A FORMER Bolton professional has established himself as one of the world's best snooker coaches after moving to China.

After reaching 88 in the world as a player, Roger Leighton became a well-respected coach in the UK before enjoying a jet-set lifestyle over the last two years.

Leighton freelanced overseas, being invited to coach in Brazil, Denmark and Serbia before accepting a trial in China last November.

And the 49-year-old from Horwich impressed, taking up the role of head coach of the Wiraka Billiard Academy in March.

Now aspiring youngsters are not only coming from all corners of China to benefit from his expert eye, some are even travelling from overseas.

“I'm now one of the top three in the world at what I do,” said Leighton from Foshan in south China.

“I came over here completely blind, with just my snooker experience, but I'm a good position because I'm established here now and I'm learning Chinese – you have to.

“It's one of the hardest languages in the world to learn, but I speak 250-300 words now.

“Most of my other students are from the north and middle of China.

They live here and I teach them, and the top-ranked youngsters in Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Pakistan come over for a few weeks at a time.

“It's been a bit of a crazy time but I've had a good 14 months or so.”

It was a bold move by Leighton to leave behind the comforts of home, especially to live in a country where he didn't speak a word of the local language.

But he soon settled and is relishing the Chinese culture. He lives nearby the ferry terminal for Hong Kong so makes regular visits there and rubs shoulders with top professionals such as Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham when they've been in China.

And not only did he get to enjoy a coffee with Bingham, he beat the reigning world champion in an exhibition match.

“I only went to watch and I know exhibitions are not like a snooker match,” he said.

“But having said that, I was the only person to beat him the whole night – and I did it with someone else's cue!

“I can still play and I love it over here. China's one of those places where you either love it or you hate it – there's nothing in between. It's a big cultural shock.

“I love the way they are, the hospitality is second to none, and I love the food. It's nothing like Chinese food in England. It's actually far more simple than that.

“China is a place that will hit you big time. I thought Australia was big but China is bigger. It's massive, it's always busy and there are so many tall buildings. They're everywhere.”

After growing up in Australia, Leighton moved to Horwich at 17 and was practice partner for local star Tony Knowles before turning pro himself.

Now he aims to help young hopefuls make the same step and arrest snooker's decline in China.

While the sport's popularity remains high there, few look like joining current world number nine Ding Junhui at the elite level.

That may change soon, though, with several potentially good prospects under his wing.

“The company I work for, Wiraka, are one of the biggest manufacturers of snooker tables in the world,” he said.

“But snooker in China is not as big as people think. It's actually declining, and they lost a couple of ranking events.

“A lot of people play snooker here, there are a lot of Academies, but there aren't many good coaches.

“My students don't go to school, they play snooker full-time. Some are as young as 11. It's a different world here.

“A good education in China doesn't mean you'll get a job. There's no law saying you have to attend school so they think 'why not take a risk and try something else?'”

And Leighton is looking to continue to guide them, having turned down several offers from around the world and to extend his Chinese visa by another year.