Interview | David Church

David Church secured back-to-back titles on the World Disability Billiards & Snooker (WDBS) tour for the first time in his career at the recent UK Disability Championship to become the world number one in Group 4.

A 3-0 victory over Carl Gibson in the final at the Barratts Snooker Club in Northampton earlier this month saw Church achieve a career goal of reaching the summit of the rankings.

We caught up with the five-time event winner to learn more about him and his career, which has seen the 28-year-old competing in Thailand and China within the last 12 months.

You have made the perfect start to the new season by winning both the German Open and UK Disability Championship to become the world number one in Group 4. How did it feel to finally achieve that goal?

It was mostly a mixture of relief and disbelief after winning the final. I had finally achieved something that I wanted to achieve after so many ups and downs in the game. I have proved the doubters wrong and proved that I am capable of being successful.

I have been very consistent and I knew that if I reached the semi-finals in Northampton then I would achieve the number one spot, but I wanted to do it in style and make a statement by winning the tournament and by beating a player of Carl’s standard in the final.

I am delighted and proud that all the hard work and sacrifices have paid off and I am not planning on going anywhere!

When did you first become interested in snooker and when did you begin playing?

My brother had a 6×3 table when I was young and I used to play on that but back then it was always football for me. I then started playing on a full-sized table properly when my father took me down to the club a few months after a road-traffic accident. From there I was hooked and it became my everything.

How did you first discover the WDBS tour?

I was playing league snooker in Norwich and then I was lucky enough to represent my county. A referee approached me and told me to join the WDBS tour but at that point I wasn’t sure if I was eligible. It was later confirmed that I was and so I entered the Manchester Classic in 2017 and it has been the best thing I have ever done!

What are your memories of your debut at the 2017 Manchester Classic?

I remember walking in and seeing all these players with different disabilities playing to a great standard. Group 3 player Joe Hardstaff, who has no lower arms, was slamming in blues off the spot and I was amazed by how he and many others don’t allow their disability to spoil their life or playing the sport and they can still play this beautiful game to a very good level.

I rang my Dad on the Sunday evening after reaching the final to tell him about my achievement and he was so proud. He wasn’t very well at the time and unfortunately passed away five months later while I was playing in the Paul Hunter Classic in Furth, Germany.

What is the highlight of your career on the WDBS tour so far?

There are so many but the 2023 World Abilitysport Games was so special! Thailand is a beautiful place and we were treated like top professionals.

Other highlights include successfully defending my German Open title in 2024 and becoming the world number one.

You won the silver medal at the 2023 World Abilitysport Games – tell us more about that experience.

I was fortunate enough to receive an invite and, at first, I was concerned about the financial side of it so that was a bit stressful. However, I was successful in being able to afford to go and I am so happy that I did as it was the best week of my life and I doubt anything will ever exceed it.

The people, the weather, the venue and the hospitality were amazing and we were all treated like top 16 players on the World Snooker Tour! I cannot wait to go back.

I was gutted not to win the gold but I was very proud to walk up and collect the silver medal for myself, my country and the WDBS. It was hard to have a dry eye when the national anthem was played – simply an amazing time!

You returned to Asia earlier this year to compete in the Shanghai Disability Invitational in China – how was that experience?

Once again, I was fortunate enough to be invited to go to Shanghai which has been on my bucket list since I first got into snooker. I travelled with Group 3 player Kal Mattu, who put me at ease on the journey to China, and it is just a different world over there.

We had a welcome meal the day before the tournament began and the venue itself, which was inside an old steelworks, was simply incredible with brand new tables and equipment.

I made it to the final but I wasn’t good enough on the day and my opponent deserved the victory. I was gutted at the time but with the number of tournaments we have on the calendar now, I couldn’t afford to feel down for long as I had to get ready for the German Open and I managed to put that one right.

How do you feel about the global growth of the WDBS tour, with the European Championship in Portugal coming up later this month and talk of a return to Thailand next year?

I am very much looking forward to going to Portugal which is a country I have never been to before. It is, of course, being run alongside the European Championships and from the coverage I have seen of previous European Championships I know that the tables and venue will be top class so I can’t wait for that and hopefully I can make it a hat-trick of titles!

I would love to return to Thailand as I can’t wait to go back and to see the world playing the game I love is so special to me. It gives me a purpose in life and I know the hospitality and welcome we will receive there will be second to none.

What are your future goals in snooker?

My goals are to stay as the world number one and win as much as I can! I hope to keep up my consistency and also make my first century break on the tour. I had a chance to make one at the 2023 British Open in Woking and a missed black, when there were still two reds remaining, still haunts me to this day but I keep moving and giving it my all.

Another dream would be to play in the Paralympic Games which the WDBS are aiming to achieve in the future.

What advice would you offer to a player who is considering joining the WDBS tour?

If you love snooker and are eligible then, no matter what your ability level is, please do not hesitate! There are so many amazing people on board and we all go out for meals and socialise and look out for each other.

From my own position, the WDBS has taken a shy, anxious person all around the world to play the game he loves and it has opened to doors to new friendships, new opportunities and new places. I have memories that will stay with me forever and I am so thankful for the hard work of the WDBS and what it represents.