He is the “bad boy” of Thai snooker. He lacks discipline and there are questions hanging over his commitment to the game. But despite all that, chubby Boonyarit Keattikun is the Kingdom's latest hero at the moment.
Boonyarit Keattikun poses with his World U21 Championship trophies in Bucharest.
The 19-year-old from Nakhon Nayok rose to the occasion when Thailand needed him the most, helping them record a historic sweep at the world youth event in Bucharest last week, producing a performance that will remain etched in the memory of many for a long time to come.
There are plenty who would love to see him snookered for good, but there are also those who have kept the faith in Boonyarit, hoping that he would live up to the promise he has shown glimpses of throughout his short career.
Both sides have a point; this rotund young player has always been a divisive character.
Boonyarit lives a life that is full of contrasts. On the one hand he seeks glory in a discipline that, above all else, calls for perfect self-control and gentlemanly conduct at all times. On the other he burns rubber on the streets while taking part in motor races that have never gone down well with the country’s law-enforcement agencies.
“I have a gift for snooker and I have known this for a long time,” Boonyarit said. “However, there is another soul living inside me that seeks thrills and excitement.
“I know there is no future for me in car racing. I may be fearless when on a race track or street, but I don’t have the resources to modify my pick-up truck to match the others.
“I have won a few races organised at makeshift arenas in different provinces but my earnings from these were barely enough to pay for the expenses incurred by my participation in these events. Elsewhere, it is always a loss of money but it still gives me a kick.”
The immensely talented player is known for his prolific potting.
The talented Boonyarit, however, has reaped rich harvests in snooker competitions where he has had six-figure paydays, so much so that by the age of 17 he already owned two pick-up trucks with one of them being reserved purely for racing purposes only.
There should be another windfall for the player when he gets rewarded for his victory in the BSF World U21 Championship, where he became only the third Thai to bag the title after Noppon Saengkham (2009) and Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon (2011).
With Siriphaporn Nuanthakhamjan having captured the girls’ crown by beating Nutcharat Wongharuthai in an all-Thai battle, the spotlight moved on to Boonyarit's bid to win his final against former professional Jamie Clarke of Wales and ensure the first clean sweep by any country at an International Billiards and Snooker Federation tournament.
He had been in fine form throughout the tournament as he accounted for the scalps of Chinese favourites Zhao Xintong, who he routed 6-2 in the quarter-finals, and Wang Yuchen, who the Thai whitewashed 7-0 in the semi-finals.
Despite this, Boonyarit, the three-time national youth champion, entered the final as an underdog and it went down to the wire against the experienced Clarke. The Thai needed a break of 53 in a pressure-pot situation in the deciding 15th frame to claim the match and the trophy.
Boonyarit hopes that this will mark an end to a highly turbulent phase in his life.
“First, I thought I would be recalled to join the national academy in March for training and then there were objections raised whenever I was picked to play for Thailand in an international event,” he said
“One week before leaving for Bucharest, I was lucky to escape unhurt from a nasty road crash that left my pick-up truck badly smashed and I needed over a hundred thousand baht to get it repaired.”
Now that he has qualified to play on the lucrative world professional circuit, Boonyarit says his days of seeking street adventures are over.
“I simply hope that I can get the necessary sponsorship to play on the professional circuit and get away from everything that has been impeding my progress,” he said.
“It's like a dream come true. It's time for me to change myself and get my mind set on excelling in snooker alone. Moreover, it is time to pay back those who kept faith in me.”