THE first wheelchair world pool champion Gary Nicholson suffered mixed emotions at a recent contest.

The Guisborough father-of-three lost his title at the national wheelchair snooker championship at The Crucible in Sheffield. But the 40-year-old's disappointment turned to joy when the England pool team he captains won the team event.

He received a hero's welcome when he returned to his regular haunt at the Guisborough Quoit Club.

His friend and sponsor, plumber Stephen Hogg, said: "Gary lost to a woman in the semi-final so we had a big banner saying, 'Beaten by a woman.' Really he was very unlucky. He lost 3-2 in the semi-final but potted the black each time. It just wasn't his day. However, he had a huge trophy as captain of the England team was he was over the moon about that."