McNamara pockets the world title in pool
RUNCORN Cricket Club’s vicecaptain David McNamara is celebrating after becoming U23 champion of the world in pool.
The event took place in Kilkearny, Ireland and there were players from more than 100 teams from all over the world taking part. The 22 year-old was part of a five-man team from England taking part in the competition and after becoming national champion in March, McNamara was hopeful of reaching the podium.
“I’ve been playing since I was about 10 years old at my local club, the Runcorn Conservative Club, and I’ve always enjoyed it,” said McNamara.
“I went over with the England squad but we were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the team competition and that was disappointing.
“We didn’t do well enough as a team but I won seven rounds to get to the final, before winning the whole competition.
“It was unbelievable. You go to every competition hoping you’ll play well and win it and after becoming national champion I wanted to do well.
“I’ve never been so nervous though. You think you can win it but you don’t always believe it!”
McNamara was competing against full-time pool players from around the world but the modest Cheshire man said he was just a local scaffolder who enjoyed playing whenever he could.
“It’s weird playing against players from other countries as they have very different cultures,” admitted McNamara.
“Here it’s just seen as a pub sport but it’s really big over in other places. They’re full-time and they take it really seriously.
“It costs money though and I’d love to play it full-time but I’m a scaffolder who plays pool. They’re pool players.
“I have to thank my sponsor for the season, John Barton who has just been terrific. He helped pay for all my accommodation and travelling and that’s been a great help.”
The World Championships take place every two years but McNamara will be too old to compete in the youth competition again so won’t be able to retain his title. However, he has other aspirations for the next few seasons ahead.
“I want to qualify for the men’s senior national team and hopefully competing in the senior World Championships,” he said.
“It would also be fantastic to get into the top 10 players in the world too and built upon the statistics I’ve shown so far.
“To compete in the IPA professional tour, it will cost a lot of money and will be a huge investment so I really want to push to get my name out there and attract some sponsorship.
“Hopefully, I can become a full-time pool player one day,” he added. ●