Street Snooker arrives in Costessey

Street Snooker at The Costessey Centre. A Costessey Junior School pupil playing the game.Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

Children in Costessey have been notching up big breaks on the new Street Snooker game that has been added to the sports courts in Longwater Lane.

The unusual addition sees players kick or throw a soft ball against a board inspired by the traditional pocket billiards sport.

Coloured shapes on the board, corresponding to the colours of snooker balls, see players score different amounts of points when they are struck by the ball.

And in between shots, players must spin a dial which determines the mark they must stand on to take their next shot.

The £10,000 game was funded half-and-half by Costessey Town Council and South Norfolk Council, and pupils from local schools have been learning how to play in special sessions.

Sharon Blundell, South Norfolk councillor for Old Costessey, said: 'It's to motivate children to get out of the house and off the Playstation.

'They don't realise they're learning while they're playing, which is what children need.

'It's something different - you're not climbing or swinging.

'It's something different for Norfolk.'

She put all of her £1,000 members grant toward Street Snooker, with a further £4,000 coming from the authority's Community Action Fund.

There are ambitions to set up a competition between schools, and for children to teach their parents so it will become a word-of-mouth success.

Children from Costessey Junior School were shown how to play the game this week.

Ollie Frost-Bennett, aged eight, said: 'I liked that you can get lots of points and you can get scores no-one else can beat.

'I like that you get to throw a lot.'

He added that he would definitely play it again.

Daisy Cooper, also aged eight, said: 'I like how it combines two sports and it's really fun.

'I think others should try it as you don't just have to kick a ball - you also have to throw it.'

Melvin Hill, PE co-ordinator at the school, said: 'It's excellent for hand-eye co-ordination and it's good practice for them to come down and enjoy it.

'It's good for numeracy too, and schools are always looking for those cross-curricular activities.

'The children took to it quickly.'

The sports courts were only used for tennis before, and there was a charge to use them.

They have since gone free to encourage more people to use them.

Gary Blundell, a Costessey Town councillor, said: 'The Street Snooker game is great for those mental maths skills and there's a competitive edge.

'Instead of pushing your kids on a swing you can get parents involved with this, that's what we're pushing for.

'It's spending time with your children in a fun environment and getting the whole family active.

'It benefits the community.'

People can upload their scores at streetsnooker.com and there are league tables by neighbourhood.