A STROUD born furniture maker has invented a brand new game at the Hog in Horsley. 

Developed mostly during lockdown, Carrooka is a spinning wooden table-top game that combines the traditional Indian game of Carrom with the strategy and skill of Snooker.

Stroud born carpenter Jack Furnival who co-founded Stroud Furniture Makers some 30 years ago, is aiming to take the world by storm with his newly invented game.

“I’m a keen, but fairly amateur Snooker player,” he explained.

“I came across the game of Carrom when I couldn’t play Snooker in my local pub during the Covid closures.

“It turns out that the roots of Snooker can be traced back to this Indian game which is incredibly popular throughout Asia. I started to invent a brand new game that builds on this tradition.”

Over the past twelve months Jack has fully developed Carrooka- it’s a spinning wooden board where players flick counters into pockets, build points and outwit their opponents.

It is full of strategy and skill but great fun and perfect for those who love traditional games.

Still a “Stroudie” at heart, Jack is bringing his invention to The Hog at Horsley and hopes that this will be the start of the Carrooka revolution in Gloucestershire.

Jack, now based in the Staffordshire Moorlands, carefully crafts every Carrooka board by hand, and is hoping that Carrooka will grow to gain the same worldwide popularity as Snooker.

“When I heard about Carrooka from Jack’s nieces, Martha and Dora Furnival who both worked for me in the bar, I knew this was going to be a great addition to the pub,” said Luke Honeychurch, landlord of the Hog.

“We haven’t got space for a Snooker table, but we’re passionate about keeping the tradition of bar games alive and Carrooka seemed like the perfect solution”.

The Hog are hosting a Carrooka launch on Wednesday, December 1 at 7pm as one of their regular monthly game nights.

“We’re excited to be at the start of this innovation and hope to inspire other local pubs to get Carrooka boards as well so that we can have some friendly leagues and competitions”.

Keen game players are invited to pop along to the Hog for the launch event, or at any time afterwards, to be among the first in the world to play Carrooka, an invention with its roots firmly in Stroud.