Category: WPBSA

An Open Letter from Nigel Mawer QPM

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With the end of 2020 almost upon us, WDBS Chairman Nigel Mawer QPM has written an open letter to all of our players as we target a return to competition in 2021…

Dear Player,

As 2020 comes to a close I am writing to update you as to the current position and of our hopes and aspirations for a return to competition in the New Year.

This year has been one that none of us will ever forget due to the coronavirus pandemic and the impact that this has had upon all our daily lives. First and foremost, I hope that you and your families have been able to stay safe and well during this most unusual time.

Little did any of us know as we left Bruges back in March following a fantastic weekend of snooker at the Belgian Open that the event would be our last of the year, with the UK entering its first lockdown barely two weeks after the final balls were potted.

Following four fantastic years of growth, it has undoubtedly been frustrating for the whole WDBS team to see our progress paused as it has been this year. However, both the government restrictions in place – of which we are all familiar – and most importantly our primary concern of protecting you, our team and venue staff, have left us with no alternative but to suspend competition this year.

I would, however, like to reassure you that WDBS events will return and that as we head into 2021 I am pleased to report that there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. Most obviously, the approval of a vaccine for the virus within the UK represents a significant step towards a return to normality. Although it is very early days and will inevitably take time for this to be rolled out on a widespread basis, it is nevertheless a welcome development that we should celebrate.

Furthermore, the expected wider availability of lower cost COVID-19 testing, combined with the hope that restrictions will be relaxed over the coming months with spring and the warmer weather to come, will also help us. Our friends at World Seniors Snooker will in January hold the first open-entry amateur tournament across the WPBSA Group since the onset of the pandemic. That event will operate in a bubble environment with COVID-19 testing in place and the venue closed to the public during the event, a model that we will follow with interest.

You will no doubt appreciate the challenges faced not only by WDBS, but across amateur snooker and indeed amateur sport as a whole during this unprecedented situation. The current restrictions mean that it remains difficult to plan with certainty as to exactly when we will be able to return and it may be that initial tournaments will have run under a different format to be able to operate in a Covid-secure manner. Any major changes will of course be communicated through our Player Representatives.

But there is clear light at the end of the tunnel, and we will be back as soon as it is safe and viable to stage an event. I and the whole team are looking forward to seeing you again now more than ever.

I hope that all of you and your families enjoy a wonderful festive period and that we will see you back on the baize in 2021.

Nigel Mawer QPM

WDBS Chairman

WDBS to Partner Cerebral Palsy Sport

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World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) is today delighted to announce a new partnership with Cerebral Palsy Sport which will see both organisations join forces and work together to raise the profile of snooker and billiards and the opportunities for people with cerebral palsy and associated physical impairments.

Cerebral Palsy Sport will support our upcoming Stockport Open event next January at Hazel Grove Snooker Club and we are pleased to announce that Cerebral Palsy Sport members will receive a discounted entry of just £5.00 to compete at the event.

Several players with cerebral palsy already compete on the 360Fizz WDBS circuit, including our record 10-time champion Daniel Blunn, who recently provided a blog which will be published at the Cerebral Palsy Sport website describing his journey with WDBS and why he would encourage others to take up the sport.

For more information about Cerebral Palsy Sport click HERE.

Ahmed Storms to Crucible Glory

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Shabir Ahmed won the inaugural Disability Tour Championship at the Crucible Theatre following victories against Nick Neale and Daniel Blunn on Sunday afternoon.

The all-new event saw four of the most successful players on the World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) circuit since its inception in 2015 invited to compete in a special showcase of disability snooker at the spiritual home of the sport.

The first semi-final of the day saw record nine-time WDBS champion Daniel Blunn take on Preston’s Mickey Chambers, who came into the event undefeated having won each of his previous competitions.

It was Blunn who edged a tense opening frame, before Chambers dominated the second to force a black ball re-spot. Both having had chances to come out victorious, it was Blunn who sunk the black with an impressive long pot to book his place in the final.

There he would face Blackburn’s Shabir Ahmed, who also came through a black ball respot against fellow sensory champion Nick Neale to progress to the title match.

As with the Women’s Tour Championship staged a day previously, the final was contested as a one-frame shoot out and it was Ahmed who quickly took control and ran out as champion.

The tournament was held as part of this year’s ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship, which has seen 20 of the world’s best over-40 players compete in Sheffield this week with live coverage in the UK and Ireland broadcast by Freesports TV.

The 360Fizz WDBS Tour returns next month with the 360Fizz UK Disability Snooker Championship to be held at Barratts Snooker Club in Northampton. Enter online HERE.

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Chambers to Complete Crucible Quartet

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Preston’s Mickey Chambers will play at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre for the first time next month during a special session to promote the 360Fizz World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) Tour.

