Sport
2 October, 2024
Eight-ball players ready to shine in Australia Cup
Mount Isa players will represent North Queensland in the tournament.
A late decision by Pool Victoria to not include a state representative team at the Australian Eight Ball Federation (AEBF) Australia Cup event in Perth this year has resulted in four Mount Isa players being included in the national competition.
However, players say the sport remains an expensive hobby that prevents some from participating in the more prestigious competition events.
The Victorian decision means the Queensland contingent has been divided into three separate teams for the Australia Cup competition, placed along affiliate club and geographical lines of North, Central and South East Queensland.
The annual Australia Cup is a precursor to the AEBF Nationals, which is the premier event and is held at the same location later in the month.
Four of the five members from the North Queensland side are Mount Isa players, with the remaining player being from Townsville.
The Mount Isa competitors –Adam Langtree, Jason McPhee, James Hay and Garry Cummins – will fly to Western Australia in the coming days, where the North Queensland side will share an Air B’N’B near the venue at Queens Park, on the outskirts of Perth.
The men say while they are looking forward to testing their skill against some of the best in the country at the event between October 10 and 15, the sport remains an expensive hobby with travel and accommodation costs largely coming out of their own savings.
Adam Langtree has previously represented Queensland at the 2022 Australia Cup.
He said while he enjoyed the experience, being selected in a representative eight-ball team was not always an indication that you are the best in the state, but also that you have the funds to be able to afford the travel costs.
“The cost is a real restraint – a lot of people cannot go to these comps because of the cost and the time required to leave your family for 10 or 12 days,” Langtree told North West Weekly.
“It is hard for us to get to these national events because of the travelling cost from somewhere isolated like Mount Isa.
“It is difficult to get sponsorship for pub sports even when it is at a high calibre.”
Langtree said players still earned their spot on the teams – taking part in local affiliated competitions to qualify for the North Queensland trials and then the state trials.
However, he said it was not uncommon for some players who qualified for these big events to drop out of the team due to the costs involved.
The Mount Isa Eight Ball Association has held some fundraising efforts at local competitions, such as running money boards and selling raffle tickets.
James Hay said the team had also been provided support from local businesses including, Isadraulics, Fast Scaff and the Mount Isa Irish Club.