There’s not many amateur snooker players that can say they’ve beaten a world champion, but that’s exactly the feat Ballynahinch native Mark Gibson accomplished 40 years ago.
Dennis Taylor, fresh from his famous 1985 World Snooker Championship final win over Steve Davis, made an appearance at an exhibition event held at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel in May of that year. The event was organised by local snooker legend Seamus McGivern, a longtime friend of Mark’s.
Taylor contested frames against McGivern, John Weston, Conn Baker, Barney McKibben, Paul Ferris, Marty Morgan, and Emmanuel Byrne, before taking on Mark in his final game of the night.
Mark defeated Taylor 67-63 on the final ball of the final frame, but he’s modest when recounting the victory, believing the former world champion might have given him a shot or two on the night.
“I missed a few pots I shouldn’t have missed and he missed a few he shouldn’t have missed as well. He was quite accommodating for me, I’d say he maybe let me win! But it was a great night, something that you’d never think you’d get the opportunity of doing.”
At the time, Mark was the reigning World and All-Ireland Wheelchair Snooker Champion, and less than a year earlier had won gold at the 1984 Paralympic Games held in Stoke-Mandeville.
Seven years before the win over Taylor, at the age of 17, Mark was paralysed following a car accident. The former Ballynahinch High School student — a keen golfer who also played soccer, rugby, and basketball before the accident — decided to take up snooker during his recovery.
“My father got me a table to practice on, because there was nowhere in the town (Ballynahinch) suitable for a wheelchair. All the snooker halls were upstairs. Seamus (McGivern) used to come out and practice with me,” Mark explained.
Mark got used to the green baize fairly quickly, and it played an important part in helping him get his life back on track after the accident.
“There’s no doubt about that – you need an interest in life. You need something that will get you out there, you need something to keep you going. That’s why a lot of disabled people take up a sport, you need something to do,” Mark said.
On top of his All-Ireland, World, and Paralympic titles, the Ballynahinch man also won the British Disabled Open six times.
In the full article Mark goes on to explain why and how he moved over to playing golf and winning the British Handigolf title multiple times.
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