Former world wheelchair 9-ball pool champion Fred Dinsmore from Dublin proved that he's right back in form when he took a bronze medal at the European Championships in Bialystok, Poland. "I won the world title in 2000, but last year, played terribly and only finished 13th. It took me a while to get over that, however I now know I'm coming back to my best," says Dinsmore. First to call him with congratulations was snooker legend Jimmy White, a great supporter of wheelchair cue sports. 

To reach the semi-finals, Dinsmore had to play five matches. "The first one against a Pole I won easily, but after that they were all tough. There were players from a lot of new countries in action and the standard is improving all the time," he says. The competition was run in conjunction with the professional championships. "It was great to be using the same tables and playing alongside names you'd only previously seen on TV." In the quarter-finals, Dinsmore played one of his best matches ever to beat Sweden's Henrik Larsson 7-2, no not the same fellow who plays for Celtic! "Henrik may not be ranked No 1 at the moment, but most people rate him as the best in the world, so I was delighted to beat him." Next up was Kurt de Klerck of Belgium. "I always push him close, but he beat me again 5-7 so I had to settle for bronze." In the final de Klerck lost to current world champion Jouni Tahti of Finland. 

The competition leaves Dinsmore ranked fourth in Europe and looking forward to a European Tour competition in June where he hopes to use a new specialist cue with a bigger tip. "As wheelchair cue sports aren't recognised by the Sports Council, I don't get a grant, so I have to pay up myself." He does, however, get plenty of support from Ger and Rita Dunphy at  Rathfarnham Snooker Club and from his employers Premier Direct Insurance. "Recently I've been practising with John Wims, who qualified for the European Pro Championships last year," he says. Fred now takes a rest before his next tournament in the New Year.

Lindie Naughton, Evening Herald, 17th April 2003