European Disability Snooker Championship Finals Preview: Sofia Showdowns Set for Thursday
Eight Finals, Eight Champions — Sofia Delivers Its Verdict on Thursday
After four absorbing days of competition in Sofia, Bulgaria, the 2026 European Disability Snooker Championship has whittled 45 players from 11 nations down to its final eight pairings. Thursday's showpiece session gets underway from 10:00 EEST, and across the eight classification groups there are some genuinely mouth-watering contests to savour — including two players chasing a historic hat-trick of European titles.
Wheelchair Final: Beaumont vs. Southern — Third Time the Charm?
For the third consecutive year, Dave Beaumont and Tony Southern will contest the wheelchair final, and the stats make for compelling reading. The 58-year-old Beaumont — world number one and one of only two players in the field chasing a third European crown — has not dropped a single frame in Sofia, arriving at Thursday's decider with an extraordinary 18-2 head-to-head record over Southern. On paper, this is as one-sided as finals get.
The caveat? Southern's two victories over Beaumont include one on the European stage itself — most recently in last year's group stages — which at least suggests the underdog knows how to raise his game in this specific environment. Beaumont remains the overwhelming favourite, but Southern has a template for causing an upset, and on a big occasion that experience counts for something.
Andy Lam Seeks Hat-Trick — But Wilk Has Other Ideas
The second player chasing three successive European titles is Andy Lam, who faces arguably the sternest test of his championship career in the form of Adam Wilk. The Polish cueist arrives in Thursday's final fresh from winning World Abilitysport Guttman Games gold and holds a 4-2 head-to-head advantage over the two-time defending champion — making this the most evenly contested final on the card.
Their group stage meeting only added to the intrigue. Wilk raced into a 2-0 lead, posting a break of 41, before Lam fought back to snatch the match in a deciding frame. That kind of dramatic reversal speaks volumes about Lam's mental resilience, but Wilk has demonstrated he can control matches against him and will fancy his chances of denying that hat-trick. This is the final of the day for neutral viewers — don't miss it.
Gibson vs. Buskin: Experience Faces Youth's Finest Hour
In the Group 4 final, Carl Gibson — a two-time world champion and 2024 European title holder — takes on Archie Buskin, who has become the youngest finalist in European Disability Snooker Championship history. Gibson has conceded just one frame en route to the final and has never lost to Buskin across five previous meetings. The numbers favour the experienced campaigner heavily.
Yet Buskin's route to the final already includes one significant scalp: the 2026 World Championship runner-up Yannick Piscador, beaten in the semi-finals. A teenager making history once and then stopping there would be the less interesting story — expect Buskin to come out swinging, even if Gibson's class makes him the clear pick to take the title.
Bolton Chases History — Record Within Touching Distance
The most significant milestone of Thursday's programme belongs to Dave Bolton, who enters his final against Dalton Lawrence just one title away from equalling the all-time WDBS record of 18 titles — a mark set by World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Blunn. It would be a remarkable achievement, and Bolton comes in as current world number one with an almost incomprehensible 25-1 head-to-head record over Lawrence.
That solitary Lawrence victory? It came on the European stage in 2025. Bolton will know that statistic as well as anyone, and the fact that he met Lawrence in the 2024 Albufeira final — and won — suggests he is more than capable of handling the repeat occasion. Barring something extraordinary, Bolton looks set to make history in Sofia.
The Finals in Full — Thursday from 10:00 EEST
Live coverage of Tables 9 and 10 will be available on YouTube, with all results trackable through WPBSA SnookerScores. The full line-up of finals includes: Dave Beaumont vs. Tony Southern (Wheelchair), Andy Lam vs. Adam Wilk, Carl Gibson vs. Archie Buskin (Group 4), Dave Bolton vs. Dalton Lawrence, and Nicklas Olsen vs. Niall Pollitt, among others across the eight classification groups.
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