David Binmore, who was born in Exmouth in 1943, went from learning billiards at home to refereeing professional qualifiers and exhibitions featuring household names. He has also served as secretary of the Exmouth Billiards and Snooker League for more than half a century.

His first lessons came on a small snooker table made by his father for the attic, where he practised cue-ball control and billiards. His father had a favourite saying: “A Billiard player can play Snooker, A Snooker player can’t necessarily play Billiards.” It was the beginning of David’s lasting enthusiasm for cue sports.

When David was 14, his father took him to the Lucania Billiards Club in Exmouth. At 16, he joined the Church Institute in Rolle Street and began competing in the local league, in which he still plays today. He also won an under-16 youth tournament, beating Colin Bright in the final, with Ray Reardon and John Spencer among his early snooker heroes.

David grew up in Egremont Road and attended Exmouth Church Primary School followed by the town’s grammar school. After leaving school, he worked at Devon Camera Centre in Exeter and then for Pearl Assurance, where he spent 32 years before retiring. He now works as a chauffeur for Saga Titan Group, while his other sporting interests have included water polo, golf, sprint swimming and amateur football refereeing.

His move into snooker refereeing came at 42, when he met Exeter-based professional referee John Street. John encouraged him to gain his refereeing qualifications and help at local matches. David’s reputation grew and he was invited to officiate on the professional circuit, including UK and world qualifying events and major exhibitions.

Over the years, the players whose matches he refereed included Doug Mountjoy, Tony Meo, Terry Griffiths, Ray Reardon, Cliff Thorburn, Alex Higgins, Neil Foulds, Jimmy White, Dennis Taylor, Steve Davis and Fred Davis. But his most memorable assignment, according to the account of his career, was a match involving Ronnie O’Sullivan.

David said the experience also benefited his own playing ability: “Being that close to the action you learn a lot about cue ball control and positioning.”

The sport became a family affair, too. His wife, Sue, is a local snooker champion, while one of their two sons, Andrew, has twice won the Exmouth singles championship.

Alongside working full time, David took on the secretary’s role at the Exmouth Billiards and Snooker League in 1973 and still holds it. He has also served as chairman of Devon County Snooker and organised annual presentation evenings and finals at Exmouth Pavilion, inviting leading players including Alex Higgins.

In 1996, while refereeing a match involving Shaun Murphy, David received a call from Sue telling him that a much-loved aunt had died. He later stepped back from the professional circuit as snooker declined in popularity in the late 1990s, but continued refereeing at local level.

With a highest break of 66, David remains a keen league player. During a visit to Exmouth’s new Cue Station club, he inspected the tables, equipment and cloth and gave them his approval.

He still remembers his father’s advice to enjoy the game and not let winning become everything. As David put it: “So if I lost a match, by tomorrow it was all forgotten about.”