Tiny Tameside snooker star, Jude, takes the internet by storm

Tameside has a new sporting sensation - and he’s only two years old.

Little Jude, the pint-sized snooker prodigy from the borough, has gone viral across social media and even caught the attention of national and international news outlets for his incredible cue skills and his dad, Luke, says it all started right at home.

“I’ve played the game myself since I was about ten,” Luke explains. “My dad got me into pool, proper pub culture stuff, and I just fell in love with it. So, when Jude was born, I wanted to see if he’d have any interest too.”

To test the waters, Luke bought his son a tiny tabletop set no bigger than an A4 sheet and handed him a miniature cue. What happened next stunned him.

“As soon as he picked it up, the way he bridged his hand and lined up his shots, I thought, whoa, that’s crazy,” says Luke. “He started potting balls straight away. I posted a few videos online and people were like, ‘He’s actually really good!’”

At first, Luke thought it might just be a proud dad moment. But when he took Jude to play on a proper pool table at a local pub, the reactions said it all.

“Everyone was like, how old is he? When I said two, they couldn’t believe it,” he laughs. “That’s when I realised, he’s got something special.”

From there, the duo graduated to snooker and that’s when Jude’s talent really began to shine. “He can already pot shots like the black off the spot,” Luke says proudly. “That’s one of the hardest shots in the game, even for adults.”

The pair’s videos began gathering views online, and soon, Jude’s skills caught the attention of snooker fans everywhere. His first big breakthrough came after visiting Club 200 in Ardwick, one of Manchester’s newest snooker clubs.

“I reached out to them, told them my son was good, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Luke recalls. “They were lovely, let him have a go, and we filmed some shots. I created him an Instagram and TikTok and that was it. The videos took off.”

Then came the real viral moment a casual afternoon in a pub.

“Jude was showing off for my nephew, and something just clicked that day,” he says. “He was potting everything. Next thing, we’ve got messages from LADbible, ESPN, World Snooker, Sport Bible - everyone wanted to use the video. It was mad.”

Since then, Jude’s fame has continued to grow and he’s even picked up his first sponsorship deal with Baize Master England, one of the UK’s leading cue brands.

“For ages, Jude was using half of an adult cue, just the top half,” he says. “There was no weight to it, no consistency, but he was still playing amazingly. I thought, if he had his own proper cue, he’d go up another level.”

After several big cue companies failed to reply, Luke contacted Leeds-based Cue & Case, who pointed him toward a junior cue set. He filmed Jude opening it – and that video alone hit nearly a million views.

“They’d even put a bag of sweets in the case,” Luke laughs. “But Jude just pushed them aside and went straight for the cue, that’s what caught everyone’s attention.”

The video caught the eye of Baize Master CEO Rob Pearce, who reached out personally to offer Jude a partnership.

“He said, ‘I’ve never done this before, but I want to work with you,’” says Luke. “They sent him a little T-shirt; we filmed a jokey ‘contract signing’ video, it was all just a bit of fun. That’s the most important thing for me to keep it fun. He’s two years old. There’s no pressure.”

For Luke, it’s not just about viral fame, it’s about spending quality time with his son.

“It’s our little thing,” he says. “I can’t go out to the pub seven nights a week, but we can go play snooker together. Sometimes he’s incredible, sometimes he just wants one shot and we go home. People forget he is still only two!

“If I had a pool table in my house, it'd be great. I've got a miniature one, but he's lost a bit of interest in that because his mindset nowadays is I want to go big snooks. So that's not good enough for him, he wants the big table.”

The duo often practises at local spots around Tameside, where Luke says the community has been nothing but welcoming.

“All the local pubs have been brilliant,” he says. “They don’t always know who Jude is, but they let him have a go. Outside the area, we’ve had places say, ‘no kids allowed,’ which is a shame. We’re just trying to bring new life into the game.”

Luke hopes Jude’s early enthusiasm can inspire other young players.

“I hate when people say snooker’s a dying sport,” he says. “It just needs a spark, and maybe Jude can be that spark. If other kids see him and want to play too, that can only be a good thing.”

For now, Jude’s future looks bright, but Luke is keeping things grounded.

“I don’t know what he’ll want to do when he’s older,” he smiles. “But whatever happens, we’ll always have these memories together and that’s what matters most.”

You can follow Jude on Instagram and TikTok @judey147.