Daniel Kelly Q&A

Ireland’s Daniel Kelly won the 2025 Irish Open at the SBI HQ in Carlow last month to become the world number one in Group 3 for the first time in his career.

A 3-1 victory over Peter Hull saw the 45-year-old secure a third successive Irish Open crown and achieve his goal of rising to the summit of the Group 3 world ranking list.

Since making his debut in Carlow in 2023, Kelly has won seven WDBS ranking titles and also lifted the prestigious Champion of Champions crown earlier this year.

We spoke to him shortly after his latest success on home soil to find out more:

You won the recent Irish Open to become Group 3’s world number one for the first time – how does that feel?

When I first started playing on the WDBS Tour, my goal was to become the world number one in my group. I’m very pleased to have achieved that in a relatively short time and hopefully I can continue to perform well in enough events to maintain my ranking.

You have won the Irish Open, your home event, for three years in a row now – how does that feel?

I am very happy to have won the Irish Open three times now. I believe that I am the only person to have achieved this feat in any classification group and so I am incredibly proud of that fact.

Your WDBS Tour debut was at the 2023 Irish Open – what are your memories of this event?

I remember being very nervous and not knowing what to expect from my opponents or from myself! However, after winning my first two matches in the event I began to relax, enjoy the tournament and in the final I managed to defeat a very good player called Andy Lam from Hong Kong China.

You have won eight WDBS titles so far – do any other events stand out besides the Irish Open victories?

My stand out event would be the 2025 Champion of Champions at the Landywood Snooker Club. I played very well that day and beat Kal Mattu, who was the world number one at the time, 6-0 to win the title on my debut.

How did you first discover the WDBS Tour?

I was searching online for disability snooker competitions to play in and I came across the WDBS Tour on Facebook and YouTube.

I found a video of Daniel Blunn and Shabir Ahmed playing at the Crucible Theatre which made me think that I would love to get involved and do that one day.

When did you first start playing snooker and how often do you play now?

I first played when I was 12-years-old on a six-foot table that I got for Christmas. I loved it so much that I dragged my Father to the nearest snooker hall called the Q Club in Wicklow Town, which is about 45 minutes south of Dublin.

I still play in that club today but, now, it is mainly a casino called Casino Royal with only one snooker table remaining. Having two kids makes it more difficult to find the time to practice, but when a tournament is coming up I try and play two or three days a week in preparation.

What advice would you give to somebody who is considering joining the WDBS?

The WDBS is not like any standard snooker tournament that you would enter – it is like joining a family and you will feel very welcomed. No matter what standard you play at, you will enjoy the experience as it is a very professional setup and you will be looked after regardless of your disability.

Come along and see for yourself…you won’t regret it!