Riley James: NZ Snooker player on winning the National Snooker Championships at age 16

The country's youngest national snooker champion expects to turn professional in a couple of years. 

16-year-old Riley James took out the title at the 2025 NZ National Snooker Championships over the weekend. 

He told Mike Hosking that going into the tournament, he thought his changes were high. 

“I always knew if I was in the right headspace, I play some of the best snooker in the country.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Matt Payne is going to be with us after right,
but he isn't the only young young New Zealander who's
made a bit of history. Riley James is your new
youngest ever New Zealander to win the National Super Championships.
Everage age of the competitors this year was fifty one,
Riley sixteen. Riley James is with This Morning, Good Morning
and Warmer's congratulations. Tell us about the tournament. What did

(00:20):
you think your chances were going in.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
I think my chances were always high from the practice table.
I always knew if I was in the right head space.
I play some of the best snooker in the country.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
So how much time do you spend practicing.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
I've actually not been playing a lot of snooker for
the last month. I've been playing just eight pall paul as.
I have a lot of call tournaments and so I
actually haven't spent a lot of time practicing snooker. But
if I do, maybe two to three hours a day.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Because I watched your final, and to get to the
final you beat the number one player and the number
two ranked player, so it's not like you weren't test today.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Oh yeah, and I was behind them both of the game.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
So fantastic how to pull it out? You're not professional?
I take it? Are you?

Speaker 2 (01:14):
I'm not professional?

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Do you think you will be?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I will definitely be a professional and a Q sport discipline.
I don't know if it will be snooker, but I'll
definitely be a prayer at something.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
When do you think you'll turn pro?

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Hopefully by the age of eighteen to twenty, so.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
You've got a couple of years to go. Where do
you think you are form wise? Currently? You still improving?

Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'm always improving.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Good mind you? What was eleven frames? Was the format?
What was your average break? Were you scoring?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Well? I was struggling quite a bit throughout the tournament,
but I'm always a heavy scorer, so I think i'd
be averaging thirty plus every time someone leaves me on, hopefully,
or I like to think that.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
So how did you get into Q sports?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Through my dad? My dad? My dad used to play
a bit of Paul so I watched him play one
day and I wanted to pick up a queue.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
What do you reckon it is? Do you reckon it's
God given, it's natural? Or anyone can really learn it?

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I think to a certain extent is natural ability. But
anyone can pack up a Q and be pretty good
at it and.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Back next year to defend your title. What's your top break?

Speaker 2 (02:36):
By the way, my highest break, and I've practiced by
myself as I've had multiple one four seven Well in
a game, it's one hundred and thirty.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
One hundred and thirty is very good score at the
best of times. In the one four seven's given you
playing with nobody, you wouldn't freak yourself out, would you?

Speaker 2 (02:54):
No? No, it's normal.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Do you reckon? You do one four seven under pressure?

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Maybe I'd like to say the highest I've ever got
to in a one four seven is about the eighty
and ninety range.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
What's the prize, by the way, do you get a
play to trophy?

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah? I got a big trophy that I can't take
to my house, But I did get too miniature trophies, But.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
The big one's got your name on it, and that's
all that counts.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah, that stays there forever.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Good on your mate, Well done, Riley James, New Zealand
Snooker Champion sixteen unreal overnight in China. Mark Williams book
Suan Murphy in the current final of that particular tournament.
Mark Williams is fifty, so he's at the other end
of the spectrum of riley. But if you ever want
to see, if you ever want to see a style
of play, I mean, Ronnie's your ultimate and just about
every aspect of snooker obviously, But if you ever want

(03:48):
to see a guy walk a table with confidence and
strike a ball with just an ease that you wonder
how it's possible he looks that fluid, that good, that relaxed,
that call Mark Williams as your man.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
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