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THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
Rileys American Pool and Snooker - Barnsley
1st & 2nd Floor
47-51 Peel Street
BARNSLEY
South Yorkshire
S70 2RL
Tel: 01226 779 347
www.rileysltd.com
www.gb9balltour.com
www.gb9balltour.com/latest.htm - For the VERY LATEST RESULTS click here!
More photos from this event to view and buy *** AVAILABLE NOW ***

Fri/Sat/Sun 29/30/31 May 2009

GB9 Champion Karl Boyes with Rileys Barnsley General Manager George Vetter.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk
The GB9 Paul Medati Trophy

GB9 is Britain�s official professional 9 ball pool tour. The tour has quickly cemented itself as the toughest and most respected national pool tour in Europe with a line up of players other nations can only envy, such as the 2007 World Pool Champion - Daryl Peach; European Number 1 - Mark Gray, 2008 World 10 Ball Champion - Darren Appleton, London's finest - Imran Majid and Raj Hundal, and snooker legend Tony Drago to name but a few.

This was to be a very special GB9 event - renamed in commemoration of one of our own, Paul Medati, a well known and much liked face on the pro snooker circuit, he was swiftly taken from us by cancer last year, and during the weekend tour players raised �372 for MacMillan Cancer Support in recognition of the enormous difference they made to the quality of Paul's life and the support to the family during his final days.

Appropriately this tournament was hosted in one of our favourite and best equipped clubs, the third event of the season would also be crucial to players hoping to improve their ranking and possibly gain promotion to the elite player ranks for next season as these GB9 Tournaments have a three-tiered offering. An elite 32 player "Pro Cup", a 96 player "Challenge Cup", and a main event, "The Paul Medati Trophy" which pits all 128 players against each other, with a total prize fund exceeding �11,000.

These auspicious aspirations appear well justified as two new champions were crowned and a new record was achieved, along with some great gestures of sportsmanship.

"Read More..." for further details!

"We relish these great gestures of sportsmanship." - Lee Rigby, Chairman.

Imagine this... It's the main event, 128 players started and only four players remain, and you're one of them. None of the semi-finalists have won a main event before, so this is the biggest chance you'll ever get, and you're just one tense rack away from a spot in your first final.

This was the situation facing Kevin Uzzell and Adam Benn Smith in an absolutely nerve-wracking thriller as the score reached 8-8 in this all important race to 9 match.

Adam potted the long 1 ball, then shot the two and the three, but everyone watching was well aware that the four ball wouldn't be easy. It's route to the pocket was blocked, and everyone knew he had planned an attempt to pot the match winning nine ball early by forcing the four ball to nudge the nine into the corner pocket.

It wouldn't be easy though, as the two balls were lined up with the middle of the back rail, and the shot would have to be incredibly precise to achieve the very difficult "thin cut" necessary.

Not a good time to be nervous, but the immense pressure is unavoidable. The money, the match, the berth in the final, a chance at the title, it all hung on this shot - and this is exactly the sort of challenge that players love, why they practice such long hours, it's all for moments like these.

No one can know for sure what a player's inner voice says to help steel the nerves at times like these, but all players have their own personal techniques to help handle the pressure, and they have developed a mental toughness through hard experience too, but Smith's body language said it all after he successfully sank that nine ball into the corner bucket.

Ecstatic elation, joyous victory, and a whole host of other unnamed emotions raced through his body as he immediately started celebrating his win, slinging his cue on the table in sheer relief...

And the cue moved some balls...

And then an horrific realisation!

The balls had not stopped rolling from the winning shot when the cue splashed the remaining balls.

The referee had no choice in the matter.

"Foul".

Unbelievable. A classic schoolboy error, the premature celebration - and it's here that we saw the "great gesture of sportsmanship".

Kevin Uzzell would be as keen as anyone to earn a chance at the title - but with an exemplary display of selflessness and sporting etiquette, he waived his right to pursue the matter any further and congratulated Adam on a well-played stroke, wishing him well in the final.

In a game that appears to revel in a reputation gleaned from endless tales of skulduggery and hustling, a game that is apparently a "sign of a mis-spent youth" - it's always heart-warming to share truths like this.

It's not the first time that acts of sporting honour and integrity have been reported from UK 9 Ball Pool tournaments - and as this international discipline of pool continues to grow here, I'll be pleased to see this fairness in following the spirit of the rules continue apace.

