Nickname - Big Dave

Age - April 1963 - you work it out!

Years Playing - 7 years

Home Club - Chichester

Favourite Club - Mickey Flynns because they love and promote 9-Ball, have great staff, and pay attention to the customer experience. Waterlooville Snooker Club because they do innovative stuff with 9-Ball competitions. Kirkcaldy's Ambassadeur Snooker Club because they've got the most beautiful snooker club in the country. Victoria Riley's because you can often watch some big money action going on there late at night.

Playing cue(s) - I love my Meucci cues I've got a matched pair of white Power Pistons. PP4 for playing and PP3 for breaking. I took a hacksaw to my old Meucci cue to make a Meucci/Frankenstein jump cue (wish I hadn't cut up that old cue sometimes).

BPPPA/UK Tour Ranking - UK Pro 9 Ball Tour 39

Titles - BIG

Occupation - Freelance Corporate and Broadcast Graphics Operator/Designer for 20 years.

Sponsor(s) - This space for rent as they say.

Favourite World Player - Everyone loves Efren Reyes because of his extraordinary ability. To make the most outstanding shots - to win at his age - and for that great smile.

Favourite UK Player - I tried answering this question and to be honest, it started to become a list of everyone who's ever touched a cue. "To watch playing - Steve Knight for his knowledge of the game. Imran Majid because he's a great ambassador and his dedication to the sport." On and on it would go, they all have good and bad points, but I count them all as friends and I admire all of them really.

Why you started playing 9-Ball - Pool has been in my life since I was a kid of 15. My friends and I would bluff our way into a pub, have a pint and play pool. Actually I played so much pool that after a while, I'd often be on the table all night with the "winner-stays-on" pub rule. Then came pub teams and then, all of a sudden I'm commuting to London to play in a Tuesday team and then to Portsmouth to play in a Thursday Team!!!

Obviously I was hooked, but one day a friend from Portsmouth invited me to a Bowl-plex where they had some "new" tables. We walked in and the tables were huge like nothing we had ever seen before. We were going to give it a try apparently, but there was a crowd of people around the main table, and two very smart players in waistcoats battling it out.

One guy was playing the most outstanding shots I'd ever seen (I'd never even dreamed of a masse shot until then, and the other guy was just unbelievable). He never seemed to miss. We watched the entire game until it was finished, awe-struck and amazed by such a stunning display of quality pool.

It was a UK Pro 9 Ball Tour final, and the two players were Tommy Donlon and Ray Allard. It really was a terrific match. Donlon was playing some of the best pool of his life, and it was Allards home club, and he was at the height of his trick-shot prowess. We were so impressed that we bought American pool cues within the week and I've never played English Pool since.

Ray turned out to be a local player and over the years we've become great mates, travelling to Las Vegas and Baltimore for his trick-shot competitions.

I've been playing 9-Ball Pool ever since!

How often do you practice - Last year I practised about 8 hours a day. Sometimes I'd play a tournament in the evening and then I might play after that too, and the day would fly by until I counted the hours played and it might have been 16 hours. I think it may have been too much, and to be honest I was sick of practising so much by the end of the year. This year I've hardly practised at all, and I am sliding slowly down the rankings, but I gave it a good crack last year. Not many people even get the chance to play that much, so I was very lucky to have been able to apply myself so wholeheartedly.

Your 2004 9-Ball Ambition - My ambition doesn't lie in the field of playing the game, and I don't honestly know where it does lie either. I'm having a break from playing the game at the moment, and really enjoying writing the match reports and various articles for the Pro9 web site.

Your Career 9-Ball Ambition -

Your biggest 9-Ball Achievement - Mainly local handicapped event wins - getting my picture in the local paper. Regularly qualifying for the last 32 on the Pro Tour events last year. Being 3-0 up against Tony Drago in a Pro 9 Ball Tour event.

Your biggest 9-Ball Disappointment - Completely losing my "bottle" and getting beaten 9-3 by Tony Drago after being 3-0 up. LOL

Best tournament you have played in -

Hobbies - I'm a treasurer for an Internet gaming "clan" and I play defence in international league matches. (I bet you didn't know that.) Generally messing around on computers is entertaining me at the moment, although I love swimming, scuba diving, sailing, travelling, eating, cinema, paintball, theatre, driving and accurately measuring things. I collect novelty billiard inventions like laser cues sights and rests with wheels and other pool related junk.

Any superstitions - I have a new superstition after every game, If I have a cold and I win a match, I want to have a cold next time I play too. It obviously makes you play better!

Friendliest player on Tour - I hate these questions. How did everyone else choose people for these nominations. Won't someone be hurt if they don't get a mention. Should I feel obligated to choose someone who put me as a "good guy" on their profile. Lord I don't know. I guess I haven't quantified my friends like that. There isn't an answer to this question in my book!

Funniest player on Tour - Andy Esgrove has a very quick wit, which I enjoy immensely. I wish he had written the answers on this profile. Then it would have been amusing instead of long-winded.

Most helpful player on Tour - Honestly, I know I'm six and a half feet tall and as big as a house, but I'm really a little bit shy and I'm embarrassed to see that more than a couple of people have put me in this spot. Lord knows what for. I've had to have a drink to fill this form in. I'm still stuck for an answer.

Most naturally talented player on Tour - You see I don't believe in this natural talent malarkey. All talent is learned and practised and paid for in full. Some players make it look like they were born with a genetic predisposition for potting balls, but it just isn't true! When they get into the zone, where time flies and you can hardly remember much of the game, everybody is a natural.

Most irritating player on Tour - This is a truly rotten question to ask, and I don't think anyone would seriously single out someone and name someone in this section. All players have their good and their not-so-good points, including myself. However, Players that don't sit/stand still while I'm shooting really get up my nose.
(A herd of Elephants could stampede past the table and I wouldn't bat an eyelid, but if my opponent is disrespectful, I find it very difficult to ignore although I do try!)

Biggest money match played - You know, I didn't realise until I read this question that I've never played for anything other than a "friendly" wager. I guess to be honest I'd feel guilty if I won a large amount of money from a friend, but even more importantly, I'd feel worse if I lost a load to mate.

What do you do on Pro9.co.uk - Write the longest, most detailed match reports in recorded history!

Anything else you want to add - Sorry it's so long!!! LOL :-)

Mail me here.