Exclusive Interview with Kurt Maflin

Tomorrow (Monday the 14th November 2016) sees the start of the second event of the Home Nations Series - the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast - and we caught up with the World No42 Kurt Maflin from Norway who looks for nothing less than winning the tournament!

Maflin is a former World No31, who has made 125 competitive Century Breaks including 2 Maximum 147's (he's one of the only 22 players to have ever made multiple maximum breaks), a proof of his break-building abilities.
His best Ranking Event result is a Semi-Final, what he managed to make twice (at the Players Championship 2013 and the China Open 2015), and he has conceded us an exclusive interview talking about how he started playing, his recent results and what he expects for the rest of the season!


Blog ROSBrazil Snooker: Why did you start playing Snooker and how old were you?
Kurt Maflin: I was 7 when I started playing, the reason I started playing was because of my dad he used to play every Friday and Saturday night, so I used to go with him and play for hours and hours until I fell asleep under one of the tables.

ROSB: Did you find you had talent for it straight away? How long did it take for you to make a Century Break and then a Maximum?
KM: Yes a lot of people and my father saw I had an eye for the game, I made my first Century in a line up when I was 8 and my first 147 in a line up when I was 9. I made my first Century in a game when I was 10 and first 147 when I was 11.

ROSB: Who were your idols growing up?
KM: Jimmy White has always been my favourite and idol.

ROSB: Why did you left England for Norway [Maflin was born in England but represents Norway on the main tour] and where are you spending most of your time now that you're playing most competitions in the UK?
KM: I left England because of my wife now Anita and I didn't have any sponsorship at the time so I decided to stop playing for about three years. 
I am spending most of my time now in London what makes it really hard being away from my family so much, I just hope it's all worth in the end.

ROSB: Where do you practice? What are the conditions like there?
KM: I practice in a place called Coulsdon and it's called Frames Academy. It's a fantastic club with four good Star tables, plus Marco Fu, Jimmy White, Jimmy Robertson and Michael Georgiou play there.

ROSB: Why do you represent Norway on the main tour instead of England?
KM: Well when I moved to Norway after two years I was allowed to represent Norway in the European Championships so I have just stuck with representing Norway and because I have been living in Norway for the past 12 years now.

ROSB: There's a story that says after you struggled to maintain your tour card early in your career you went to Norway and someone offered to sponsor you in your professional career if you had a Century in the Final of the Norwegian Championship, and then you made a 137 in frame one. Can you tell us more about that ?
KM: After I had been working in Norway for the first few years I was really missing playing Snooker so my wife [Anita Maflin, who's a decent Snooker player either] and I entered a Norwegian Championship where I met a businessman called Knut Pedersen, I then explained my situation and he said 'Okay if you make a Century Break in the Final I will start sponsoring you'. I made a 137 first frame and I was back playing again competitively.

ROSB: How big is Snooker in Norway and how do you rate the standard? Have it all improved with your success on the main tour?
KM: Snooker unfortunately is not big in Norway, it's not big generally in Scandinavia although there are very many people who watch it on Eurosport.
There are a lot more players that play now because of me and it's becoming slightly bigger but there is no youngsters that play which is a shame. 
The standard is not very high and I don't expect it to be when there are not many clubs in the whole of Norway and it's a relatively new sport for them.

ROSB: Of course after coming back to the main tour you've went on to make a couple Semi-Finals in Ranking Events, more than 100 Century Breaks, get as high as 31st in the World Ranking, and also became part of the very elite group of players that made more than one Maximum Break (a list that even the great Steve Davis is missing). How do you feel about your career achievements?
KM: I feel like I have underachieved massively and I'm really hoping to put that right over the next decade.

ROSB: At 33 now, I think you're still young in Snooker terms, many players such as Stuart Bingham and Barry Hawkins have found their best form after that and look where they are now. How much do you think you can achieve yet and what still needs improving in your game that you're working at?
KM: I believe I have the talent and scoring ability to achieve success, the things I need to improve on are safety - I have never been interested in playing safe and it's taken me a long time to realise you can't pot everything - and making the right decisions at the right time.

