New Champions Crowned at Landywood
The 2025 WDBS Champion of Champions was contested last weekend with eight winners crowned at the Landywood Snooker Club in England.
The 2024/25 season finale saw 16 top ranked players contest long-format best of 11 frame finals across each of the eight main classification groups, encompassing physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities.
Once again, the event saw a mix of first-time winners and repeat champions lift the stunning Nick Oliver Trophy which was first contested back in 2018.
Groups 1-5 (Physical)
The Group 1+2 final (wheelchair) saw a new winner crowned for the fifth consecutive staging as top ranked Dave Beaumont scored a whitewash 6-0 win against 2024 champion Tony Southern.
Competing in the event for the first time, England’s Beaumont dominated the contest from the outset, with the highlight being a top break of 40 during the second frame on his way to glory. He follows Daniel Lee, Mahomed Abubaker, Shahab Siddiqui and Southern as the champion of the wheelchair classification.
There was also a first-time champion in Group 3, as Ireland’s Daniel Kelly earned a landslide 6-0 success against Kal Mattu of England.
Victory for Kelly represents his sixth overall title on the circuit for Kelly and inflicts a third successive Champion of Champions final defeat upon Mattu, who previously lost out to Joe Hardstaff in 2024 and 2025.
In both Groups 4 and 5, there were repeat wins for English duo Carl Gibson and Dave Bolton, who overcame David Church and Dalton Lawrence 6-2 and 6-0 respectively for the second successive year at Landywood.
The number one players in their groups were largely untroubled and hit the top two breaks during the day, with Bolton notably threatening a century break before a difficult miss on the final green saw his run come to an end on 88, while Gibson compiled a clearance of 66 to establish a lead early on.
Group 6 (Intellectual)
England’s Mohamed Faisal Butt made it fourth time lucky in Group 6A as he turned the tables on top ranked Alan Reynolds with a 6-1 success to lift the title for the first time.
Runner-up in 2019, 2023 and 2024, Butt had lost to Scotland’s Reynolds during each of the past two finals at Landywood, but was not to be denied in 2025 as he droppeed just one frame on his way to lifting the biggest title of his WDBS career to date.
In Group 6B, it was 20-year-old Matthew Haslam who defeated Leroy Williams for a second successive year with a 6-2 victory to retain the Nick Oliver Trophy.
Having seen Williams claim the opener, a five-frame burst from Haslam would ultimately prove decisive as he established a 5-1 lead, before he eventually sealed the win with a super long black in frame eight.
Groups 7-8 (Sensory)
Ireland’s Dylan Rees made it back-to-back Champion of Champions victories in Group 7 (visual) following a 6-4 success against compatriot Colvin O’Brien.
A repeat of their World Championship final in Thailand, it was number one ranked O’Brien who made the early running to lead 2-0 and 3-2 at the mid-session interval, before scoring a match-high 66 to draw level at 4-4.
Rees, who had prevailed in their recent World Championship final, was not to be denied, however, as he won the final two frames to complete the successful defence of his title.
Finally, Group 8 (deaf) saw Luke Drennan become Champion of Champions for the first time following a 6-3 win against Belgium’s Kristof De Bruyn.
With both players competing in the event for the first time, the match would prove to be closely contested with England’s Drennan 3-2 ahead at the interval, before De Bruyn win the first upon their resumption to level at 3-3.
From there, Drennan found his scoring form as breaks of 58 and 38 saw him move two clear for the first time, before he added frame eight to secure victory.
World Disability Billiards and Snooker congratulates each of this year’s eight champions, as well as the runner-ups who qualified for the tournament on account of their achievements over the past two years on the Tour.
Thanks also go to Paul Lloyd and his team at the Landywood Snooker Club, for providing us with their facilities during the weekend.
