Player Information

Nickname/Web username: Burnsy (Burnsitecture)
Year started playing pool: Aug 2008 (If you don’t count the odd game during the summer holidays when you are a kid)
Current team: The Cuesters

Background

A sometimes captain of the Cuesters, John Burns has proven himself as the stand out player in his side winning his team’s internal “Centre One” shield two years running. Since joining the league, John has shown a consistent level of improvement, and has recently benefited from his continued involvement in local tournaments and national qualifiers.

Singles Information

Aspirations for the current season:
Stop throwing away so many games. To finish the season with a greater than 50% win rate. To win the teams player of the year for the first time.

Greatest pool achievement in singles:
Winning the Centre One Sheild for the last two seasons. Don’t really have any majors yet, but winning a hotel pool tournament with a broken collar bone when I was 8 might count.

Team Information

Aspirations for the current season:
Finishing outside the bottom four and getting a minimum of 20 points.

Greatest pool achievement with a team:

Honours in team competition

Cue

Make: Dark Horse MYX
Acquired: eBay
Cost: £65 including delivery
Tip size: 9mm
Who retips it? Me (With the help of the internet)

General Questions

Who, or what, inspired you to play?
I used to play snooker with Beefy up at Club 2K every Sunday before I went to Ireland and would occasionally play pool afterwards. While I was in Ireland my brother and a few of his friends and colleagues started up the Centre One team, so when I moved back I tagged along for a bit and caught the bug big time. Even though I am very competitive and prone to the odd outburst when I am playing, I don’t tend to take it too seriously, it’s usually just a good night out.

Favourite EK team you have played in?
The Cuesters – great bunch of lads if I do say so myself.

Favourite EK team you haven’t played in?
I am not really sure. I would say most likely the Entertainers, but I always enjoy our matches against the Ospreys.

Best player you have ever played against?
My experience is limited to the EKPL, but it is still a very hard call. There are good number of players to choose from. I enjoy watching people like Maximan and Mr. Wilson play because they can pot for fun, but I would rather play against Oby or Livvy as I am more likely to learn from them, even if I do get beat.

Best player you have played alongside
Not including this years Old Firm game, I have only really played alongside my fellow Cuesters. Therefore, I think I would have to say Simon Ross. When Kung-Fu Panda is on it, he is one of the top potters in the league, that and he has been our most reliable player since I joined the league.

Favourite pro players (Pool or Snooker):

• John Higgins
• Stephen McGuire
• Paul Hunter

Who is your bogey player?
Anyone who is spawny. I know I shouldn’t, but when you are playing someone who has been washing in four-leaf clovers, I can’t help but get annoyed, especially when it happens several times in a game or if they walk away as if they meant it. Luckily we have two such players in The Cuesters, so I don’t have to play them that often. (You know who you are!)

What’s the one match that sticks in your memory
This seasons Old Firm Match will live forever in my mind. The sudden loss of our friend and team-mate Kenny Brierley last year came as a great shock to everyone who knew him and as a fantastic gesture Marty Thom and Lindsay Robertson nominated Kenny’s family as one of the charitable causes for this seasons event. Even though I played pretty guff and the Bhoys lost, it was a fantastic day and Kenny would have loved the final result.

What’s would you say your best pool attribute is?
Honesty. As a ref I call as I see it and as a player I am probably honest to a fault. I am also quite partial to a nice wee long pot or two too.

How would you rate the current standard of pool in EK?
Having never played in any other league, I cannot honestly say for sure but I definitely feel there at least thirty very good players and about ten excellent players that could give anyone in Scotland a run for their money when on form, so we can’t be doing that badly.

What do you think we could do to raise the standard?
Most people in the league are happy to just play on a Tuesday, so maybe the team captains should be pushing their players to improve by getting involved in tournaments or practicing on a more regular basis.
Something I would like to see, but would probably need some thorough consideration, is a additional (separate) league for a smaller teams with more table time. I feel a lot of people are put off from playing the league because they get bored hanging around for nearly four and half hours and only getting two games (if they are lucky).

Anything else you would like to say?
Mon The Cuesters!!!!!!!