Adeline Yeo
“You got to be cool, calm, collected and have plenty of passion.” That’s what Peter Gilchrist said is needed of a person to be a professional billiards player.
And that’s exactly what he is. Having played billiards for 27 years, he’s not only cool, calm, collected with plenty of passion but is also loaded with experience. He might not have made it to the top of the recent International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Billiards Championship 2007 but he still remains respected as the champion for countless past tournaments.
After all, it is only normal for a billiards player to have ups and downs. UrbanWire gives you a breakdown on billiards through the eyes of a true professional, Peter Gilchrist.
The Story of Young Peter and the 3 Balls
UrbanWire (UW): When was your very first experience with billiards?
Peter Gilchrist (PG): My mother and father bought me a small table for Christmas, a very small snooker table. I used to watch snooker on TV and it just went from there.
UW: What made you want to play billiards?
PG: I started playing when I was 12. I used to play football then I just got into the gist of playing billiards. Went down the local club, just played and I liked it straightaway.
UW: Why the sudden change? Football is such a different game from billiards. You sweat a lot, it’s adrenaline pumping…
PG: I still kept on playing football, but I just did both. I started when I was 12 and I started being more serious when I was 16. Yeah, and then the football stopped.
The Story of Professional Peter and the 3 Balls
UW: In your own words, describe what kind of game is Billiards to you?
PG: Very tactical. You need lots of concentration to play it and… it’s horrible when you play it bad but it’s a good game when you play it well.
UW: How much have you earned out of playing professional Billiards?
PG: I’ve had some good years. There was 1 year I won most of the tournaments. I won the World Championship and the European, and the UK and the British open. That year I probably earned about 30 or 40 000 pounds (SGD $63,066.36 or SGD $84,100.86) out of the tournaments. Then I had bad years, when I made it to the quarter finals or semi, here and there. So it’s just lots of ups and downs.
UW: Has that ever happened to you? When things just don’t go right?
Yeah, I think in this game, you’re always a loser. You always remember the winning but essentially, everybody in the game has lost. Even the champions, they lose more than what they win. Because there’s a lot of players and you can’t go on winning everything. So you’ve just got to get used to losing and I think it’s important to be a good loser, you know. Not too much of losing! You don’t want to get used to losing all the time.
UW: When you’re playing billiards, what’s on your mind?
PG: You tend to not think about anything else. Only the table, the 3 balls and what to do. Everything When I’m just sitting there and it’s the opponent’s turn … obviously I want him to miss. I am going to look at his weaknesses, gives me a positive outlook and confidence to win.
Peter Speaking as a Coach
UW: If you had a chance, how would you promote billiards to the young here? Not many young people know of this sport.
PG: It needs more sponsorship. I don’t care how much you like the game, it’s got to be rewarding as well. Unfortunately, billiards doesn’t have a lot of prize money there. Young kids go to pool because pool has got a lot more prize money. By the look of it, pool’s a lot easier than billiards. If they could see that the top players could make a very good living out of the game, then they’ve got something to aspire to. It is a lot of effort, to be the best. And if there’s not rewards there for them, then what’s the point in doing it?
UW: Who’s the youngest player you’re coaching?
PG: I’ve got a couple of young lads. They’re 13, or 14. But in terms of billiards we’ve got some 14, 15. They’re quite good. It’s quite a long process playing something like this. So it’ll be at least 4 or 5 years before they can get to the championships.
UW: Do you have a lot of confidence in them?
PG: I do. We’ve got a good snooker player over here as well. Lim Jia Sheng. He’s only a little step away from making a breakthrough. Once he wins this tournament, it’ll just be all uphill from there.
The Guide to Conquering 3 Balls
UW: What is one quality that is essential in a professional billiards player?
PG: There’s times when things don’t go right for you and you just got to learn and get on, train harder.
UW: Do you have to be physically fit to play billiards?
PG: It helps if you are fit because the final leg, you might play for 6 hours so the concentration level, it’s got to be there. You can’t afford any slip ups.
UW: Do you have a training regime then?
PG: I go to the gym, go on the treadmill quite a bit. I do a bit of swimming.
UW: How do you train your arms since that’s your main tool in playing billiards?
PG: That’s just down to training on the table. Just go through various disciplines on the table. And that keeps your touch.
UW: How do you prepare yourself for a competition?
PG: As much training as I possibly can. I tried to visualize me playing some good shots and go in with a good frame of mind. You got to be strong mentally; you got to want to win more.
UW: How much time do you spend training in a typical week?
PG: If I’ve got a big tournament coming, I’ll do maybe, 40 hours?
Peter’s Personal Life
UW: After staying here for 4 years, what’s the thing you have grown to love most in Singapore?
PG: The food’s nice. I like Laksa (a noodle dish with spicy, coconut based gravy).
UW: You have a thing for spicy food?
PG: Yeah, I never really used to. Because the food in England’s bland, it’s not spicy. I do tend to like spicy things more now.
UW: Do you eat Laksa often then?
PG: I just had Laksa one hour ago! Maybe once every two weeks? I like the one at Katong. That’s the famous one, yeah. I think that’s the best one as well.
UW: What do you miss the most back home?
PG: (without thinking) Family. For sure. I get chances to go back home. I still call England home. This (Singapore) is my home. But obviously after 35 years, I still call England home.
Now, it isn’t hard to see why Peter’s come all the way here just for billiards. Kudos to the man for reigning as Asia’s billiards champion and imparting his valuable knowledge to young players here!