It was to be an exciting conclusion to the 2018 BWPPA tour at the Predator Cues British 9-ball Championship. Before the first ball was struck, four players could claim the top spot by the end of the weekend.

A wintery Aylesbury was the setting for the final stop of the season as 14 players embarked on the Wheelchair Cuesports Academy. Among them local lad Will Smee made his first appearance on the tour. The big guns of the tour all enjoyed excellent performances in their opening matches. In the early stages we saw a classic, between Roy Kimberley and Danny Luton, with Luton following up his 7-2 win over Adam Pearson, with a dramatic 7-5 win over Kimberley.

Elsewhere Daniel Lee began his campaign with a 7-3 win over Tony Southern, Lee then followed that with an impressive 7-1 win over wheelchair 8-ball World Champion Dave Beaumont. Ireland’s wheelchair World 9-ball Champion began his quest for the no.1 spot with wins over Matthew Lester, Darren Taylor and Danny Luton.

In the one loss side of the draw there was some intriguing matches. Birmingham’s Adam Pearson, beat local wheelchair cuesport veteran Chris Brown 6-3, Matthew Lester was 3-0 down against Frankie Gillen. Gillen came through a 6-4 winner, taking the last two racks of the match. Meanwhile Tony Southern and Roy Kimberley progressed into the losers’ qualifier with 6-0 and 6-1 wins over the South Yorkshire duo Gary Swift and Darren Taylor respectively.

Kimberley was to face Beaumont, who despite his heavy defeat to Daniel Lee has enjoyed arguably his best run of form since joining the BWPPA tour. In the end it was Kimberley who progressed with a 6-3 win.

On the opposite side of the draw Southern was to face Danny Luton. The match went all the way down to the deciding rack, with Luton clinching a 6-5 win.

The semi-finals were filled with excitement, as the race for the no.1 spot was hotting up. Daniel Lee knew that he had to win the championship, and hope Roy Kimberley beat Dinsmore if he was to retain his position as no.1. The atmosphere was made even tenser with the matches being played on adjacent tables.

The second semi-final between Kimberley and Dinsmore was to conclude first, with “the Sandman” rolling back the years to claim a 7-5 victory. By this time the other semi-final between Lee and Danny Luton was approaching a deciding rack. It was Luton who was to pot the winning 9-ball. Meaning that Fred Dinsmore would end the season as the BWPPA no.1 despite not making the final.

The final between Kimberley and Luton showed why both players have remained at the top of wheelchair cuesports over the last three decades. Roy Kimberley was to celebrate his first main event win for a number of years, with a 7-4 win.

In the Challenge Cup sponsored by the World Pool Series, there was a three horse race for top spot. In the opening round Gary Swift’s 5-2 win over Matthew Lester (+2) and Frankie Gillen’s (+2) 5-2 win over Chris Brown (+2). Meant that only Keith Hance could deny Gillen Challenge Cup top spot in his returning season.

Following a dramatic 5-4 victory over Tony Southern, Hance (+1) set up a semi-final with Gillen to decide who would take the Poison cue and top spot. It was to be Gillen (+2) who would take it with a 5-3 win over Hance (+1).

In the final Gillen was to come up against Dave Beaumont who had defeated Gary Swift and Darren Taylor. Beaumont took his second successive Challenge Cup with a 5-3 win over Gillen (+2).

A video of the main event final is available to watch here.

Pictures of the event can be found here in the BWPPA gallery.

The latest BWPPA ranking list can be found here.

For information on the 2019 BWPPA tour please follow us on Twitter @BWPPA and join the British Wheelchair Pool Players Association group on Facebook

BWPPA would like to thank all of our sponsors:

Gentlemen’s Night Out World Pool Series, Simonis, Aramith, Kamui, Predator Cues, Cuescore, Escape Pool Bar in Barnsley, Tiger Cues of Warrington and Fred Dinsmore Billiards

We would also like to thank long time BWPPA supporter Big Dave Knight from www.pro9.co.uk for his great support including providing our event posters.

We also are always looking to expand the sponsorship side of the tour, so if you or your company would like to become one of our sponsors, please visit our contact us page.

You too can be a part of the world’s largest wheelchair pool tour; please keep checking on www.bwppa.comand www.pro9.co.uk for further information. In addition to our national tour stops there is also the possibility of representing Great Britain in international tournaments such as the EPBF European Championship and WPA World 9-ball Championship for wheelchair players.

