Andrew Byrne is aiming to make inroads in Ultimate Pool having joined the tour this year, building on the success he experienced as a youth player.
In 2019, Andrew was crowned the regional Under-23s English Pool Association (EPA) champion, a trophy he won shortly after the passing of his father. Alongside competing for London at County level, he has been trying his hand at the Ultimate Pool Challenger Series.
“I’ve been on it (the Ultimate Pool tour) since the beginning of this year,” Andrew told Fen Regis Trophies. “I’ve been to every event so far…it’s been a bit of a stretch to travel to places like Blackpool, but it’s been a great experience.”
The Challenger Series is a subsidiary tour to the main professional level of Ultimate Pool, providing an accessible means for amateur players to earn their place alongside the likes of Chris Melling. The series is a two-tier system, featuring promotion and relegation between tiers one and two, with the top players from Tier 1 earning a spot on the professional tour.
Chasing the Dream
Having committed to the Ultimate Pool Challenger Series tour this year, the goal is undoubtedly to earn his way onto the professional tour. It would be a great achievement for Andrew, who briefly turned to darts having played pool since the age of six.
His mother played for the local pub’s darts team, and it looked as though he might follow her path before veering back over to the pool table around the age of 11.
“I went to a local social club with my mum and dad,” he said. “Just playing against friends of my parents…they helped me get into pool, but at that age, you’re just knocking things around.
“I came away from pool for a few years as we moved from London to Kent, where I live now. I started playing with my dad in a pub against the locals and I found a love for the game.”
From competing in the pub league as a 13-year-old, Andrew’s proudest achievement came in 2019, winning the EPA Under-23s regional championship for Kent. It was poignant as it came following the loss of his father earlier that year.
“That is a massive achievement,” he said. “Because I lost my dad at the beginning of the year. I heard the news after my first county game in 2019 while I was on the way home that he had passed away.
“Obviously, during the year I was grieving but I still managed to keep my head together and did something that not a lot of players can say that they have done.”
Doing the Hard Yards
Andrew has been putting in the hard yards to ensure he is more than just making up the numbers. Competing in tournaments across the country since 2018, alongside holding down a full-time job as a vehicle damage assessor, has proven to be anything but easy.
“I’ve used the majority of my annual leave for pool this year,” he admitted. “Having five weekends of Ultimate Pool, I’ve had to take Thursdays and Fridays off…so it’s used a lot of annual leave, but it’s been okay.”
“When I was 21/22, I threw myself in at the deep end,” he added. “Having never competed at a national tournament before, I thought I would go for it…that year, I chucked everything into it.
“My first tournament was the World Championship Qualifiers in Great Yarmouth. I lost my first game 5-3, but it was a big learning experience.
“A few months later, I joined the UK Pool Tour, which at the time was one of the biggest tours in the UK.”
Opportunities in Ultimate Pool
Since being founded in 2020, Ultimate Pool has provided a platform for pool players to compete in regular televised events broadcast in over 66 countries worldwide. Alongside some of the top professional pool players, recognisable names from the world of snooker also regularly compete in Ultimate Pool events, such as Mark Selby, Mark Allen, and Mark Williams.
The exposure of the tour, as well as the sport itself, means that the earning potential has made pool a viable career for those willing to put in the practice on the table. That’s not something that has escaped Andrew.
“The professionals,” he said. “They are getting the exposure, but even some of the amateurs are getting some exposure, especially if you are in certain events throughout the year.
“Ultimate Pool puts on events where you’ve got amateurs playing against professionals, so for the amateurs that do go that far, they are getting exposure they never would have got.
“Since Ultimate Pool started, it’s just been massively growing and who knows where that growth is going to go.”
Andrew will next be in Ultimate Pool action for the final two events of the season between 22 and 24 November in Blackpool, with a winners’ prize fund of £5,000 up for grabs. Should Andrew reach the latter stages of the tournaments, his games may be picked for live streaming on ultimatepool.tv.
By Aaron Gratton
