PowerGlide Pool Range

Snooker is a sport that demands precision and quality in order to be the best. Thankfully, Powerglide have the range of cues to match your every snooker need. But you don’t need to take our word for it, take former Snooker World Champion John Parrott’s word instead.

At Powerglide we pride ourselves on the quality of our hand-made cues, but sometimes it’s nice to hear from those who know more about what a professional-standard player looks for in a cue.We sent John a few cues to try out recently, two of which were 3/4 joint cues and the other was a two piece, or 50/50, cue. 

John is a 16-time professional tournament winner, including the UK Championship, to go along with his World Championship win in 1991. These days, his professional playing career may be over but snooker fans often see him as a snooker expert for the BBC.

Of the two Prestige 3/4 cues, John said; "they are absolutely brilliant cues, the feel is terrific. They are a quality piece of wood so they sound solid when you hit the ball with them.”

Of the Prestige III cue in particular, he added; “the Snake wood cue is finished to a very high standard. Powerglide have even rounded off the tips so you can take them out of the box and they are ready to play. Can I keep them as I will use them when I next do an exhibition?” Of course you can, John!

The Prestige III Snooker cue with Ebony butt features a hand-spliced Ebony butt with single front Snakewood splice and 3 thin veneers. The 3/4 quick-release joint, 9.5mm tip, brass ferrule and leather buffer combine to make a quality product. The cue length is 57" and is available in 17oz, 18oz and 19oz weights and the cue is supplied with soft cue sleeve and 6" mini extension. 

The Prestige I cue has a plain, hand-finished butterfly spliced black ebony butt. It also feautures a 3/4 split with quick-release joint, 9.5mm tip and brass ferrule, and leather buffer. As with the Prestige III, the length is 57" and available in 17oz, 18oz and 19oz weights. It also comes with a soft cue sleeve and 6" mini extension.

We also sent John a couple of 50/50 split cues to see what he made of them, including the Purist Snooker Cue and the Vanquish Snooker Cue.

"Personally, I only use a 3/4 joint because sometimes with a 2 piece you think about the joint when you look down the shaft,” said John. “Although not my type of cue, I cannot fault the finish or how the cue plays. Anyone wanting a top 2 piece, these are the ones to buy!"

Over the weekend, the Golden 8 Ball Tournament drew to a close in Blackpool, which was the largest event to date, featuring 256 teams over two weekends of events.

Powerglide is a proud sponsor of the tournament, the first of which was held in 2011. Despite the inaugural event containing just 28 teams, the years since have seen the tournament grow exponentially, doubling in size in 2012 and before the first ball was potted this year, it had grown almost tenfold in just 7 years.

The first weekend of action saw the Amateur Series take place in Blackpool. The aim of the Amateur Series is to extend its appeal to the less skilful players and actively reduce the number of strong teams entering.

The weekend featured Round Robin stages, with each player playing each opponent once in a match. The format is more conducive of a 3-player event, and reduces timing pressure in the arena, allowing novice players longer at the table. The Amateur series also featured an ‘Open Doubles Trophy‘ and an ‘Open Singles Trophy‘, which was open to all registered players that attended the Amateur weekend.

For the first time, this year the Junior Singles event took place during the Amateur Series weekend and the tournament organisers also trialled a small but successful Special Needs event, truly making the Golden 8 Ball Festival of Pool, accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or skill level. In total, a prize pot of £10,000 was up for grabs to the winners of the various competitions.

The Pro-Am Series took place the following weekend, and featured an £18,500 prize fund across 7 competitions, including the Gold, Silver and Bronze Trophy, the Wooden Spoon, Men’s and Ladies Singles and Mixed Doubles. 

Amateur Series Results:

Gold Trophy – You Miss We Dish

Silver Trophy – The Derby Bhoys

Bronze Trophy – Portland Squares

Wooden Spoon Trophy – Baize Of Glory

Special Needs Gold Trophy – Reverse Orios

Pro-Am Series Results:

Gold Trophy – DesiDaredevils

Silver Trophy – Last Of The Big Drinkers

Bronze Trophy – Ballbags

Men’s Singles – Anthony Blurton

Mixed Doubles – Dean Shields & Nat Madden

Wooden Spoon Trophy – Show Shot 1