Taupō's Raymond Wolland wins NZ Masters Billiards and Snooker Championship in Tokoroa

Last weekend masters snooker player Raymond Wolland won a national snooker title. Photo / Rachel Canning

Raymond Wolland, 74, has won the biggest snooker competition he has ever entered.

Last weekend the retired Taupō man held off a field of 64 competitors to win a national snooker title at the New Zealand Masters Billiards and Snooker Association Inc championship for 2020. The competition was held over three days at the Fire n Ice hotel in Tokoroa.

A snooker player for 40 years, Raymond says he has played many smaller tournaments and describes winning the national title as "the biggest thrill".

Competitors came from all over the North Island with Raymond representing the Taupō Cosmopolitan Club. Mentored by Rob Elvin, Raymond travels to Tokoroa twice a week to improve his technique.

"We only have one table in Taupō and boy, do the guys over there [in Tokoroa] lift my game," said Raymond.

Getting through a day and a half of section play on Friday and Saturday morning, Raymond says the top 32 players then got into the championships where the competition heated up.

"It got down to the top 16, then we had the quarter-finals, the semifinals and then the finals where I won," said Raymond.

He said a handicap system was in place, "so the top guns don't win all the tournaments".

Raymond is looking forward to the playing at the national championships in Tauranga in August where competitors compete for the title of New Zealand Masters Snooker National Champion in Tauranga in August.

"If I can emulate this! But it is very, very hard at the nationals."