William Chen, a student studying in Bristol has come up with an idea to bring people from the local Chinese community and mainland students together in the form of a snooker challenge. He contacted Nee Hao Magazine to ask if there were any such events and in turn we contacted the Bristol branch of snooker and pool club Rileys for some assistant, and they have given support to this idea.

陈璞是布里斯托大学的一名在校生. 最近他想到了一个绝妙的方法来建立本地华人和海外留学生之间交流互动的友谊桥梁 – 那就是以台球比赛会友.

于是陈璞写信向’你好’杂志提出了这个关于斯诺克友谊赛的主意, 并且询问是否曾经有类似的活动在布里斯托举办过. 通过’你好’杂志的积极帮助和联系, 他的想法很快地被赖利斯台球俱乐部布里斯托分部得知, 俱乐部表示会大力帮助陈璞, 使他的想法早日实现.

Due to studying commitments William has chosen to remain in the UK for the summer vacation. His friends have all returned home to China leaving him without his usual snooker partners to have a game or two with. As a keen snooker player and to take a breather from studying, William went to his usual snooker hall to practice on his own and this is where he met and made friends with some local British born Chinese players. He stumbled on the idea that through a game of snooker, it can bring people together and that local British born Chinese and mainland students can mutually learn off each other in a cultural exchange.

由于有学业在身, 这个夏天陈璞选择了留在英国度过暑假. 陈璞是个不折不扣的台球发烧友, 经常和志同道合的朋友们一起去体育部打台球消遣, 从而解除了不少学习带来的压力.可是这些一起搭档打台球的好友们纷纷回国了, 没人作伴的他只能独自一人去练球. 就这样过了数天的独行侠生活, 陈璞竟意外地交到了几个也喜欢打台球的BBC(英国出生的华人)朋友. 这一交友的突破, 使他产生了一个想法, 原来像打台球这样的活动能更容易地拉近人与人之间的距离, 让不同圈子里的人们毫无隔阂地交往. 也就是说, 如果能举办一场台球友谊赛的话, 就可以让本地华人和海外留学生更好地交朋友, 学习彼此间的文化.

Coming this Autumn there will be a series of snooker and pool events at Rileys Bristol for local Chinese and students to play competitively or just relax in the lounge for some food or drinks.

因此, 今年的秋天将会有一系列的台球活动在布里斯托的赖利斯俱乐部举行, 目的是为了让本地华人和留学生能更好地以球技会友, 在绝佳的俱乐部环境下竞技以及轻松地享受美食美酒.

William said ” I really enjoy playing snooker and also enjoy meeting new people, particularly the local Chinese community who I seldom interact with outside of university. I usually play with a few friends but they have gone back for the summer holidays. I met some local Chinese guys to play with and through this my understanding of British Chinese culture has increased, and vice versa. Therefore I came up with the idea of this snooker challenge to see who are the best players through competitive matches, all in good spirit and fun

我真的很喜欢打斯诺克, 并且希望通过这项体育活动认识更多的人. 跟我在一起打球的同学们回国渡假去了, 这却扩大了我的交友圈, 让我认识许多本地的华人朋友. 通过来往, 我对英国华人文化的了解更深入了. 同样地, 我现在的华人球友们对传统中国文化的认知速度亦突飞猛进. 这就是为什么我觉得有必要举办斯诺克友谊赛来增进彼此间的友谊, 这里头包含了多少的体育精神和乐趣呀 “

Rileys Bristol is situated on Queens Road in the affluent district of Clifton. They are open 24 hours, serving food and drinks with a late bar. As well as snooker, there are lots of quality pool tables, darts, and a nice lounge to relax in where sports matches are played on big screens. The club is spacious and clean and there are friendly staff on hand to explain the rules of the game for newcomers.

赖利斯布里斯托台球俱乐部靠近布里斯托大学, 就在克里弗顿区的女王路上. 俱乐部24小时营业, 还有一个提供食物酒水到很晚的吧台. 除了斯诺克球桌之外, 他们还配备了很多美式撞球桌, 飞镖以及桌面足球等娱乐活动设施. 特别的是俱乐部里面还有个巨大的屏幕, 时刻不停地播放各种体育赛事让客人们尽情地观看.

Rileys are the leading cue sports operator in the UK with over 100 clubs nationwide. The club is named after the Manchester based entrepreneur Edward John Riley who founded the brand in 1878.

赖利斯集团是不列颠台球俱乐部运营商中的佼佼者, 旗下有100多家俱乐部分布于全英各大中小城市, 为广大市民服务. 赖利斯集团是以著名的曼城大亨爱德华-约翰-赖利 (Edward John Riley)的姓氏命名. 因为这个品牌是由他于1878年创立的, 至今已有100多年的历史. 这个台球俱乐部不但享负盛名, 而其事业也经久不衰, 蒸蒸日上.

A spokesperson from Rileys Bristol said ” we have noticed an increase in Chinese snooker players which probably coincides with the fact that there were five Chinese qualifiers for the first time in the recent World Championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. We have held events for Chinese student societies and locals recently and will give our support to the Chinese snooker challenge coming up this Autumn “

If you are interested in taking part in the Bristol Chinese community snooker challenge or just want to enjoy the social aspects of it, please email:  [email protected] for further information.