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Celebrating 50 years of snooker at New West's Century House
Festivities are happening Thursday, Nov. 17 from 10am to noon
Ria Renouf
November 17, 2022
One of the snooker tables at Century House/Supplied
Whether you're a casual or competitive player, Century House is marking 50 years of snooker Thursday, and it's looking forward to celebrating with its members.
Century House offers a variety of social and activity clubs for those who are 50 and older. The goal is to provide a strong and supportive social network. It was first established in 1958.
Snooker is no exception: you can often find people enjoying a game in the house's games room.
Speaking for Century House, Frances Blake says it'll be a great opportunity for members to enjoy coffee, cake, conversation—and reminisce on some memories.
What is snooker? Depending on who you ask, snooker is played with 15 red or pink numberless balls, 6 numbered object balls, and one cue ball. There are some regional variations: in America, the game is played on 10-foot tables, while in England players use 12-foot tables. Like pool or billiards, the game is a cue sport. The goal is to sink the balls in a certain sequence. The goal is to earn points to win a frame, and the player who wins a set number of frames wins the match. According to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, the game was created by the British Army in the Indian town of Jubbulpore around 1875.
"They put two snooker tables in in 1972, and that was because the basement space was finally available and completed in 1971 ...Century House belongs to the city, but the snooker group is a Century House association activity group," Blake tells New West Anchor.
Two more tables were added in 1976 through a grant. Since then, the number of snooker players continues to grow; there are currently 40 members who play.
There's also one snooker team that calls this space home: a group of players that have played as part of the Lower Mainland Senior Snooker League. While there's been no push to be competitive, the group has managed to come in second place in the two years they've played. At the time of the call, they were planning to host a game against a group from the Bonsor Recreation Complex.
"Some of the people who are playing snooker [at Century House] are very good at the game, and they belong to a group where they have competitions between the different centres," says Blake.
Looking ahead to the next 50 years, Blake hopes more people—including women—will take up the game. Members of Century House are more than welcome to sign up and learn.
"I was at the room the other day, and a gentleman was signing up. It was his first time. And if you don't know how to play, they will actually teach you," Blake adds.
The 50th anniversary of snooker at Century House is happening Thursday, Nov. 17 from 10am to noon.