It was just hours after World Snooker coach Dave Mumford’s verdict appeared in the Southern Daily Echo that the youngster from Marchwood fired in his eighth and highest century in tournament play.
Castle’s break came in a shock 3-2 victory over Ben Harrison in the round-robin group stages of the EASB Premier Junior Tour in Romford.
Harrison, from Westbury in Wiltshire, was the EASB national under-19 runner-up in 2008.
“It’s the best I’ve seen him play,” he said. “He’s going to be a very good player when he’s older.”
Castle, who also competes on the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour, finished fourth in his group.
Mumford first met Castle on November 11, 2005, when Mumford presented the prize money at a Chandler’s Ford SC junior competition.
They played a couple of frames and seven-year-old Castle helpfully pointed out that one of South Hampshire’s finest players was hitting the ball too hard.
Mumford began coaching Castle in January, 2006. In four years, Castle will be 16 – the minimum age a player can qualify for the professional circuit.
“It was a unique experience, watching him play at seven,” said Mumford.
However, the 41-year-old signalled caution about the lad who has chalked up eight centuries in tournament play, won two England caps, been crowned Pontin’s under-12 champion two years running and is currently 31st on the EASB Premier Junior Tour for England’s best 48 under-21s.
He said: “If he continues to not be distracted by people and gets his focus right off the table and continues to practise hard and works closely with his sponsors and keeps away from the glare and keeps his head down, his rewards will come.
“I know what it’s like to not make the most of talent. I didn’t work hard enough. I’m not going to let him fritter it away or take it for granted.
“To be able to do what he does at 11-years-old is, at times, mind-blowing.”
Castle, who has switched his allegiance from Ronnie O’Sullivan to Ding Junhui (and from Manchester United to Arsenal), practises for four hours a day.