Fom CPS job to World Pool Championship: How Barnsley's Elliott Sanderson took the plunge into pool

Today, the 30-year-old will arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to compete in the World Pool Championship.

Up for grabs is a $1m prize pot, $250,000 for the winner, and Sanderson is looking to become the first Englishman to lift the trophy since Pontefract’s Darren Appleton won the nine-ball title in 2012.

But Sanderson’s journey to Saudi Arabia has not been straight forward.

The 30-year-old, born in Stairfoot, was reluctant to give up the security of a job with the CPS.

But in 2022, with the support of his wife Hayley, Sanderson took the plunge to become a full-time professional player and relocate to Glasgow, where his sponsor lives.

Now ranked 57 in the world, having represented Great Britain twice in the World Cup of Pool, Sanderson is enjoying his new career change.

“My wife, Hayley, is the one who pushed me into all of this,” said Sanderson, who arrives in Saudi Arabia today after competing in a tournament in Dubai this week.

“When I had a job with the CPS, and I got offered the job to play pool with sponsorship, I said ‘no’ at first.

“I was really reluctant because I had such a steady job. I had a secure life. In the CPS you have a great pension, all the benefits. To just then take the jump to play pool - which was something I really did to unwind from work, and got better at it over time - was a big move. Hayley is a great support, I owe a lot to her.

“I moved up here (Glasgow) to play pool in 2022, my sponsor lives here.

“I worked for the CPS before that, very different. With Covid, we were in and out of the office.

“I miss the routine a little bit, but I like the freedom and have great people around me now. Life’s really good.

“I like the flexibility of this life, we have just opened up a shop - selling pool equipment and things, tables, cues, balls - me and a couple of friends. Trying to future-proof if I am being honest, if that’s the right thing to say.”

Sanderson trains at McGoldricks Pool and Sports Bar in Glasgow – “I have my own table in there” – and when not travelling the globe competing, he can be found there training.

He added: “I started English pool when I was young, about 11 or 12, and when I got better I started playing county pool, represented England. I then started playing American pool.

“I was never really any good, if I am being honest, but I am just so persistent and driven. I put a lot of time in.

“Maybe I am being a bit critical of myself, I have a very natural potting style, but I am a worker too. I am not one of these who will not play for two weeks. Maybe it’s because I didn’t start playing until later – I know 12 isn’t really late – but not competing until I was probably 14.”

Similar to fellow cue sport snooker, pool is now a global sport with tournaments all over the world.

“Most weeks I do a lot of travelling, I clock up a lot of air miles,” said the Yorkshireman. “It has become a global sport. We work a lot in the USA, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia. I was in the US earlier in the year, Bosnia for the European Open, and the calendar starts to ramp up now.

“From now I am away for the next three weeks, back for four days, then in the US for four weeks. Back for four weeks, then in Asia for another four weeks.”

Last year Moscow-born Fedor Gorst beat Albania’s Eklent Kaci in a dramatic final at the World Championship.

The world No 1 will be back to defend his crown next week at Green Halls in Jeddah, alongside the likes of 2023 world champion Francisco Sánchez Ruiz, and five-time US Open winner Shane Van Boening.

“I would love to be world champion,” said Sanderson. “I would definitely take the rest of the year off. Just kidding.

“I dream to be world champion, that’s every player’s goal, but my real dream is just to win a ranking event. To put things into perspective, three years ago I was sat behind my laptop. No aspirations to be a professional. Now I am playing full-time. I am still early in my pool career, some of these guys have been doing it 15-20 years.

“Really in terms of a pool professional, I am very, very young. I never practiced full-time, always had a job, but I am ready to win.

“I got close in a couple of the smaller ranking events, lost semi-finals and quarter-finals. I feel like something is coming, and that I’m definitely on the right trajectory.

“The World Championship is the biggest event for all the players, financially.

"I will just try to treat it as another event, not trying to put any more pressure on.

“I will just go out there and do the best I can. There’s many elements in pool that you need to win. I put pressure on myself already, I work hard every day and play hard. But I only ever seem to make things worse when I put pressure on myself.

“There’s too many variables that are out of my control, so I just need to control the ones that I can.

“When it’s my turn at the table I’ll try to take advantage of it. Hopefully it’s my day and I come home with a large cheque and a pocket full of money.

“Just play the game, what’s in front of me, and don’t get too caught up in the prize money. Obviously, all the players rely on the money, but that’s when you make the most mistakes.

“You can become desperate. And in life, not just pool, when you make decisions based on emotions you generally make an error.

“From 64 down, anyone can win. Stranger things have happened, in sport anything can happen.

“The difference is mentality, everyone has the ability at that level. Some are better than others, but it’s about who can get up there, pot the balls, and deal with the emotions the best.”