After undergoing a full shoulder reconstruction at the end of last year, Australian snooker player Hassan Kerde was uncertain if he would ever be able to play snooker again. Three months later, he secured a place at the Crucible for the World Seniors Snooker Championship 2025.
Hassan Kerde, 41, has been playing snooker since he was 19. On February 6, he defeated Matthew Scarborough 4-2 in the final of the 2025 Asia Pacific Seniors Snooker Championship, earning him at the renowned Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
“I’ve watched the Snooker Championships at the Crucible on the TV for 20 years. It’s so exciting to be able to play in front of a thousand people and have the opportunity to meet some of the guys I grew up watching.”
HASSAN KERDE
Two days after Hassan came runner up in the 2024 Australian Open Snooker Championship, he was expected to have arthritis surgery after tearing the right side of his shoulder and ripping a bicep.
The Sydney based player delayed his surgery to October 2024 to coincide with the end of the snooker season. There was a chance that he may never play again, or at least not to the best of his ability after the operation.
At the end of January 2025, Hassan took his sling off and returned to work after spending three months away from the sport. His impressive win at the 2025 Asia Pacific Seniors occurred just a week later.
Hassan said that playing at the Crucible is a big opportunity to get his name out there, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the future of World Snooker Championships at the theatre.
“In Australia the snooker scene is big, but not as big as it is here in England. If you’re a serious contender in England, you can be a snooker player full time.” He added.
As a father of five, working 60-70 hours a week as a road worker, Hassan had limited time to practice playing.
He set up a fundraising page to help him achieve his dream of playing snooker in Sheffield. He raised around AU$2000 and has had support from his sponsors Worldwide Confectionary and The Snooker Shop.
“It’s not easy to come along at 41-years-old and be a professional player like 20-year-olds, but it’s all about the experience. To spend time playing the game I love against the people I idolise is the dream.”
Hassan Kerde
This year the World Seniors Snooker Championship is being held from 7 to 11 May. Hassan will be playing on Thursday 8 May at 7pm, against Tony Knowles, a former professional English player and three times semi-finalist in the World Championships in the 1980s.
