WDBS Announces 2016 Calendar

The WDBS has today announced its 2016 calendar with new events to be held in Manchester, Woking and Gloucester this year.

The announcement follows the successful staging of the 2015 Open Disability Snooker Championship at the South West Snooker Academy last November, which was open to five of the eight different WDBS classification groups.

The new calendar ensures that players from all eight different disability groups will have the opportunity to participate during 2016.

The first tournament will take place on the weekend of 19 and 20 March at Q’s Sports and Entertainment Bar, Manchester. The event will be open to groups 1-5, with full details and the entry pack to be released shortly.

On Friday 18 March there will also be a free open day at which people with any disability are encouraged to attend.

The second event will be held at the Woking Snooker Centre between 20 and 22 May. It is proposed that for the first time this will include tournaments for group 6-8 players, subject to receiving sufficient entries.

There will again be a free open day on 20 May, open to people with any disabilities.

The WDBS will also return to the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester from 15-16 October. A two-day tournament will be open to groups 1-5, with an open day for people with all disabilities to be held on 14 October.

Further information and entry details for the events in Woking and Gloucester will be released in due course.

WDBS Chairman Nigel Mawer said: “After the success of our inaugural event in Gloucester I am really pleased to announce our new WDBS events for 2016.

“We are still learning and through these events we want to understand how we can best meet the needs of our players. This is the start of a long road to create snooker events around the world for people with disabilities.”

WDBS director and ambassador Jonathan Adams added: “The announcement today shows the commitment of the WDBS to the future of disability cue sport in the UK and of fulfilling the goals that we set out to achieve last September.

“Following our inaugural event at the South West Snooker Academy we have received growing interest from the able bodied snooker tour and already we are starting to showcase how snooker is a sport for all and not just the privileged few.

“With help from our partners and new supporters we are excited to help the growth and development of snooker in 2016 and beyond.”