A three-time event champion on the WDBS circuit, Chambers will take the place of Daniel Lee who unfortunately has had to withdraw from this year’s event due to personal reasons, and join Daniel Blunn, Nick Neale and Shabir Ahmed in lining up at the home of snooker from 10:00am on Sunday 18 August.

Chambers, who has also represented the England amputee football team with distinction, is currently undefeated at WDBS events and is set to make his debut at the WDBS Champion of Champions later this year.

Next month’s session in Sheffield will be held as part of the 2019 ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship, to be broadcast over four days, live on Freesports. Tickets are still available for just £1.47, when purchased with a full-price ticket for a session of the World Seniors Championship, which will feature all-time greats of the sport including Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White.

Disability Snooker to be Showcased at Crucible Theatre

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Four leading players from the 360Fizz World Disability Billiards and Snooker Tour have earned the opportunity to compete at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield this August for the first time.

To be staged as part of the 2019 ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship, the session will take place on the morning of 18 August from 10:00am and feature four highly decorated players who compete regularly on the WDBS circuit.

Among those in action will be Daniel Lee, who plays in the Group 2 wheelchair category and earlier this year was named as the Vic Hartley Player of the Season in recognition of his success during the 2018/19 campaign.

He will be joined by Daniel Blunn, who was born with cerebral palsy and competes as a Group 4 player. Blunn has been a part of the WDBS family since our first event in November 2015 and has to date claimed an incredible eight events, including three during the current campaign.

Representing sensory disabilities are Coventry’s Nick Neale, a six-time winner of competitions for players with visual impairments and deaf player Shabir Ahmed, who has established himself as the dominant player in his category with six titles and was last year recognised at the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year Awards by finishing in third place in the overall voting.

The event will be the first as part of a three-year agreement which will also see disability snooker return to Sheffield in 2020 and 2021.

Nigel Mawer, WDBS Chairman said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for our players to be able to play at the home of snooker and from speaking to them already I know just how excited they are to be able to live their dream and walk out on the same stage as their heroes.

“The event is going to be a real celebration of disability snooker and I would like to encourage all of our players to come along and support those competing and make it a day to remember!”

Tickets are already on sale at the price of just £1.47 when purchased with a full-price ticket to any other session at the ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship, so book now to avoid disappointment, by phone 0114 249 600 or online HERE.

The ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship will run across four days from 15-18 August 2019 and feature several all-time greats of the game including ‘King of the Crucible’ Stephen Hendry and 10-time ranking event winner Jimmy White.

There will also be a session on the morning of Saturday 17th August held to showcase the talent on the World Women’s Snooker Tour.

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Disability Snooker Supports Paris 2024 Olympic Bid

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Billiard sports launched its bid to become part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Sports programme last Friday at a special ceremony at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Hosted by the Billiards 2024 Committee and supported by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and World Snooker, the event represents a significant milestone billiard sports’ bid for inclusion at the Paris 2024 Games.

Among those present were WPBSA Vice Chairman Nigel Mawer QPM and former world professional snooker champion Shaun Murphy, who joined senior representatives from the Fédération Française de Billard (FFB) and other international organisations to support the bid.

Billiard sports previously applied to join the Olympic programme for the Tokyo 2020 Games and three years on is in a significantly stronger position to be successful as cuesports continue to grow globally.

The first step to securing Olympic status for 2024 was taken earlier this year by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS), the umbrella organisation representing snooker, pool and carom billiards, when the formal submission for billiard sports to be included as an additional sport at the Paris Games was made with the full cooperation of the FFB.

A sport for all

Snooker in particular has a proven track record of staging high-quality international events with the World Snooker Tour now comprising 27 major tournaments around the world, with a television reach of 1.6 billion homes. The sport is played in approximately 100 countries with players from across the globe regularly participating.

The sport is strongly represented at both professional and amateur levels and under the guidance of former WCBS President Jason Ferguson and former General Secretary Maxime Cassis, was successfully included at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw at which leading professional Kyren Wilson of England won the prestigious gold medal.

Snooker’s International Federation the World Snooker Federation (WSF) has since brought together professional and amateur bodies, including women’s and disability organisations, providing opportunities for all to compete on the same field of play.

WSF President Jason Ferguson said: “Today represents an important landmark in what is a serious bid for the inclusion of billiard sports at the Paris 2024 Games. With the levels of participation in our great sport consistently increasing and new opportunities being created by the WSF and its partners for people across the globe to be able to pick up a cue, the sport has never been in a stronger position to take its rightful place on the Olympic programme.”

Following today’s announcement of the bid, next year will see a further demonstration event staged in Paris which will showcase the Olympic values of billiard sports.

For more information about the Billiards 2024 Committee and please visit: https://billiards2024.paris/