Snooker Legend Davis Surprises Fans With Visit

A group of adults with learning disabilities have spent the day with their snooker “hero” as part of a surprise visit.

Retired snooker player Steve Davis dropped in to Apsley House in Bristol to play with residents who are huge fans of the sport.

Staff at the supported living space, which is home to 14 residents, organised the visit of the former world number one.

“It’s really nice to meet people because then all of a sudden you stop being their hero and you become their friend, which is far more important,” Mr Davis said.

Paul has been living at Apsley house since 1993.

He is a keen snooker player and frequently practices his skills at the pool table in the dining room.

He used to watch Mr Davis play on TV and said he was shocked to see his “hero” walk through the door on Wednesday.

“He’s a legend… I couldn’t believe it,” Paul said.

Fellow resident Adrian first got into snooker 11 years ago and has participated in local tournaments.

“What I like about pool is you get to meet different people,” he said.

“I met Steve Davis today and he’s a top man, a top snooker player and also he’s very good at doing his BBC commentary on the snooker.”

Adrian added that he was “glad” to have played a game with the “legend”.

Mr Davis said it was “lovely” to be described as a hero by others.

“You don’t really realise over the years what people have been watching or how they perceive you,” he said.

“It’s a lovely thing when you realise immediately that you’re amongst friends.

“The barriers are down and that’s really nice. It keeps your feet on the ground… I don’t think you realise sometimes how important it is to be one of the lads,” he added.

Mr Davis also complimented Paul and Adrian’s snooker skills, adding that there was “some good talent” in the room.

Bex Skinner, the service manager from Hft, the charity that runs the house, said the visit had been “fabulous”.

“To have somebody of Steve’s calibre come to visit us puts our name out there and gets [Hft] known,” she added.