Carolans cueing up
Uncle and nephew heading to Cyprus for World Pool Championships
The tyres come to a halt on the crunching gravel at the end of a rural lane in Knockbride. You wouldn’t come up here unless you meant business. A man in his 50s with the nickname “Butcher” slides open the glass door.
Inside, 16-year-old Ben Carolan and his uncle Phillip “Butcher” Carolan are putting in the hours ahead of the World 8-Ball Pool Championships in Cyprus, taking place in the final week of February. The nickname might suggest something brutal, but in Phillip’s case it’s as much about finesse than force. A butcher by trade in a previous life, he now applies that same precision to slicing open racks and carving paths to the black ball.
They’re training every day, two to three hours at a time, on an official 8-ball table that sits in a light-flooded, spotless room built by Ben’s father Ray - another pool aficionado. One might think “men cave”, but there’s nothing dingy about it. This is a serious set-up for serious ambitions.
And according to Phillip, his nephew Ben "is the next big thing in Irish Pool". Ben, Ray and Phillip will head to Cyprus for 11 days, giving themselves two days to acclimatise and “a bit of sightseeing” before the focus shifts to the big arena.
“There will be singles and team events,” says Phillip. “We could be playing eight hours straight.” That’s where mental and physical fitness has to kick in. Pool at this level isn’t a pub knockabout. It’s endurance sport.
“You cannot be drinking during it. You have to stay focused,” Phillip explains.
In many ways, international 8-ball is like chess. You are always planning a few moves ahead. And if there is just no good way to finish, the objective shifts: Make it as awkward as possible for your opponent. Snooker them. Kill the white.
Rules are tight: seven resd, seven yellows, one black, one white ball. The opening break decides which is your colour to pocket into one of the six holes. The black goes in last. During your turn, your colour must hit a cushion. You can pocket an opponent’s ball, but only if yours goes in as well. No hands, no accidental nudges. Sometimes opponents will “accidentally” brush your cue when you’re leaning down on a shot, but generally people play fair.
Asked what gets under his skin at the table, Ben says: “Ah, if they are taking their time, if they’re slow, that annoys me. I like to play it fast.”
At the same time, he knows: If a frame is gone, it’s gone. No sulking. In races to five, six or seven frames, comebacks are always on the table. Lose one, reset, go again. “I turn around, have a drink of my Lucozade and then go at it again.”
Cues, usually between 17 and 21 ounces, come with soft, medium or hard tips depending on style. Shots are controlled and deliberate, more paintbrush than sledgehammer. Power is rare. Precision is everything.
Understanding angles, spin and rebound is essential.
Where the cue hits the white determines the course of the ball: straight, spin, curve. “Once you get your head around it, you just have to practice,” Ben says.
The new teal-coloured cloth tables, introduced only last year have become the standard at elite events. They are glad they were able to get one in their pool-room to practice.
“It's just getting used to the pace of the table. It's faster,” describes Phillip. The new tables are more forgiving around the cushions, which makes “it’s easier to pocket” in Phillip’s experience.
Frame after frame they set up the triangle of balls on one side of the table. A tight rack, the right contact point and controlled timing spreads the balls perfectly and creates the opportunity for a break-and-finish before an opponent can even lower his cue to the felt. Ben’s rise has been quick. He’d always enjoyed pool, but once the pool room was built, something literally clicked.
Ranking tournaments around the country followed, some stretching from Friday nights into late Sunday evenings, with up to 40 tables buzzing at once. Points from these events determine international selection.
Out of around 120 juniors, Ben finished in the top eight in Ireland. Ticket punched.
Seventy Irish players will travel to Cyprus across all categories: juniors, ladies, men and seniors, most of them on the same flights. Aoife King from Laragh and David McQuillan from Monaghan on board as well. It will feel like a moving Irish pool village landing in the Mediterranean.
Ben, a student of Bailieborough Community College will miss just five days thanks to the mid-term break. School management have been supportive, recognising the scale of the opportunity.
Phillip adds history and experience to the mix: Twenty-five years with the Cavan team delivered 12 All-Ireland titles: nine Seniors and three Over-50s, including a famous three-in-a-row. While work and family commitments once limited his chances at world selection, this trip feels like perfect timing. “There’s lads over there practising three to four hours a day,” he says. “So you have to get to that level.”
To support Ben, a fundraiser is organised by Adrian Rogers in the Bridge Tavern on February 7 featuring poker and pool. Phillip is sponsored by Dun a Rí Blinds and Daly’s Pub in Bailieborough have been supportive along the way. Pool may be growing fast in Ireland, but it’s still powered by local goodwill.
The atmosphere in Cyprus will be anything but quiet. Multiple tables, teams packed around the barriers, plenty of noise, “especially when the tournament reaches the knockout stages”, predicts Phillip.
From the quarter-finals on, matches will be live-streamed for all of Ireland to watch.
For Ben and Phillip, though, the approach stays simple. “It’s competitive,” Phillip says. “It tests your ability. You have to put in the effort. If you don’t, you won’t get the rewards.”
Meanwhile in Knockbride, the balls keep rolling: Ben Carolan and “The Butcher” are sharpening their game.