Okay, I admit, I had a misspent youth.

My late teens were spent mostly in the back room at the local pub potting red and yellow balls.

I was one of few girls who played pool, and I liked nothing better than beating a man, which I often did.

A couple of decades have passed since I last took up the cue and picked a colour, so when I got the opportunity to play again, I got quite excited to say the least.

Even more thrilling, was the news that my opponent at Chalks Snooker Club in Sunbridge Road was to be former England player and past North of England champion Harris Ali.

I got a warm welcome at the club, which opened 25 years ago, and has two spacious floors of snooker and pool tables. Manager Sam Mann introduced me to Harris, whose awards over the years are too numerous to list, yet who remains modest about his achievements.

Harris qualified for the England team twice – once being the first player in Yorkshire to do so. “I played between 15 and 20 matches for England,” he says, going on to describe one of his most treasured memories. “It was the 1991 home international at Butlins in Ayr, Scotland. We were drawing at 15 apiece and I won the last match. We were mobbed by 2,000 fans – it was unbelievable.”

Harris starts out by reminding me how to set up the triangle ready for the break, with a certain configuration of colours, most alternate, but not all. This is according to the World Rules, laid down by the World Eight Ball Pool Federation.

The object of the game is to become the first player to pot a group of colours in any order and in any pockets, and then pot the ‘eight ball’ – the black – in any pocket. First of all, Sam finds a cue to suit my height and stretch. “That is very important,” says Harris. “When playing, the cue becomes an extension of your arm. You have got to feel comfortable with its weight and length.”

We line up the ball to break and Harris readjusts the fingers and thumb on my left hand, to enable the cue to slide freely, yet not wave around.

“A trick of the trade is to look at where the overhead lighting reflects on the ball – you can use that as a marker as to where to hit it.”

Tips fly thick and fast. “The lower you hit the ball, the further back it will come after hitting the target ball.”

Harris reminds me to chalk the end of the cue for better control. “If you are playing a fast shot and two shiny surfaces come together they will slide off each other.”

I used to think I was a fairly good player, but against someone of Harris’ calibre, the many flaws in my game are obvious.

I think first and foremost about potting balls. With each pot, I have a look at what I can hit next. Harris thinks of more than one shot at a time – he knows where he wants the cue ball to end up, and makes sure it stops there. Watching him is amazing – he can clear the table in no time. Sam said: “In pool you will find 100 people who can pot balls, but the difference with Harris is he knows his way around the table, he knows the patterns that can emerge. After a break he will know how to clear up – he will be looking at potting the last ball.”

Under the new World Rules, which were updated recently, once a player pots a ball he or she can select any colour.

Harris, 50, began playing snooker aged nine. “I used to play at the youth club in Green Lane,” he recalls, adding modestly, “I think I had a natural aptitude.”

He was 16 when he first set eyes on a pool table. “I remember, it was a Sunday afternoon and my brother had taken me to the former Belle Vue pub on Manningham Lane. Being used to snooker tables, I thought ‘crikey, this game is easy’.”

He took it up with gusto and has not looked back. “I have been in love with the game ever since,” he says. “There are times when you get frustrated, but the enthusiasm has always been there.”

Playing a quick game against Harris is a challenge, as both me and T&A photographer Lucy Ray – herself a decent player - found out.

Harris plays in his spare time, working as a delivery driver during the day. Three nights a week he plays matches in Halifax Invitational Pool League, and practises on Saturdays.

A month ago he reached the quarter finals of the Wakefield 9-Ball Open against players from across the UK.

He is, he stresses, indebted to Chalks and to Sam, for the support the club has given him. “Without their backing I would not have achieved all of this, they have helped me so much, and let me practice as much as I want.”

Before I leave I take a look at a photo album, showing Harris with his many trophies. An England team photo has him looking very smart and confident.

He enjoys competing. “I find it relaxing - some people fret and worry under pressure. I get a buzz from it.” Over the years, he amassed so many trophies - he won the Bradford & District championship many times - he ran out of room in his Barkerend home. “I removed the plaques and had them made into a picture montage, then gave the cups to a friend to give to up-and-coming young players,” he says.

I learn a lot in the hour I spend at the club, and wish I could transport myself and my newfound skills back to the late 1970s and our village pub. Had I known then what I know now I could have wiped the floor with the best of them.

  • Chalks Snooker & Pool Club, 149 Sunbridge Road, Bradford BD1 2NU. Membership is free to over 16s. Juniors are welcome with parents. Table fees are £2 per hour. The club is open 24 hours a day, with hot food and a bar. For more details ring the club on 01274 770108.