Sponsorship deal for ten-year-old

A FIRM that builds swimming pools has splashed out £300 to help a ten-year-old Hampshire lad who is making waves on the junior snooker circuit.

Surrey-based Falcon Pools waded in to finance ten months’ coaching for the highly-talented Mickey Joyce (pictured).

Joyce progressed from a three-foot table to full-sized tables at The Academy, near his home in Basingstoke, at the age of six.

Since switching his practice base to Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club last October, his tournament high break has leapt up to 43 and he has compiled a 51 in a friendly match.

And then in June, less than two weeks after his tenth birthday, Joyce was crowned Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour Champion at the end-of-season play-off at Jesters, Swindon.

He is already targeting the Silver title next season.

Originally from Newbury, the cue-sports all-rounder also plays for the Berkshire Youth pool side but insists he prefers snooker “because it’s a bigger table and I just like playing snooker”.

And he had this message for Terry Woodhams – director of Falcon Pools, which is based in Addlestone, Surrey, and designs, builds and maintains swimming pools: “Thank you for sponsoring me and giving me the money for coaching.”

Dad Eamon Joyce said: “The idea is to get him into a coaching programme and improve his game. He’s definitely got the talent to do it.”

The wannabe professional, who has just completed Year 5 at Winklebury Junior School in Basingstoke, will be working with World Snooker coach Tim Dunkley at Chandler’s Ford SC.

Picture by Tim Dunkley