‘The Luke Littler of the snooker world’: Meet Tommy Tornado, 9, the sporting prodigy vying to take on Ronnie O’Sullivan
Donning a waistcoat and with a cue in hand, Tommy, who lives with both ADHD and autism, has proven his passion for the sport can surmount any challenge thrown his way.
If Captain America has his shield and Superman his iconic cape, then Tommy Tornado, the child snooker prodigy taking on the pros, must surely consider his waistcoat and cue among his most powerful possessions.
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At just nine-years-old, Tommy ‘The Tornado’ Fallon is far from your average snooker player. Hailing from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, this champion-in-the-making has already taken on some of the biggest names in the game, challenging Mark Williams and Mark Allen alongside legendary champions Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
“It's a niche sport for someone so young, especially to be invited to a lot of things that he does,” admits Tommy’s father, James Fallon, who describes his son as “superman”.
“It's like a different ball game. It's a different kettle of fish compared to all your footballers, you know?”
Describing his son as “the Luke Littler of the snooker world”, Tommy, who is autistic and has ADHD, has his sights firmly set on world snooker domination.
Having competed in the World Snooker Federation (WSF) Junior Championships in Bulgaria earlier this year, he's thought to be one of the youngest players to have ever taken part.
And when it comes to his break - a snooker metric that shows a player's personal best out of a maximum possible score is 147? The youngster claims to have already nailed it in practice.
Picking up a cue for the first time aged just six, Tommy’s first introduction to the game came after he was taken to a local snooker club by his grandmother.
Since then, the young player has gone from strength-to-strength, with his talent described by snooker legend Ali Carter as "a gift".
“I put the white ball at the top of the table, gave him a cue and then he hit the white ball straight into the bottom bag,” says James of Tommy’s early gameplay. “And I was like ‘that's just a fluke. He won't do that again’ - but he did. He did it for an hour consistently.”
A nickname that stems from Tommy’s tableside antics, his dad, James, tells LBC: “When he runs around the table, he acts like a tornado. So, obviously, I think a lot of people just started calling him Tommy the Tornado and it stuck.”
“It’s a name that started a bit of an argument on Facebook, because we call him ‘tornado’. Tony Drago got in touch - Tony Drago being the original snooker player called ‘tornado’ - and he said he loved the idea that someone wanted to use his name, so he gave us the right to use it.”
However, it’s more than just his age that sets Tommy apart from the rest of the youngsters on the international circuit. Living with both ADHD and autism, Tommy has proven that his passion for the sport can surmount any challenge thrown his way.
“If I was to take him to play snooker wearing the clothes he is wearing now, he probably wouldn't play,” admits James, speaking to LBC from the family home.
Like many individuals living with autism, Tommy is highly sensitive when it comes to sensory processing. Defined by the National Autistic Society as the way that people feel and react to information received by their senses, autism can leave an individual feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated or particularly reactive to day-to-day sensory experiences.
Something as simple as fabric texture, loud noises, lights, smells or even tastes, can have a huge impact on someone living with autism.
“It’s chalk and cheese when he wears his suit; It's completely different. I’ve bought him every waistcoat, every single one of them,” James says proudly, referencing the role clothing often plays when it comes to Tommy’s experience of sensory overwhelm.
“When you put that suit on him, when that waistcoat goes on - the trousers, the shoes - it’s a different child. When he puts that suit on, he becomes Tommy the Tornado, and that's that. That’s his alter-ego. And that person walks out and that person is completely different. That person owns the table.”
Tommy’s triumphs have seen him gain backing from bodies including the National Autistic Society and ADHDUK, with his abilities proving that neurodiversity needn’t stand in the way of success.
“You don’t suffer in silence no more,” says James proudly. “It’s the 21st century. Look at it this way, Tommy could have had an easy ride if he wanted to; we could enter him into the disabled categories, which then means there’s a certain points scoring system.
“But he's never wanted to do that. He's always wanted to be in the limelight of normal society, so plays in normal leagues - which I think is good, to be fair. And at the end of the day, we let him do what he wants to do.”
It’s a view the youngster clearly shares, insisting: “I can take on anyone in the world.”
Now, the amateur snooker player can regularly be seen taking on players twice his age on the junior circuit - and putting up one hell of a fight. His goal? To become the next Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan.
“There can only be one champion from the Midlands. So when I play Ronnie, I'm going to have to tell him it's going to be me,” the youngster says defiantly.
Describing the sheer level of support shown for his son, James says even Tommy’s school have played their part by allowing classmates to learn about the sport. Tommy’s school, The Ridge Primary, have become firm supporters of the youngster, even going as far as installing a table to introduce other children to the game.
“The school has got involved,” nods James. “Some of his friends are wanting to play snooker. The school has been good - they've gone out and got a small snooker table, so when they have wet days, they can go in and learn about snooker.
“When they first brought the table, they put Tommy on the table and they had 40 children all against him. I think at last count it was 700 to 0, that was the score.
“I'm over the moon. Ecstatic for him. I just want him to do what he’s doing. I always said, if that’s what he wants to do I’ll back him. His school is behind him, his nan, his grandad, me, everyone’s backing him.
"We just want him to do well and enjoy what he does, ‘cos there’s already enough pressure there. Just enjoy it.”
Having gained support from the National Autistic Society (NAS) and ADHDUK, Tommy regularly posts coverage of his international tournament appearances to social media.
“That’s the enjoyment part of it,” James continues. “It’s watching him on the big stage - like last year, when he competed at the World Snooker Federation tournament in Morocco.”
Competing domestically as well as internationally, Tommy currently plays for Attack Snooker Club in Nuneaton. “It’s where Mark Shelby practises,” his dad tells us, referencing the former world number one. “He sees quite a lot of him at the club.”
Tommy’s skills have seen him take part in World Snooker Federation competitions around the globe - the most recent of which was in Bulgaria earlier this year.
Taking on the best young players in the game, Tommy regularly competes against juniors aged up to 19-years-old, many of whom are national champions in their own right.
“He’s played the South African champion, the Moldovan champion - who are both 19. And he’s played Riley Powell - the under 21 and Welsh National Champion.
“I was sat there in Morocco with my then-eight-year-old thinking ‘this is absolute madness’. Now he’s nine, but it makes you think, where am I going to be when he’s 16? He’ll be at the Crucible or something.”
Asked what goes through his head when he’s competing against some of the biggest players on the snooker circuit, Tommy puts it simply: “Beating Ronnie O’Sullivain”
“I met him in Sheffield at the Crucible,” he smiles from beside his dad, referencing the iconic Sheffield venue, home of the World Snooker Championships.
And what does a nine-year-old say when they meet their hero?
“I'm going to beat you when I'm older,” Tommy says.
It’s a response that garnered a laugh from Ronnie O’Sullivan, but Tommy’s dad James insists his son means every word of it - particularly given the pair’s last encounter.
“We waited 11 hours for Ronnie to come out this door when we saw him play,” James says. Explaining that Ronnie was in such a rush to leave that he walked right past them, Tommy was given “a golden ticket” that later allowed him to meet his idol.
”After signing the Ronnie O’sullivan wall, he walked up to Ronnie but refused to have a picture taken,” James recalls.
“Tommy refused to have his picture taken with Ronnie, because Ronnie had ignored him earlier," he smiles.
"He did exactly the same to him.”