The GB9 Paul Medati Trophy

Congratulations to Karl Boyes on a tremendous victory in the 128 Player Main Event at the GB9 Tournament in Barnsley.

This is Karl's first GB9 title - but it was noted by a few "in the know" players that Karl appeared to have bought his brilliant streak of good form back with him from his recent sucessful visit to Germany where he was playing some of the best pool in his career, ultimately reaching the Quarter-Final stage of the 240 player field of the best pool talent in Europe.

Like many of the best players in the world, Boyes' results improved throughout the event, despite a "touch and go" result in the Quarter Final (9-8 vs Craig Osborne) Boyes then spread his wings and appeared to cruise through the two final stages with strong victories over his two final opponents.

The Challenge Cup

Steve Folan was another new name added to the exclusive list of players with a GB9 title to their name.

Folan had just returned from a visit to Las Vegas where he had a couple of momentous victories in the Predator 10 Ball Open. After qualifying for the prestigious single elimination rounds he notched up a strong win over Raj Hundal, now playing for India, and then a notable victory over Shane Van Boening - unarguably the hottest ten ball player n the world at the moment!

Surfing this wave of confidence it's no wonder that Folan made short work of collecting his first GB9 Trophy.

The Pro Cup

Daryl Peach's name appears to have tenancy rights on The GB9 Pro Cup trophy, as this was the incredible third time he has won this title in the two short seasons that the GB9 tour has been running.

There were some notable absentees from the Pro Cup line-up, as Imran Majid, the hottest GB9 player of the 2008 season with a staggering set of results and trophies from the GB9 tour was committed to playing ten ball in Sarajevo.

Maltese snooker legend, and former Predator 10 ball Champion Tony Drago was absent due to a previous snooker engagement, and World 10 Ball Champion Darren Appleton was occupied in his "home from home" in Manila as he was invited to the Philippine 10 Ball Open.

With some of the top players absent due to these prior engagements, Peach, the reigning World 9 Ball Champion from Blackpool, must have known he had a good chance of striking gold again, and sure enough, this was his second Pro Cup win on the spin!

Karl Boyes, winner of the GB9 Paul Medati Trophy at Rileys Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Always the comedian, Karl strikes a fun pose for the camera at Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

A view of the tables at The GB9 Paul Medati Trophy at Rileys Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Mark Gray in action at the GB9 ranking event in Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Anthony Ginn and Steve Folan - the two finalists in The GB9 Challenge Cup.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Champion Stephen Folan with Rileys Barnsley General Manager George Vetter.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Steve celebrates receiving his first GB9 Trophy.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

The GB9 Pro Cup finalists - Daryl Peach and Scott Higgins.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Daryl Peach celebrates a return to form with a victory in The Pro Cup.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Champion Daryl Peach with George Vetter from Rileys Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Daryl Peach with The GB9 Pro Cup.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

THE STATS

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE MAIN TOURNAMENT
THE LAST 32
Mark Gray	9 : 3	Adam Clarke
Stephen Capaldi	9 : 3	Tony Burton
Damian Overton	9 : 2	Mike Rogers
James Kay	9 : 4	Stewart Colclough
Craig Osborne	9 : 4	Liam Wilson
Paul Edwards	9 : 6	Bradley Parker
Kevin Hew	9 : 6	Chris Melling
Karl Boyes	9 : 6	Clark Smith
Luke Rollison	9 : 6	Michael Valentine
Kevin Uzzell	9 : 1	Jonathan Mathers
Damian Massey	9 : 5	Chris Cowie
Phil Morgan	9 : 8	James Welch
Adam Benn Smith	9 : 7	Steven Petty
Phil Burford	9 : 6	David McCarthy
Andy Nicholson	9 : 4	Paul Williams
Daryl Peach	9 : 3	Chris Buckmaster

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE MAIN TOURNAMENT
THE LAST 16
Mark Gray	9 : 3	Stephen Capaldi
James Kay	9 : 6	Damian Overton
Craig Osborne	9 : 7	Paul Edwards
Karl Boyes	9 : 5	Kevin Hew
Kevin Uzzell	9 : 7	Luke Rollison
Damian Massey	9 : 3	Phil Morgan
Adam Benn Smith	9 : 3	Phil Burford
Andy Nicholson	9 : 7	Daryl Peach

