WDBS Classification Guide: Group Five

Today resume our look at the World Disability Billiards and Snooker classification system, used to determine which players are eligible to play in each of our events.

This week our attention turns to the group five profile, the final group of the three encompassing ambulant players who have a physical disability.

• Group one classification explained
• Group two classification explained
• Group three classification explained
• Group four classification explained

WDBS Disability Classification

The WDBS classification system comprises 36 individual profiles, which have then been allocated to eight groups, used to categorise events.

The system has been taken from the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) profile toolkit and revised to suit snooker and billiards.

Group 5 (profiles 16, 22-25, 29-30)

Profile 16: One upper limb is severely impaired.

Profile 22: Both arms slightly impaired or amputated below the elbow.

Profile 23: One leg has slight impairment.

Profile 24: One arm slightly impaired or amputated below the elbow.

Profile 25: Very short stature (at least 12 inches (30.5cm) shorter than average.

Profile 29: Severe to moderate weakness in both shoulders.

Profile 30: Severe to moderate weakness in trunk.

Together with groups three and four already covered in previous weeks, group five also applies to ambulant players (ie players who can walk) and is made up of six disability profiles (22-25, 29-30), plus the ‘either/or’ profile 16. Players falling under profile 16 with orthosis/appliances will also be classified as group five players.

At WDBS events held to date, group five players have competed together with group four players in competitions. Of the three ambulant groups, players who fall under group five are the least affected by their disability when playing across all groups

Among the group five players to have taken part in WDBS events so far is Zena ‘Zee’ Latcham, a former three-time British Disability Snooker champion, who was involved in a car accident in 1985 that resulted in the amputation of her lower left arm.

Following this, she looked locally for disabled sports and in 1990 began to play snooker for the first time. More recently, she learned about the WDBS through social media and competed at her first event in Manchester earlier this year.

Open Disability Snooker Championship 2016

We have looked at five groups (1-5), with players from all now eligible to play at the 2016 Open Disability Snooker Championship in Gloucester next month. You can read more information about the event, including how to enter here.

Next week we turn to our group six classification which includes players with intellectual disabilities.