The Hook Rest
We caught up with Jo Baker (No relation to Brad or Steve) to get some behind the sceenes information about the new revolutionary Hookrest.
Brief history of the company
The company commenced trading in November 2003. We started the company so that we could develop the Hookrest and promote it in the professional and amateur game of Snooker. We started with two managing directors and another came on board in July 2004, at that stage we focused on streamlining the design of the Hookrest, developing the prototypes and carrying out trials. The inventor is a snooker player and he did most of the trials. We patented the Hookrest and began raising finance through share issues, mostly to family and close friends. The first person to invest in the idea was Mr. Ben Dunne who is a famous Store owner here in Ireland, we are very grateful for that. We had started to attend professional tournaments at the close of 2003 in order to get players feedback on the new design. They were very encouraging and spurred us on. We also began the process of seeking approval from Stephen Hendry MBE at this stage.
Background
Mr. Roy Barry came up with the concept of the Hookrest, he was watching a difficult shot on TV and he decided to do something about making it easier. He then came to me with the idea, we were friends and he knew my background was in developing business, and we began refining the idea |
until we were ready to develop the prototype. This process started August 2003,and the first thing we did was have drawings made up and we had the idea patented. The prototype development stage took about 7 months, and we started searching for a manufacturer during this process and settled on one in April 2004. Then we conducted a number of small production runs until we were happy with the operation. There was constant development, refining and fine tuning of the product and process during this time. In all, the time span from idea to production was approximately 14 months.
The biggest obstacles which we faced along the way has been the initial financing of the project, and the acceptance by established Snooker supply industry of our product and the fact that it was here to stay. In the majority of cases, the shareholders are just ordinary people with an interest in Snooker and Pool. It is very difficult just hearing about an idea and making a decision to invest, but two or three people did just that, we believe they were very brave individuals and we are very grateful to them. More people came on board after we had the prototype developed and they could see the potential in the Hookrest. We also had a three year plan drawn up which is important when seeking financial assistance. |
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The design of the Hookrest evolved over a period of time, the basis of the design is found in lots of Snooker paraphernalia on and around the snooker table. We set out to make the Hookrest as familiar to the players as possible. The shaft is made from ash wood at present to give the feel of the cue, the head of the rest is made from brass and is the same length of the triangle of balls, the bridge is the usual cross piece and the leg which joins the head and the bridge is the height of a snooker ball. All of this makes for a very familiar product to handle and work with on the table.
The inventive nature of the Hookrest is that instead of taking a shot over an obstacle ball such as with a spider rest or taking a high angled shot with an ordinary rest, the Hookrest allows the player to simply go around the obstacle ball and reduce the angle of the shot. This as you may well know, gives the player more control over the white ball in terms of positioning. The head of the Hookrest also rotates, giving the player different positions, it can be used instead of the ordinary rest and can be used as a spider rest.
The WPBSA, the IBSF and the EBSA have already given their approval for the Hookrest. This means that it is now part of the standard equipment of snooker tables in all competitions and tournaments.
Player Support
The majority of professional players have been very positive about the Hookrest, we had a fantastic reception at all of the tournaments which we still attend. We have had trials by them ,and suggestions for improvement, they have all been very enthusiastic and supportive about the Hookrest, particular mention must go to Ronnie O' Sullivan (Ronnie's Website), Jimmy White & Steve Davis OBE who enthused about the Hookrest and demonstrated it on
BBC without even being asked to do it, Ken Doherty and Fergal O' Brien all of whom have been supportive right from the beginning. It has been an amazing journey for us.
Ken Doherty is fronting the Hookrest for us, not least because he is a great player, but also because he is such an amazing ambassador for the game and for Ireland, and because it was such a natural progression following his involvement at the start.
We are based in County Meath in Ireland, The address and contact information can be found on our website
www.thehookrest.com |
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