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE MAIN TOURNAMENT
THE QUARTER FINALS
James Kay	9 : 6	Mark Gray
Karl Boyes	9 : 8	Craig Osborne
Kevin Uzzell	9 : 4	Damian Massey
Adam Benn Smith	9 : 7	Andy Nicholson

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE MAIN TOURNAMENT
THE SEMI FINALS
Adam Benn Smith	9 : 8	Kevin Uzzell
Karl Boyes	9 : 3	James Kay

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE MAIN TOURNAMENT
THE FINAL
Karl Boyes	11 : 5	Adam Benn Smith

---

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE CHALLENGE CUP
THE LAST 32
David Nelson	8 : 0	Dan Moore
Steven Petty	8 : 7	Mark Collins
Paul Edwards	8 : 1	Mark Hopgood
Kevin Hew	8 : 5	John Wade
Marc Johnson	8 : 4	Lee Hersey
Gary Houstoun	8 : 4	Adam Benn Smith
Stephen Folan	8 : 2	Chun Hao Man
Dominic Clemens	8 : 7	Luke Rollison
Oliver Ruuger	8 : 2	Andy Lester
Anthony Ginn	8 : 6	Phil Wildman
Phil Morgan	8 : 6	Clark Smith
Neil Cummins	8 : 7	Bartek Czapski
Gordon Bain	8 : 1	Scott Foley
Jonny Cooper	8 : 4	Dave Simmons
Neil Margossian	8 : 3	Mark Hughes
Roy Kimberley	8 : 7	John Beesley

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE CHALLENGE CUP
THE LAST 16
Sten Petty	8 : 3	David Nelson
Kevin Hew	8 : 3	Paul Edwards
Marc Johnson	8 : 5	Gary Houstoun
Stephen Folan	8 : 5	Dominic Clemens
Anthony Ginn	8 : 6	Oliver Ruuger
Phil Morgan	8 : 5	Neil Cummins
Jonny Cooper	8 : 7	Gordon Bain
Neil Margossian	8 : 7	Roy Kimberley

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE CHALLENGE CUP
THE QUARTER FINALS
Kevin Hew	9 : 6	Steven Petty
Stehpne Folan	9 : 3	MArc Johnson
Anthony Ginn	9 : 3	Phil Morgan
Jonny Cooper	9 : 5	Neil Margossian

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE CHALLENGE CUP
THE SEMI FINALS
Stephen Folan	9 : 7	Kevin Hew
Anthony Ginn	9 : 4	Jonny Cooper

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE CHALLENGE CUP
THE FINAL
Stephen Folan	9 : 4	Anthony Ginn

---

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE PRO CUP
THE LAST 32
Chris Buckmaster	8 : 5	Stephen Capaldi
Phil Burford	8 : 4	James Carney
Chris Cowie	8 : 4	Kevin Uzzell
Ben Moore	8 : 0	Stewart Colclough
Jonathan Mathers	8 : 7	Nigel Webb
Karl Boyes	8 : 0	Andy Worthington
Andy Nicholson	8 : 5	Simon Widlo
Bradley Parker	8 : 5	Michael Valentine
Paul Williams	8 : 3	Tony Burton
Craig Osborne	8 : 3	Adam Clarke

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE PRO CUP
THE LAST 16
Daryl Peach	8 : 4	Chris Buckmaster
Chris Cowie	8 : 7	Phil Burford
Mark Gray	8 : 6	Ben Moore
Karl Boyes	8 : 4	Jonathan Mathers
Damian Overton	8 : 5	Andy Nicholson
Scott Higgins	8 : 1	Dave Mackay
Paul Williams	8 : 5	Bradley Parker
James Kay	8 : 4	Craig Osborne

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE PRO CUP
THE QUARTER FINALS
Daryl Peach	9 : 3	Chris Cowie
Karl Boyes	9 : 1	Mark Gray
Scott Higgins	9 : 4	Damian Overton
Paul Williams	9 : 4	James Kay

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE PRO CUP
THE SEMI FINALS
Daryl Peach	9 : 5	Karl Boyes
Scott Higgins	9 : 7	Paul Williams

THE GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
THE PRO CUP
THE FINAL
Daryl Peach	9 : 2	Scott Higgins

The trophies & sponsor banners at The GB9 Paul Medati Trophy at Rileys Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Warden, www.belleza-photography.co.uk

Visit the official tour website: www.gb9balltour.com

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