ROSB: One of your most memorable matches was your Crucible debut [in 2015] versus then Reigning Defending Champion Mark Selby, where you came from 4-8 down to lead 9(19)8 but unfortunately ended up losing that game. What are your memories about that match and how much do you want playing at the Crucible again?
KM: Yeah it is a memorable debut match, what I remember was that we both didn't play great but it was a very exciting match, I remember at 9-8 I had a good chance to win it I was on 24 and messed up position on a red but managed to pot a difficult red to the middle with the white going into the pack and unfortunately I couldn't pot a colour, I felt really good I remember thinking 'please just let me see a colour'. So I think that was where I should have won it and I should have won that match.
I can't wait to get back there, there is NO felling like it.

ROSB: This season you've already made the Last 16 in a Ranking Event and reached to the Last 32 stage a couple times as well. What are your main targets for the rest of it?
KM: As always my main target is to win a tournament, get back into the top 32 and play in the World Grand Prix and the Championship League.

ROSB: We didn't really have many information of the Haining Open (which happened the week before the International Championship with Matthew Selt beating Li Hang 5-3 in the Final) from World Snooker, but you played it didn't you? How far did you reach and how was the tournament like?
KM: Yeah I did play in it and got beat in the Last 16, the tournament was pretty good but the tables and conditions were terrible.

ROSB: You just played in the International Championship and had a great win over Matthew Selt to come through to the Last 32 where you narrowly lost 4-6 to Ronnie O`Sullivan. How did you feel about that? And how is it playing O`Sullivan as it was your first professional match against him?
KM: I have always wanted to play Ronnie on TV so I was glad to play him, I felt like I played ok and I should have won that game too but I made a couple of poor decisions and my long potting was horrendous in that game, and that's what cost me. So I was annoyed at myself for not winning that match.

ROSB: The Northern Ireland Open is the next event in your schedule, and that'll be the second event of the Home Nations series. What do you expect of that tournament and what do you think about the series?
KM: I like the series, the only thing I don't like is that a Ranking tournament is a best of 7. 
As far as expectations go I don't think too much about it, if I play my game I know I am capable of doing some damage and going far.

ROSB: Do you think Liang Wenbo can possibly claim the £1m bonus [given to the player who's able to win the 4 events of the Home Nations series] this season? And could someone else do that in the future?
KM: No I don't think Wenbo can win the 1 Million prize, not because he's not good enough it's just too hard and I don't think anyone will in the future either.

ROSB: The UK Championship is just around the corner and of course that's a Triple Crown event. What do you expect about this year's event? How far do you aim reaching?
KM: I expect the UK Championship to be a good, tough and high standard tournament as always and I aim to win as I do in every tournament.
ROSB: What did you think about the tournament opening up to 128 players with it's matches reduced to best of 11 up to and including the Semi-Finals now?
KM: I am not a fan of it I preferred having a couple of tournaments with first to 9 and 10.

ROSB: We're getting into the second half of the season and the most important events of the year are coming up. Do you feel like it's the right time to find form and do you somehow prepare yourself to bring the best out of you during this part of the season?
KM: Yes this would be a great time to find form now over the next four or five weeks, I think it can make and break a lot of players' season.
You just work hard and try and do the right things and hopefully bring your practice game into matches.

ROSB: How does it feel having all these travels around the World now to play and how do you rate Barry Hearn's work ahead of World Snooker?
KM: It can be quite tiring but I don't mind it, it's my job so no point moaning about it.
Everybody knows Barry has done a great job with getting Snooker back where it is, loads of tournaments and a lot of money up for grabs.

ROSB: You played in the World Cup for Norway last year making a team with your wife, Anita. We made an interview with her last year [read it here] and she said that playing by your side made her feel less pressure. But how did it feel to you?
KM: It was a great experience for her and we both really enjoyed. I was nervous wreck when she was playing even though I didn't show her obviously. I thought she handled herself at the big stage very well. 
I didn't feel any pressure playing with her I just enjoyed it, but I played so bad after my first game and really let her down.

Anita and Kurt Maflin

Well this is it, it was a great pleasure doing this interview with Kurt, both him and his wife Anita Maflin are great persons and I wish them all the best.

Click here to watch Kurt Maflin's 124 Break against Ronnie O`Sullivan

Kurt Maflin will play Zhang Yong tomorrow (Monday 14th November) at 10h00 for the Northern Ireland Open and then he begins his UK Championship campaign against Allan Taylor on Tuesday the 22nd November at 14h30. The Blog ROSBrazil Snooker wishes him the best of luck in these and the remaining tournaments of the season and thanks him for his time to give us this interview.

To follow the Snooker tournaments that are flying around the calendar at the moment, like Ronnie O`Sullivan Brasil's Facebook Page. Thanks for reading 😉