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Inaugural Open Disability 9-ball Championship is a huge success  

Over the weekend of 11-12 August 2018, the Wheelchair Cuesports Academy opened it’s doors to cuesport players of all disabilities for the inaugural Kamui Open Disability 9-ball Championship. It was the first event of it’s kind, hosted by the British Wheelchair Pool Players Association.

Before matches got underway, everyone who was in attendance observed a minute’s applause for Mick Langley, who sadly passed away shortly before the event took place at age 60. Langley was the gold medalist in the wheelchair snooker event at the Seoul Paralympic Games in 1988, which was the last time cue sports were included in the Paralympics.

In addition to the BWPPA tour players who entered the event, there was also two regulars from the WDBS snooker tour, Blake Munton and Josh Morrison who both impressed, joining them was the Irish Wheelchair (English) 8-ball player Liam Casey, as well as ambulant player Dave Lango.

Casey had a tough introduction to the larger table game. He came through a hill-hill opening match against Frankie Gillen (7-6) before facing BWPPA no.1 Daniel Lee, who had earlier beaten Lango 7-2 in his first match. Lee’s experience told as he beat Casey 7-1. Grimsby’s Munton started his weekend well, with impressive performances over BWPPA tour regulars Matthew Lester (7-3) and Chris Brown (7-3). Elsewhere in the early stages recently crowned wheelchair English 8-ball Champion Dave Beaumont returned to 9-ball with a 7-3 loss to Roy Kimberley.

Tony Southern came through a tense opener, with a 7-5 win over Danny Luton. Southern followed up with an impressive 7-0 win over Morrison.

It was a 9.30am start on the Sunday morning to decide who would progress from the double elimination stage of the main event. Southern and Luton were to meet again, but this time the Bristolian Luton won 7-5 to progress into the semi-finals. In the losers side of the draw Darren Taylor continued his impressive run of form beating Munton 7-2.

In the semis Lee and Kimberley demonstrated why they have been two of the most prolific winners on the BWPPA tour over the last 15 years, as Lee beat Luton 7-1 and Kimberley beat Taylor 7-2.

In the final it was the BWPPA no.1 Lee who took the title with a 7-2 win over “the Sandman” this rivalry will surely grow as we reach the business end of the BWPPA season, and into next.

A video of the main event final is available to watch here. Pictures of the event can be found here in the BWPPA gallery. 

The latest BWPPA ranking list can be found here.

In the Challenge Cup Casey had showed promise as he beat Brown 5-2. Elsewhere Lester beat Morrison, also 5-2. While Beaumont beat Lango 5-0, before an impressive 5-1 win over Casey in the semi-finals.

Munton continued to impress, with a 5-4 win over Lester in the semi-finals. In the final it was Beaumont’s experience that told in the end, as he beat Munton 5-1.

The BWPPA tour continues with the Tiger Cues Warrington British 10-ball Championship, at Escape Pool Bar in Barnsley 15-16^th September.

BWPPA would like to thank all of our sponsors:

Gentlemen’s Night Out World Pool Series, Simonis, Aramith, Kamui, Predator Cues, Cuescore, Escape Pool Bar in Barnsley, Tiger Cues of Warrington, A.B. Wallace Trophies and Fred Dinsmore Billiards

We would also like to thank long time BWPPA supporter Big Dave Knight from www.pro9.co.uk for his great support including providing our event posters.

We also are always looking to expand the sponsorship side of the tour, so if you or your company would like to become one of our sponsors, please visit our contact us page.

You too can be a part of the world’s largest wheelchair pool tour; please keep checking on www.bwppa.com and www.pro9.co.uk for further information. In addition to our national tour stops there is also the possibility of representing Great Britain in international tournaments such as the EPBF European Championship and WPA World 9-ball Championship for wheelchair players.

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Hi All

We managed to raise £100 for the Brain Tumor Charity at our last BWPPA event in Barnsley.

I’m sorry to announce that one of the old guard of disabled cuesports Terry Melia has passed away at the age of 80.

Terry was a regular on the wheelchair cuesports scene from the 70’s onwards, and a one handed player with great skill, and he will be sadly missed by all his family and friends. RIP Terry.