Disability Snooker, Billiards & Pool – The Most Inclusive Sport….But Are The Halls??

Update 2018: Correction to the article below, the World Disability Billiards and Snooker Association do have a tournament once a year that includes wheelchair and other players. A once a year tick for inclusion!!

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Update 2017: Here’s a company that supplies equipment for disabled Billiards players, particularly those that only use one arm. It improves the shot of the ball like a rifle sight.

‘The Sure Shot Billiards Cue Sight is an aiming device for a pool cue that can be used by most anyone but is especially useful for the wheelchair players and players forced to aim straight down the cue. Check out our website‘.

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Someone recently called BBS offices to ask if any special equipment was needed for Wheelchair Pool and surprisingly there is none. Our article on Disabled Snooker & Pool found just one piece of kit, a free standing bridge (Cannon Aid) for holding the cue one handed. There is also the easycue which seems to do the same thing, failing that holding the cue in your mouth is also acceptable for some disabilities….

As the World Masters Snooker Tournament is on our TVs at the moment and with a new comedy drama on the 80’s heyday of snooker, The Rack Pack,  set to hit our screens on BBC iPlayer 17 Jan, we thought we should update our information.

Pool, Snooker & Billiard tables are all at wheelchair height and you can see below it’s possible to play with just a normal cue…

There are also two associations you can join or just start with your local pool/snooker hall however, access to the building is likely to be more difficult than playing the game itself, as most seem to be upstairs. Local community centres seem to have tables and are probably more accessible than private clubs……..we’d love to be proved wrong on this issue!

The British Wheelchair Pool Players Association (BWPPA) has only one rule regarding equipment at tournaments, that is a wheelchair can be no more than 27″ high including a cushion. They also have a list of events all over the world the next being the 2016 European Pool Masters at The Para Sport Games in Malmo, Sweden on 11 Feb. (They list a number of hotels to stay at but don’t specify if any have disabled rooms. We know the Scandic S:T Jorgen does have facilities but they never list the grab rails around the toilet – so your guesses are as good as ours but we digress…)

The other association is World Disability Billiards & Snooker (WDBS) who held an Open Tournament in November 2015. They actually have a number of classifications regarding disabilities, you can see more on their website. They don’t seem to mix able and disabled people together which is a shame as this is probably the most inclusive sport there is, in fact being seated in a chair may even be easier than bending over a table??

The BBC also has an excellent blog in their ‘Get inspired’ series that tells you the basics of Snooker and Billiards and how to get involved whatever the ability. Unfortunately we’ve been unable to find a list of accessible Pool & Snooker halls, maybe if you know of one tell us and we’ll list it here.

Finally, do take a look at this video for some very funny Snooker moments. If you’ve no interest in Snooker etc. these will at least, make you laugh.