August 7th 2024.
Dave Gilbert, currently ranked number 22 in the world of snooker, has been off to a great start this season. However, despite his success, he has been dealing with a painful bout of sciatica that has been causing him discomfort. This has not stopped him from continuing his good form, as he has remained unbeaten in his first 11 matches of the new season.
But the pain has been a constant presence for Dave, making simple tasks like walking and sleeping extremely challenging. "I'm a farmer, so I just have to tough it out, but it's agony!" Dave shared with Metro. "I've been struggling for the past three or four weeks, it's been really bad. It all started when I was walking through the airport on my way back from Benidorm, and something just happened. I could barely walk off the plane. I've been going to physio sessions and even tried acupuncture, but my therapist says it could just go away one day. I just have to deal with it. I have to fly to China next Friday, and that's going to be a long flight. It's a struggle to get around the table, I feel like I'm dragging my feet."
The sciatica has affected Dave's right side, and it all started with back pain before it spread to his leg. He described the feeling as being "shot in the arse" and has been unable to find a comfortable position for sleeping or walking. "It's horrible," he said.
Despite the pain, Dave has been able to stay focused and perform well on the table. This is thanks in part to his good friend and former pro, Andy Lee, who has been helping him stay motivated, fit, and in top form. Although Andy has left the sport to work for the Home Office, he is still supporting Dave and reminding him not to complain about his aches and pains. "The Caddie's still helping me, and he always says no moaning, just play," Dave shared.
Dave's brilliant run at the World Championship earlier this year was largely attributed to Andy's guidance. He was able to knock off top players like Luca Brecel, Rob Milkins, and Stephen Maguire before losing to eventual champion Kyren Wilson in the semi-finals. After a rough time both on and off the table, the World Championship was a turning point for Dave, and he hopes to keep the momentum going for as long as possible.
"Sheffield was a big turnaround," he said. "My game had completely gone, I wasn't playing well, and I wasn't motivated. But I found something there. I'm not going to let myself go without practicing for weeks again. I want to start the season strong. I almost made it to the final of the Championship League, and I didn't lose a match there, it's just the format that's a bit crazy. My goal is to qualify for the Masters, and a deep run in the China events will help me achieve that. There are some big competitions before the World Championship, and my target is to be there in January."
Dave's next match is at the Xi'an Grand Prix, where he will be facing Jordan Brown. Despite his injury, he managed to come through the qualifiers and secure his spot in the tournament. In other recent qualifiers, players had mixed reviews about the conditions at the venue in Leicester, where the opening rounds of the Xi'an Grand Prix, Wuhan Open, and British Open were held.
Matt Selt, who won his qualifier, described the conditions as "fantastic," but world number one Mark Allen was less impressed, calling them "diabolical." After his 5-1 win over Bai Yulu to secure his spot in the Wuhan Open, Mark told Metro, "It wasn't pretty, but I'm not going to lie, the conditions were really tough. One of the toughest tables I've played on in a long time. But I'm just happy to win. The cushions were uncontrollable, so everything was a bit of a guess. But it's just about getting through. Hopefully, I only have to go to Leicester twice this year, and that was one of them."
Oliver Lines, who lost 5-1 to Ben Woollaston, had even harsher words about the conditions, saying, "I probably called it a lot worse than that! It's just really tough because it's been warmer outside, and it makes it really sticky. My cue feels dirty, my hands feel dirty, it's an awful feeling. In order to play my best, I have to feel good, but when I was getting down on my shots, my shirt was sticking to my back. It's awful. I even considered wearing a glove, although I don't think I could ever really do it. But when I was cueing off the cushion, I genuinely couldn't push my cue through my bridge hand."
Despite the tough conditions, Mark had some words of praise for his opponent, the women's world champion, Bai Yulu. "To be honest, I was quite impressed with a lot of her play," Mark said. "From what I've seen in terms of results and scoring, she seems to be the best of the women on tour. She's able to score well, although she didn't quite have that against me. But some aspects of her game were good, and her long-potting was impressive. I thought she was pretty remarkable."
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
