Introduction
John Astley is currently playing in his fifth season as a snooker professional player. He rose to prominence as an amateur by winning the national Under-19 title and managed to qualify as a professional for the first time due to his ranking in the PTC Order of Merit. His first season was very successful indeed. He qualified for multiple ranking events and won the Rookie of the Year Award. However, he struggled in his second season and dropped off the tour.
After spending the 2015/2016 season as an amateur, John qualified again via the Q School. He reached his first ranking quarter-final at the 2016 Riga Masters and clinched high-profile wins over Joe Perry, Mark King, and Kyren Wilson. After finishing No. 66 in the world last season, the player from Gateshead qualified for a third time as one of the best performing players in the One Year Ranking List.
We wonderfully conversed during the International Championship qualifiers. Hope you enjoy the interview below!
Interview – John Astley
CoR: How did you get into snooker in the first place?
John Astley: I first got into snooker when my older brother took me down the local snooker club when I was about 11. I started playing pool first then next time we went, I asked if we could try the snooker. I still remember the table looked huge, but from then on, I loved it and got my own cue and started playing regularly.
CoR: How is your start of the season so far?
John Astley: The start of my season has gone okay. I had a good couple of results in the qualifiers in August and just got back from China a couple of weeks ago. But I was disappointed to lose to Liang Wenbo because I had my chances and that doesn’t always happen against the top players. But I am looking forward to the next couple of months as it’s a busy period. Hopefully, I will get some momentum.
CoR: This is the third time you received a fresh two-year card in your snooker career. How do you keep persevering to reach the Top 64?
John Astley: I was very close to getting in the top 64 at the end of last season. I just missed out by a few thousand points, which was a big disappointment because I felt like I had been quite consistent over the two previous seasons and was way ahead of what I achieved in my first two seasons as a professional.
But the main thing was that I retained my tour card and was given a new two-year tour card for my results last season. So it was bittersweet, to be honest. I keep persevering because I believe I am good enough to be inside the Top 64 and a lot higher. I still have plenty of goals I want to achieve.
CoR: Have you done anything differently to prepare for this season compared to previous seasons? What sort of routines do you do?
John Astley: I haven’t really prepared any different this season. But I made some slight changes with my technique in the last few months. I believe this will help me progress with my game. I do a lot of break-building routines and long potting drills because I think they are the most important parts of my game.
CoR: What is your biggest achievement in snooker so far?
John Astley: My biggest achievement in snooker so far has been getting to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Riga Masters.
CoR: What do you think was the biggest win of your career?
John Astley: The biggest victory of my career so far is difficult to choose. But for me, it was beating Ken Doherty 6-5 in the UK Championships first round in my first season tour. It was in the main arena at the Barbican Centre, and I remember going to watch the pros there when I was a kid every year hoping I get here one day and I did! To beat a former world champion was extra special.
CoR: During your snooker break in 2016, you starred in Richard Bean’s theatre production “The Nap” with Jack O’Connell. How did you find yourself signed up for that?
John Astley: I got the chance to star in ‘The Nap’ because, at the time, I wasn’t on the tour. The casting director got in touch with World Snooker to ask if they knew anybody that would be interested but also be at a level good enough to make big breaks in front of a big crowd at the Crucible.
So luckily they recommended me! I went to London to meet the director and he told me all about the play. It seemed like I was going to be a perfect fit for the role so I got the part. It was the best thing I have ever done!
CoR: What was working as a cast member of “The Nap” like? What did you enjoy about the entire experience of working with the play?
John Astley: Doing the Nap was an incredible experience. One of the things I enjoyed the most was working with all the other cast members. The team around the whole play were great to work with and we had a great time every day. Obviously, playing snooker every night in front of a packed crowd at the Crucible was pretty special – the atmosphere was incredible!
CoR: Can you see yourself doing something similar like that after snooker?
John Astley: Yes, if the right opportunity came along after snooker I would definitely like to do something like that again.
CoR: What would your ideal ranking event be (location, length of matches, etc.)?
John Astley: If I could have a competition anywhere it would probably be America. It’s one of my favourite places and I would try a round robin format to then follow onto a knockout stage.
CoR: Are there any tournaments you enjoy in particular?
John Astley: I do enjoy the Home Nations, I think they’ve been a great addition to the tour. The main reason I like those events is the format and playing in some good venues in Northern Ireland and Cardiff.
CoR: What are your ambitions this season?
John Astley: My ambitions for the season is to get as close as I can to the Top 64 and also to qualify for the World Championships at the Crucible.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks go to John Astley for taking his time out to be interviewed by me. I wish him the very best for the rest of the season!
I do not own the photos used for this interview.
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