In a bid to find some of snooker's great young talents, I visited Chandlers Ford Snooker Club to talk to some of the up-and-coming stars and met William Thomson.

The 12-year-old challenged me to a frame and I happily obliged, knowing what was in store for me. The polite and quiet young man is a 3-time billiard national champion at under 16 level and made a break of 32 at 6 years old. On the other hand, my highest break of 25 at the age of 21.

All it took was six minutes for him to dismantle me by a score of 90-4 as his parents watched on. A shake of the hands and a very generous 'well played' is all I got from him as I rather embarrassingly walked back to his parents, who were proudly smiling at the ability their son showcased.

A 12 by 6 -foot snooker table has produced some of the most magical moments sport has ever seen. Eight different coloured balls and a piece of wood have inspired different generations over centuries.

We've seen Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and many more of the sports stars break onto the scene at a young age, maintaining a high level of discipline and temperament since the early years of their childhood.

The technical ability required to excel at the sport is astonishing and the great players of yesteryear are still revered across the snooker world to this day.

Yet due to the slow-paced nature of snooker, it has become buried below mega sporting deals that are common in mainstream sports.

The mental concentration needed from a young age is incredibly taxing and has resulted in snooker clubs coming up with more initiatives to promote the game.

Chandlers Ford Snooker Club is run by Cuestars, which was founded by ex-professional player John Hunter in the mid-1980s and provides grassroots snooker tournaments for juniors in the South of England.

It is affiliated with most clubs in the south and Chandlers Ford is home to the best young talents in the southern region.

The club is a tight knit community and parents, kids, club owner Ray Cooper and Cuestars world press officer and international coach Tim Dunkley are all intertwined, showing how sport can bring people together.

Ray Cooper became owner of Chandlers Ford Snooker Club in 2017 and ensures that when the kids walk into the club, they are fully focused on their snooker.

He says: "We make sure that everyone hands in their phone so they are not distracted by their social life and can play to the best of their abilities.

"If we can get the kids to treat snooker as a work environment, then their discipline is perfect for formal tournaments and competitions they play in.

"In the last decade or so, there has been a more unique for younger children to get involved, as those ambitious kids relish the mental challenge that very few other sports provide."

Having just turned 66, Tim Dunkley has been involved with Chandlers Ford Snooker Club for over 23 years and has coached players who have made it onto the professional circuit.

He says: "Some of the talents we have here could truly make it all the way and there's not many more rewarding feelings than watching these kids develop, especially having coached them from such a young age. William (Thomson) was four when he first walked through these doors".

What sparked a revival in Dunkley's interest for snooker was his son's rise through the amateur ranks in the early 00s. In 2010, his motorcycle accident shattered his elbow and since then he has barely picked up a cue, unless when he is teaching the kids technical issues.

"Once I turned to coaching full time, the first thing I did was make parents aware at the opportunities for snooker for young kids are incredibly rewarding and highly achievable.

"Whilst there are chances all across the country for kids to take up snooker alongside their academic life, we make sure that academia is still the priority for kids, and Zoe's role is incredibly important in maintaining the children's discipline on and off the baize."

The club has a deal for juniors which is three hours of snooker between the hours of 3pm and 7pm after school for £10, showcasing how affordable it is for kids to take up snooker in the region.

Dunkley says: "It encourages old and new faces to make their way straight here after school, and is such a positive thing to see, especially after Covid-19."

The partnership between Cuestars and Chandlers Ford is excellent for youth participation in snooker and debunks any myths that snooker is an old man's game.

A so-called alumnus of Cuestars is Bradley Cowdroy. The 22-year-old is an excellent example of how successful grassroots snooker can be and he's looking to get his professional card in the next couple of years.

He's a two-time Cuestars Under-21 Gold ranking winner, as well as being the 2018 Under-16 runner-up. 

He has a table at home that he predominantly practices on, yet he frequently trains at Greenbaize Snooker Club with his coach Derrick Walker - a man with over 40 years of experience in professional snooker.

It's been a long journey for Cowdroy, who's been involved in snooker for nearly two decades. He says: "I first started playing snooker when I was three, on one of those shoebox type tables, where I used a pencil as the cue."

