A ROSYTH cue star has described winning a silver medal at this year’s British Transplant Games as “closure” on his journey.

David Grant, 36, pocketed the prize at the event, which was held in Leeds, five years after he was first diagnosed with kidney failure.

A budding karate student – he was just two weeks away from representing Scotland at the World Karate Championships – David was forced to stop competing in the sport.

Although he continues to train, news of the need for a transplant saw him take up his second great sporting passion, snooker, and he has gone on to become an ambassador for World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS).

In August 2020, David underwent a successful kidney transplant and, speaking to Press Sport, he explained: “The ordeal I had to go through – dialysis, a kidney transplant – mentally, and physically, it was extremely tough.

“The recovery itself from the operation was tough because my body was transitioning to the change, so I was still feeling fatigue, and I’m on medication for life to stop the kidney being infected.

“It was the third attempt (at the transplant). They do many, many checks to see if it’s safe to use. Unfortunately, the first one wasn’t compatible, the second one, it was too damaged to use.

“Third time lucky, they were able to use that kidney. When I woke up on the operating table, I just felt a massive difference.

“I was still feeling weak, sick and lethargic all the time, even with dialysis, but I just felt this whole burst of energy.”

David, who is also partially deaf, would be on dialysis three times a week, which he said had a significant impact on his social life.

Now, however, he has been able to return to the snooker table, training with his pal, Alan Reynolds, a three-time world and five-time European title-holder in pool for players with a learning difficulty, who has also taken up snooker, while Alan’s father, Alan senior, offers him coaching.

David, who is sponsored by The Ball Room in Dunfermline, continued: “I was really happy to get back into the snooker.

“It was only about two weeks into practice that I was able to make century breaks again, and I had not played for about a year because of the (COVID-19) lockdown, so it was absolutely amazing.

“It (the final) came to a black-ball decider and, unfortunately, my opponent ended up potting the black, which was a shame.

“The ordeal I had to go through – dialysis, a kidney transplant – mentally and physically it was extremely tough, so to compete at the Games, at that alone I found closure because I was able to do what I love doing without complications.”