A SNOOKER hotshot is proving that the fairer sex can also pot her local club captaincy.

Karen O’Dowd, 33, has just become the leading lady of the Haresfinch Social Club snooker team after being a member there for over 12 years.

In fact, the mum-of-two is the first female captain in the St Helens Snooker League’s 61-year history.

Karen received a unanimous vote from the club’s members and will now take over the role from her husband, Dave, after he chalked up an 9-year stint in the job.

Dave, also 33, said: “She’s really good. A lot of men, particularly on the away teams, are scared of playing her. Our players know how much of a good player she is.

Karen, from Carr Mill, is one of only two female players in the league and has impressed many of the snooker lads with her silky shots on the table.

The warehouse employee said: “I’m really made up and proud to have been given the chance to be captain.”

Tom Burke, Secretary of the St Helens Snooker League, is delighted that Karen has been given the role. He stated: “I think it’s superb that she has become captain. The committee love it. It would never bother me because my wife was the first ever female to play in the league.”

Tom explained the difficulties women had to overcome when playing the sport in the 1980s because of the many male-only snooker clubs.

When asked how good of a player he thinks Karen is, Tom replied: “She’s not bad at all!”