We all know the old cliché ‘like father like son’ – for one local snooker mad family it couldn’t be more true.

Tommy Hannan has graced the local snooker scene very successfully for over 20 years now and son Jonny is following in his footsteps.

Tommy took up the game rather later than they do nowadays, in fact he was 17-years-old when he first picked up a cue at Beechwood WMC. Tommy was a natural and in no time at all the century breaks began rolling in.

One of his more notable centuries took place in the Beechwood club where he was giving 50 start for a fiver – maybe not a fortune but an awful lot when you don't have a fiver if you lose!

It hardly mattered as Tommy accepted the challenge, picked up a rack cue and promptly cleared the table with a 128 break.

Tommy’s achievements are numerous, twice CIU champion, the last in 2012 some 20 years after his first success, All England Championship Team winner, All England individual quarter finalist on two occasions and this year’s Blackburn with Darwen small tables individual champion.

Tommy actually hung up his cue for a couple of years until a certain eight-year-old began to show a keen interest in the game.

The youngster's name? None other than his own son Jonny.

Jonny began picking balls out for his dad down at Beechwood and quickly showed he was as much a natural as his father was.

He was soon playing regularly and was guided in his early playing days by George Holden, himself a gifted local player and century maker. Jonny’s improvement was rapid and at age 11 he won the North West Junior Snooker title.

He has continued to improve and is learning his craft in some tough schools, competing in as many pro-am events as he can find.

To date he has won two of these events but he feels his greatest success was his win earlier this summer in the inaugural Blackburn And Darwen Individual Snooker Championship.

This event saw him compete against the crème de la crème of local snooker in a gruelling 10 week qualifying tournament before reaching the knockout stages. (Incidentally, dad was knocked out in the quarter finals). To date, he has a highest break of 135 yet he was still disappointed to lose early in the small tables comp his father Tommy won last season.

Jonny’s ambition burns bright but he knows he is young, having just turned 20 he realises he still has plenty to learn.

His immediate goal is to take on dad in competition and gauge how far he has come.

His wish is about to be answered as small tables champion Tommy will face large tables king Jonny in a Champion of Champions match at Longshaw SSC.

The match take place on Tuesday October 7 at 8pm and family bragging rights will mean more to the competitors than the trophy!