David Causier in Vienna

A lifelong passion for three billiard balls

David Causier

(Bild: Gernot Bachler)

Almost everyone knows snooker from television, and most people have probably played pool at least once themselves. Last weekend, Vienna became the venue for another type of billiards, English Billiards. International aces such as seven-time world champion David Causier were also guests.

Imagine coming to a tennis tournament and seeing Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic on the first court, not playing, but sitting in the referee's chair and acting as referee. Exactly, simply unimaginable!

But this was exactly the picture a billiards fan was presented with when entering the Snooker & English Billiards Bundesleistungszentrum in Vienna Penzing on Hütteldorfer Straße. Seven-time English Billiards World Champion David Causier was indeed refereeing the first table, although he is of course also taking part in the Austrian Open himself.

"It's so common at our tournaments that you always have to referee a match as well," he smiles during a well-earned break. Causier, who was born in Middlesbrough and still lives there, started playing English billiards at the age of 5. A variant that is played on a snooker table, but only with three balls. A white and a yellow cue ball for the two opponents, plus a red ball. Points are scored with a carom of all three balls or by either potting one of the other two balls or by bouncing off an object ball to pocket your own cue ball. As long as you score, you stay at the table. A match at the Austrian Open lasts one hour in the preliminary round and 90 minutes in the knockout round.

Only 15,000 pounds a year
Causier will plow through the tournament with aplomb, ultimately defeating the Indian runner-up Dhruv Sitwala in the final by a clear 719:246. No wonder in a game that relies primarily on experience. Causier has been touring tournaments for decades. Out of pure passion. Because you can't make a living from English billiards, the prize money is small. In good years, the now 50-year-old can earn 15,000 pounds, and he makes his living with a delivery service.

Dave Causier beat Dhruv Sitwala in the final

(Bild: ÖBU/Andreas Kronlachner)

"But English Billiards is like an addiction. I've tried to quit several times, but it keeps driving me back to the table." Even though he has a wife and four children. "They're teenagers now, but it wasn't easy for them when dad was away for a long time," recalls Causier and smiles: "But they were always happy when I brought them something nice."

He still trains two hours a day to stay in the groove. "You can't play billiards without training. You can't believe a snooker pro like Ronnie O'Sullivan when he says he hardly practices at all. If I know him, he hardly does anything else." Antrainier is also the fact that Causier recognizes the situation on the tables straight away. "In this game, you have to think four or five shots in advance," he explains the secret.

Pure mathematics
Six-time Austrian national champion Martin Schmidt, who is also addicted to English billiards, is also working on this. Like many others, he once started with snooker. His first encounter with the variant with just three balls was not so promising. "In the beginning, it wasn't fish or fowl for me," he recalls with a smile. But the mathematician soon found a very special attraction in English billiards. "I was fascinated by how natural it is when you let the cue ball bounce off another ball into the pocket. It's a ball that forgives a lot of mistakes."

Martin Schmidt

(Bild: ÖBU/Andreas Kronlachner)

His degree in mathematics is very helpful for his passion. "The game naturally has a lot to do with trigonometry," confirms Schmidt, who has also traveled the world a lot for this, even as far as Australia. The Upper Austrian still has a small dream: "I would love to reach the quarter-finals of a World Tour tournament one day."