The former New Zealand No1 collected yet another South Island pairs title last weekend. No surprise there; he is a magician with a cue.
He combined with New Zealand’s leading snooker player, Mark Canovan, to win the title in Christchurch last weekend.
The pair dropped just the one frame during the tournament so it was an utterly dominant display. And Hale has previously teamed up with fellow Otago snooker player Alan Gill to win the title 11 times since 1995.
His 12th title was not exactly a shock result given his track record. But what is remarkable about Hale’s story is he gave the sport up 20 years ago.
He has barely played any snooker in the intervening years other than to set aside three days each year to play in the tournament.
"It is pretty much the only tournament I’ve played in during the last 20 years," Hale said.
"It is my only sort of avenue to get away because I don’t sort of go away anywhere else. It is pretty much just work and I’m a family man."
Asked how he was able to perform to such a high standard with minimal effort, Hale responded, "I have absolutely no idea."
"If you have a certain amount of natural ability you can get yourself up."
Hale was the No-1 ranked New Zealand singles player in 1996 but retired the following year. Life just kind of got in the way. An orderly at Dunedin Hospital, his weekends revolved around work. Family came a little later and his singles career was no longer a priority.
But he made sure there was a gap in his calendar to play in the South Island pairs with his mate Gill. But with Gill now retired, Hale called on another friend in Canovan.
"I went looking for another partner and my mate just happens to be the current New Zealand No1. He has never played a pairs tournament in his life but he definitely played a hell of a lot better than I did."
Hale was drawn into the sport as a child. His family had a pool table at home and a trip to the snooker hall sealed his love of the sport.
He left school to work in a snooker hall when he was 17 and that is where he honed his skills. He practised a lot back then and went on to play internationally.
He played in the under-21 world championships in 1990 and the world amateur championships in 1996.
He travelled to Thailand to play in the Asian Open and played in test matches against Australia.
"The plan early on was to turn professional and my mate Mark actually did turn professional in the early 1990s.
"He went overseas to try his hand but it is pretty hard."
Hale is contemplating making a return to singles and playing a bit more often. He is considering playing in the New Zealand Open in Christchurch in October and may even have to practise a little if he decides to compete.
"I suppose I’d be a lot better than I am if I did practise."
