Professional English eight-ball player and coach Jimmy Croxton, who goes by ‘The Joker’ nickname on the Ultimate Pool circuit, has been in the island this week and was yesterday taking coaching sessions at the KGV, the night after holding an exhibition at the venue which included a six-red shoot-out challenge and the opportunity to play-the-pro, as well as a question-and-answer session in which he gave a fascinating insight into his playing and coaching philosophies along with insights into the characters on tour.
But his primary objective was to spread the word about the sport and help local players improve their game.
‘It’ll be good to see the talent on offer here in Guernsey,’ Croxton said ahead of his exhibition.
‘Then I’ve got a full day of coaching, so I’ve got like six or seven of the guys in for our sessions, just to see what sort of shortfalls they’ve got in the game and see if I can maybe bring them along a little bit.
‘And then from there, who knows? Whether it becomes a reasonably regular thing or whether they join up to my new coaching website, potentialpool.com, and obviously, hopefully try to bring people on in Guernsey and increase the standard and put Guernsey on the map a little bit.’
He added that he enjoyed having the chance to play against enthusiastic amateurs.
‘At the end of the day they’re the heartbeat of the game, aren’t they? Without them we don’t have a game. So it’s nice to be here,’ Croxton said.
‘I’m sure they could invite whoever they want, but I must be doing something reasonably right to get an invite and come over and not only help the guys, but doing exhibition as well here with these great facilities, and obviously to meet everyone.
‘I feel really privileged to be here and doing what I love.’
KGV director Stuart Le Prevost, who helped organise the event and plays in the local leagues, believes local players can benefit a lot by having the likes of ‘The Joker’ visiting the island.
‘As well as being a top pro player himself, Jimmy is one of the best coaches around, so it is great to see how he goes about his business at the pool table and also gain an insight into his approach to the game,’ he said.
‘His love of pool really shines through, both while he is playing and also when interacting with others, and he is happy to help players of any level and experience.
‘It has been great to be able to host him here.’
Interview with Jimmy ‘The Joker’ Croxton to follow.
