Luca Brecel, the oustanding Belgian teenager who won the European under 19 title last year, has signed for 110sport, snooker's leading management group.
Brecel, 14, joins the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and Peter Ebdon, who are all represented by 110.
"Luca is a prodigious talent and has the potential to become a really top player in a few years. It goes without saying that we will do everything to give Luca every opportunity to progress in his career," said Lee Doyle, chairman of 110sport group.
Young Brecel certainly is a very promising talent. If you read my feature on him in last June's Snooker Scene you will know that he suffers from a form of autism, but this seems to leave him clear-minded at the table.
Graeme Dott beat him 5-4 in the World Series grand finals last year and was very impressed, saying: "He seemed very calm and I think the key thing is that he hits the ball like an adult. You get a lot of kids who kind of slap the white but he hits it with authority without hitting it hard. He cues really well."
Brecel is also a snooker obsessive. He recorded every match from last season's World Championship and has watched them all.
Signing for 110sport will give him the opportunity to hone his skills alongside some of the game's leading professionals and also to take part in any tournaments they organise.
It's futile making predicitons about his future but it's also exciting to have a young talent emerging from mainland Europe where snooker's popularity has increased in recent years due to Eurosport's coverage.
Brecel is also excited to be in such exulted company. "Just to see my name alongside some of the most famous names in snooker gives me a real thrill," he said.
“This is just a fantastic opportunity for me. With all of 110’s history and achievements, it’s like joining Manchester United!
“Naturally I want to go as far as I can in the game and I have many ambitions; to become a regular on the Main Tour, to become the first player from mainland Europe to break into the top 16, and to win titles."
8 comments:
I already have played him last year and he's a natural talent. You will see a few more 147's on telly when he'll join the main tour in a year or two.
Surprisingly, this is only the second belgian player to really break through to the top since snooker started here about roughly 25 years ago (Bjorn Haneveer being the first; he's back in the main tour again this season).
By joining the 110's group, Luca will get the opportunity he needs to play the snooker elite's top.
"Good luck, mate!"
Hopefully Brecel will be successful. Its good to see european talent emerging,and it would work wonders for Belgian snooker if he were to reach the level of Robertson and Ding, making the game even more international. Its strange to think that 25/30 years ago we had South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada all represented at the highest level with India, Malta and Usa bringing up the rear. I suppose its the classic catch 22. You need players from a particular country to succeed before the game becomes popular enough to justify a ranking event in that country, but kids are less likely to take up the game withouf major events in their homeland. Hence the domination of British/Irish players for the last 2 decades.
Good luck to the young man. hopefully he can give snooker the much needed boost it needs. And it definitely needs it. Only a few years ago tickets for finals were always sold out months in advance. Yet tonight tickets are still available for Sunday's Masters final. What has become of our great sport. Hopefully it isn't terminal.
Brecel is ampidextrous too.
A precocious talent.
I hope he gets the chance to play in a ranking tournament in his own country. Dave do you know if Hearn is actively looking at getting a European tournament going?
Snooker © The Fine Art Method
A secret is wasted if not shared
Hi Dave.
How’s tricks! It seems that snooker has Another Prodigy, this time a lad from Belgium. I hope Dave that the WPBSA or 110 sports isn’t relying on another Ronnie or a group of Ronnie’s to save the pro game.
It cannot be said with more emphasis Dave: The game is “Awash” with talent. A BBC guarantee that each player will play a 147 each session will not make the game popular. The game is almost one hundred years old and still in its infancy and needs change.
Top class snooker by Ronnie does not entertain, except to us “Snooker Addicts” and some serious professionals that play as well as Ronnie but continually fail to get the “Big Hand”.
Snooker is the game of the future and cannot fail. This may sound a wee bit crazy Dave to your Dave Den blogs. “Snooker doesn’t know what it doesn’t know”. Me hey you
not a Mr any more?
The game is awash with talent...due to all those registered Fine Art snooker coaches, eh mate?
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