So what’s it like to be described as “the changing face of pool” and one of the sports “shining lights”? There’s only one man that can answer that, and that man is Karl Boyes. Not only has Karl won some of the most prestigious trophies available, the respect of his peers, but Former World Cup Of Pool winner and 3 time Mosconi cup winner is understandably an opponent to fear.
Karl Boyes first found his love of cue sports at the young age of 14. Starting his pool playing career early, he would play the early years of his life mastering English 8 ball. Practicing in his spare time after school, Karl would often play in his local pub, where he was spotted by a pool player who signed him up to the local team. It was here that Karl would get a taste for victory, and a real passion for the sport.
Karl is often asked “why did you change from 8 ball, to 9 ball pool…?”. This change in play style started in 2006, when the IPT (International Pool Tour) announced a ground breaking tournament. The tournament would consisting of 200 players from more than 40 countries and was advertised with a $3 million prize fund. The game would be the 8 ball version of pool played on a 9 ball table. Karl saw this as a major opportunity to impress upon the largest stage in the world. Committed to this opportunity, he spent a year in America practicing in an attempt to qualify. The tour ran it’s course and ultimately fell apart, however, undeterred and after the tour, Karl found it difficult to move back to traditional English 8 ball, and instead kept his focus on 9 ball pool.
The heritage of American 9 ball pool, dictates that the game is played on a 10ft by 5ft table. Whilst this may seem overly large to a regular player, the extra size commands better cue technique and accuracy. This will often expose less advanced players, and as such, the majority of 9 ball pool competitions are played on a 10ft table. Over the coming years to entice bars and pubs to install tables across America, the sizes were slightly reduced to 9ft, 8ft and 7ft to make them easier to accommodate. True to the roots and current standards, Karl owns and plays on a Diamond pool table. The Diamond Pool table is the table selected by the world’s leading tournaments, such as the Mosconi Cup and the World Cup of Pool.
Karl’s journey has seen him playing in pub leagues as a young man, to winning numerous world titles and accolades. It’s impossible to deny he has delivered some impressive victories and performances. There are very few players that can claim they have beaten Shane Van Boening in his own back yard, or have won the World Cup of Pool. Despite his considerable success Karl still holds his first tournament win as his favourite highlight, winning the Radcliffe Pool singles tournament, with a prize fund of £200. He described his youthful spirit and hunger as the catalyst to an amazing career. We are proud to sponsor Karl and invite him to the Home Leisure Direct family.
The 2015 Mosconi Cup gave Karl Boyes a great chance to show how good he is at pool. The Europe team sealed a hard fought victory, winning the Mosconi Cup in December 2015. Karl maintained his fantastic record in the Mosconi Cup and hopefully he'll be making another appearance in the Mosconi Cup this year.
- Ben