Rebecca Kenna is one of the leading names on the Women’s World Snooker Tour (WWST) and reached the final of the World Mixed Doubles with Mark Selby…but she admitted that playing in front of Ronnie O’Sullivan was a “nerve-wracking” experience.
Kenna, 33, is ranked number four in the world on the WWST and has had plenty of success since turning professional in the aftermath of the passing of her late father, Mick Granger, in 2015.
The Keighley potter inherited her love for cue sports from her dad, playing pool and then snooker with him after school. He would no doubt have been proud to see his daughter lining up side-by-side with some of the greatest players to play the game at the World Mixed Doubles event in September this year.
Partnering with the ‘Jester from Leicester’ Mark Selby, Kenna won all three of her round-robin matches, including picking up an eye-catching win over the highly-fancied Ronnie O’Sullivan and Reanne Evans – a pairing that boasts 19 world championships between them.
“It was a bit nerve-racking taking a shot and knowing that Ronnie’s watching!” Kenna told Fen Regis Trophies. “It was good for my nerves to help settle me in that environment.”
World Mixed Doubles
The World Mixed Doubles event saw four pairings, comprised of a selection of the best men and women, competing in a round-robin event before the top two pairs contested the final. Kenna and Selby won all three of their round-robin matches, defeating O’Sullivan and Evans, Judd Trump and Ng On Yee, and Neil Robertson and Mink Nutcharut.
Despite comfortably booking their spot in the final, it was the team of Robertson and Nutcharut that won the event. If any professional tournament can be more about participating than winning, it is this one, with a whole new audience bearing witness to an exciting generation of women’s snooker.
“Just for the women’s side of it,” said Kenna. “It was huge. You had four of the best women on TV, playing in front of a big crowd, so a lot more people saw it.
“That’s something I never saw growing up, women playing, and maybe if I did I would have felt more inspired to take it up sooner.
“For me, it was fantastic to play with the top four men. I’m a big snooker fan anyway, so to play with those four was amazing.
“It was just amazing to be in their company and to play in the same tournament as them.”
Following in Her Father’s Footsteps
The influence of her father is obvious, with the world number four admitting that her dad is her inspiration for playing in the first place. They would play whenever the opportunity arose at Keighley Liberal Club.
Though she played in local leagues, it was nothing more than a pastime for Kenna who just enjoyed potting balls, whether that be on a pool or snooker table. In December 2015, Mick died from Lymphoma, and it was the passing of her father that encouraged her to take snooker more seriously.
“Growing up playing,” said Kenna. “I just played with my dad and that was my favourite thing to do after work or after college.
“We would just play snooker together and it wasn’t until he passed away in 2015 that I dived into snooker more…that’s the reason why I got into women’s snooker.
“I didn’t really have any aspirations from seeing Ronnie [O’Sullivan] on TV and thinking ‘I want to be like that’.
“I just played at local level but because my dad passed away and it was our favourite sport, I just kept playing. When I play snooker, it reminds me of my dad.
“In 2015, he passed away and I also had a bad shoulder injury from football, so I couldn’t play football. It was a mixture of I like to play snooker and it sorting my head out a little bit.”
World Women’s Snooker Tour
From playing in her local, Kenna found the WWST and hasn’t looked back since making her debut in February 2016, two months after the passing of her father, and she is clear on what her ultimate goal is.
“I thought I would have a look to see if there were any women’s tournaments about so as I could stay competitive and then I found the World Women’s Snooker Tour.
“It was a bit of a late start for me, considering I was 26 when I started on the women’s tour. It’s all been a bit of a mad change in my career I’m now a professional snooker player.
“It wasn’t really on my agenda as a child. It’s been an amazing journey.
“My first tournament was February 2016 and it’s just gone from there, so I just thought ‘right, let’s try to become women’s world champion’.
“That’s been my only aspiration – I want to become the world women’s champion.”
Away from playing, Kenna spends her time running her shop, Cue Sports Yorkshire, along with her husband Ash Kenna offering a wide range of snooker cues, cases, and accessories.