"My parents were always into snooker, and it was quite easy to fall in love with the sport. It also helps that we've had a table at home for the last seven years, making it much easier to practice during Covid-19."

In terms of practice time, Cowdroy has experimented with a tougher schedule but believes it's healthy to have other commitments and not be so reliant on snooker.

"For me it's quality over quantity in terms of practising hours. It's good for me to balance 2-3 hours a day of snooker between my table at home and at the club playing others."

Having won his first tournament and the Cuestars Under-21 Bronze winner at ten, he realised that his talent could become his profession after his performance for England at the Under-16 final for England.

"All it took was a couple of good results that season and quickly my mentality switched from snooker being a hobby, to it potentially being something I could make serious money from." 

Cowdroy has been partnered with Cuestars throughout his youth and his repeatedly said that snooker is still in demand for youngsters.

"Over the three divisions of Cuestars, 40-50 kids will turn up on one day just to a compete at a local club, which is excellent to see. Yet the problem is the slow decline of traditional snooker halls across the country."

At the last count there were less than 650 snooker clubs in the UK, with the number having declined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He says: "Despite the growing number of clubs that are closing, I don't believe it's due to the lack of interest amongst children.

"For me, it's primarily due to the cost-of-living crisis for smaller sized clubs, and bigger clubs that incorporate more youth competitions are still flourishing."

Greenbaize Snooker Club owner Warren Bailey has known Bradley since he was eight and has seen him develop from strength to strength.

Having been involved in the sport for over 45 years, he's seen the highs and lows of youth participation in snooker.

He says: "From the mid 80s to now, there has been a lot of change in the game and new ideas need to be implemented in order to retain the engagement of youngsters.

"Back in 2015, we had to cancel our Junior Snooker Leagues on Saturday mornings due to the decline of young players coming to the club."

The Covid-19 pandemic seemed to shake up all the sports and entertainment business and all cue sports clubs in general have been decreasing yearly.

Bailey believes however that once lockdown protocols had been lifted there was an immediate spike of interest and now slowly the sport is building itself back up again.

"Before Covid-19 it was hard to see mostly older players coming into the club, but now there are more youngsters who practice here, and it projects hope for the future of the game.

"Every day I get to see customers who are 8 years old and then some who are 80! It's the only sport in the world that can bridge a gap between generations and it's imperative that we keep younger players involved."

Jamie Blair, Sport Development Officer at the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) believes youth development is vital for the sport.

Blair has been working for the WPBSA for 6 months, having previously worked as the Disability Golf Manager at England Golf, so he has a breadth of knowledge when it comes to inclusivity and engagement in sport.

Jamie said: "Up and down the country, we have snooker clubs that are in need of a makeover, ensuring younger generations attend.

"It's imperative that the standards of snooker clubs are up to a high level and are inclusive for younger kids to pick up a cue for the first time.

"Promotional deals for kids after school has been a great way for them to get involved and since the resurgence of the sport after Covid-19, it's a great chance for us to accelerate the development of our sport."

The English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards (EPSB) is recognised as the governing body for snooker and billiards by Sport England, and Jamie believes that they have a massive role in incorporating a younger audience into the game.

By being '147' certified, clubs can enjoy membership benefits such as amateur competitions and training support provided for.

This is another excellent scheme to improve the standards of snooker clubs across the country. Blair says: "We have a number of clubs in the north of the country that are '147' certified by the EPSB and my role is to ensure as many clubs as possible can receive this certification."

An extra bonus of being certified as a '147' club by the EPSB, is that it grants you an inclusion onto an official online club finder map. This increases exposure for newcomers and broadens the reach of every snooker club that is of a high standard.

It's clear to see that many snooker clubs across the country are doing an excellent job in promoting youth in the sport. However, the most exciting prospect is that so much more can be done over the next few years to broaden the reach of one of the oldest active sports in the UK.

Talents like William Thomson and Bradley Cowdroy have all the potential to make it to the top of the sport, as they look to emulate the footsteps of their role-models and continue their journey in grassroots snooker.