The Playing Field;  The Snooker Table

Snooker gained its own identiry in 1884 when army officer Sir Neville Chamberlain, while stationed at Ooty, devised a set of rules that combined the games of pyramid and black pool. The word ‘snooker’ was a long used military term for inexperienced or first-year personnel. The game grew in popularity in the United Kingdom, with the Billards Association and Control Club was formed in 1919.