Aaron’s big break!

Virginia lad is new national snooker champ

Aaron Goldrick from Cavan CYMS is the new National Century Intermediate Snooker Champion.

The 2025 National Finals were held in the Snooker & Billiards Ireland HQ in Carlow where Aaron won his first ever national snooker title 4-1 against Noel Gleeson from Nenagh in a hotly contested final round.

During the day, the 24-year-old Virginia native works as an electrician apprentice, but he spends his evenings commiting anywhere between two to four hours honing his game.

“So between working and practicing, your day is really gone. But when you’re playing at a highly competitive level you have to put in the practice and effort,” says Aaron, who knows even this amount of dedicated practice isn’t enough to become a professional snooker player.

Aaron Hill, the professional snooker player from Cork who beat game legend Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2020, was in the same Irish underage teams as Aaron.

“He was putting in six hours daily, maybe more and he has the talent,” shares Aaron who started out playing pool “as a kid” during school holidays before joining Cavan CYMS where he “learned snooker”.

Aaron enjoys meeting the older, more experienced players at Cavan CYMS. Every opponent is another chance to improve his game.

“When you’re practising on your own, you can’t replicate the flow of the balls. You can only improve when you are playing against other players.”

While the objective in snooker is to win the most points per frame, and the most number of frames, tactical shots are important element, so the accuracy of placing the white ball is crucial, as is patience and composure.

To people unfamiliar with the sport, the sheer size of the 12ft by 6ft snooker table can be surprising.

Trying to pot a ball in a pocket with stick, never mind any tactical afterthoughts, is a challenge in itself accepts Aaron.

“I suppose it is a tough game,” Aaron admits with a smile.

Now that he has won the Irish Intermediate Championship, the local man is pushing up into the next bracket of the Amateur events.

Aaron has already taken part in a few events on this level with good results, including one semi-final placing.

“I’d like to represent Ireland at a men’s level. I played all underage levels, so playing at the European Championships for Ireland would be my goal,” says Aaron.