Meet Jude Owens, the British toddler who started snooker at 2 and set 2 Guinness World Records before turning 3

Jude Owens was still a toddler when snooker became more than a game at home. His father, Luke, bought him a miniature table when he was two. Jude took to it quickly. Within a year, he had moved from the small table to a full-sized one, where he needed a step stool just to reach the balls.

Then came the records. On September 1, 2025, Jude became the youngest person to make a snooker double pot. He was just 2 years and 261 days old. The shot required him to pot two balls into different pockets with a single strike of the cue ball.

Just 41 days later, Jude added another Guinness World Record. On October 12, aged 2 years and 302 days, he became the youngest person to make a pool bank shot. This involves sending a coloured ball off a cushion before it drops into a pocket.


What makes the story unusual is how quickly Jude progressed. Guinness says he has already shown techniques such as floating bridge shots and using the rest, skills that can be difficult even for adults. He also received a special walkout at the 2025 UK Snooker Championship and has met players including Jimmy White.

How did Jude Owens first get into snooker?

Jude’s introduction to cue sports began at home when his father, Luke Owens, bought him a miniature snooker table. Luke, who had started playing snooker and pool himself at the age of 10, quickly noticed that his son was unusually comfortable with a cue in his hands.

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What began on a child-sized table soon moved to something considerably more demanding. After about a year of playing miniature snooker, Jude started using full-sized tables. His height presented an obvious problem, so he relied on a stool to reach the playing surface and position himself for shots.

The equipment may have been adult-sized, but Jude’s approach was already surprisingly assured. Guinness World Records notes that he demonstrated techniques including floating bridge shots and using the rest, skills that can require considerable control even for older players.

What was Jude’s first Guinness World Record?

Jude’s first record came on September 1, 2025, in Manchester, when he was 2 years and 261 days old. He became the youngest person to make a snooker double pot.

A double pot requires the player to send two balls into different pockets with a single strike of the cue ball. That makes the achievement more than simply getting a ball into a pocket; the shot demands control over the direction and speed of the cue ball and the two object balls. Guinness formally recognized Jude’s performance as a record.

For a child who had only recently moved beyond a miniature table, the record marked a significant step. It also showed that Jude’s unusual relationship with the game was not limited to simply enjoying time at the table with his father.

How did he break a second record?

Jude did not have to wait long for another record. On October 12, 2025, at 2 years and 302 days old, he became the youngest person to make a pool bank shot.

A bank shot involves hitting an object ball so that it rebounds from one or more cushions before dropping into a pocket. In simple terms, the player has to account for the direction and angle created when the ball hits the side of the table.

The second achievement came just 41 days after his snooker double pot. Together, the two records made Jude one of the youngest double record holders in Guinness World Records history.

The most striking part of Jude’s story is the physical challenge created by his age. A regulation-sized snooker table is built for adults, while Jude is small enough that he needs a stool to reach the playing surface. His father initially had to use bar stools when they were away from home before finding a more suitable stool for him.

That practical obstacle has become part of what makes his performances so distinctive. Rather than changing the table to suit him, Jude has learned to adapt his position and movement around it. Guinness also records him as the youngest-known person to have a snooker sponsorship.

His progress has attracted attention beyond his family home. Jude received a special walkout at the 2025 UK Snooker Championship in York, giving the toddler an unusual introduction to the atmosphere surrounding professional snooker.

Could Jude’s hobby become a future career?

It is far too early to know where Jude’s ability will take him. At his age, the most useful context may be that snooker remains something he enjoys doing with his father rather than a conventional professional career already taking shape. His Guinness profile says he hopes one day to become world champion and break more records.

That distinction matters because extraordinary childhood ability does not automatically determine an adult sporting career. For now, Jude is a young Manchester player who has discovered a game he enjoys, developed remarkably quickly and achieved records that will remain part of his early story.

His achievements also illustrate why young record holders attract such attention. Children such as Jude enter Guinness World Records for very different abilities, from sporting skills to physical feats, but their stories share a common feature: an unusual talent appearing much earlier than expected. In Jude’s case, that talent has taken the form of precise cue control, patience and an instinct for trick shots.

For now, the image of a two-year-old climbing onto a stool to play on a full-sized snooker table captures the unusual nature of his achievement. The records are official, the dates are documented, and the performances have already placed his name in the Guinness books. What comes next will depend on how Jude’s interest develops as he grows, but his introduction to competitive cue sports has already been remarkably early.