7 characters from billiard which you should know

The world of professional billiard is full of characters of all kinds. Players, of course, the most familiar faces, but there are other profiles of people linked to billiard that also deserve our attention. Newscasters, referees, photographers, fans or even cuemakers give color to the events of Pool or Snooker. In this week's article we highlight seven characters who love this sport and whose work help spread billiard.

1 - Rob Walker (speaker)

A showman since 2007 encouraged most prestigious snooker tournaments. He is the official speaker at World Snooker Championship who presents players before they go to the arena and who awarded them the funniest motes. In addition to host sporting events, Walker is a great athlete: he has completed five marathons and now he swims long distances.

2 - Ron Florax (cuetracker)

Without leaving snooker, we pass from the official speaker to the the documentary filmmaker par excellence. Ron Florax is responsible for a massive database that collects information about Snooker players, tournaments and results: cuetracker.net. This platform is basically the history of snooker in figures, as there are data from 1908 up to nowadays.

3- Jean Philippe Parmentier (photographer)

JP Parmentier is the official photographer of the most important Pool tournaments of the World, like the World Cup of Pool, the World Pool Masters or the Mosconi Cup. This French billiard lover has captured unique moments of billiard for more than a decade. You can see the spectacular photos on Facebook.

4- Michaela Tab (referee)

Michaela is the most famous referee at Snooker professional circuit, although he has not practiced since March last year when he decided to leave because of disagreements with World Snooker. In addition to arbitrate, the Scottish biologist and sociologist has also been Pool player many years, so he knows the game perfectly.

5- Jim Wych (commentator)

If you have seen Pool tournaments at Sky Sports I’m sure you would recognize his voice instantly. Jim Wych has commentated Pool and Snooker games for over two decades. He was also professional and good billiard player. He beated Stephen Hendry in the British Open and his highest break in competition is 138. At training he has made several 147.

6- John Parris (cue maker)

Having a Parris has become the dream of many snooker billiard players. That is thanks to the good work of this man, John Parris, who makes handmade cues with the best woods and elegant designs. It is amazing to see the entire manufacturing process, from choosing the square block of ash until it ends in the hands of Ronnie.

7- Willie Mosconi (master)

And we close this compilation of great characters of the world of billiard with one that will always remain in the memory: Willie Mosconi. "Mr. Pocket Billiards "was a Pool professional player between 1920s and 1960s and one of the great promoters of billiard in the United States. After a long career at billiards, he died in 1993 and the following year the tournament that every season pays tribute to him was created: the Mosconi Cup.

Write in the comments what other characters in the world of billiard you think deserve another post highlighting their work.