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BPPPA Ranking Event No.8
Rileys American Pool and Snooker Club Stafford
8 North Walls
STAFFORD
Staffordshire
ST16 3AD
Tel: 01785 241001
www.bpppa.org
www.rileysltd.com
Last 64 Chart A - BPPPA Stafford Open (330 kb .pdf file) Exclusive to Pro9.co.uk!
Last 64 Chart B - BPPPA Stafford Open (450 kb .pdf file) Exclusive to Pro9.co.uk!
Last 32 Single Elim. Chart - BPPPA Stafford Open (250 kb .pdf file) - Here First!
Photographs available for purchase - PoolPhotos@Pro9.co.uk Limited period only

Official Rankings after Stafford Open (150 kb .pdf file)
Top 32 Ranked player movements (35 kb .pdf file)

Saturday-Sunday 29-30 July 2006

Caroline Walch made this beautiful 4-9 carom shot at the 2006 BPPPA Stafford Open.

Uzzell grinds out a win at the BPPPA Stafford Open

Kevin Uzzell, the UK's most talented 9-ball pool player from the Midlands, has made a welcome return to the final table as he racked up his best result of the season at the BPPPA Stafford Open with a very hard fought win over Gary Bullock.

With several of the tour's best players still busy playing in the IPT's North American Open in Las Vegas, everyone was very aware that this was a very open tournament, and the contenders were out in force to play a little catch up with the ranking points on offer.

This is only Uzzell's second final of the year, the first was in January when he was soundly beaten by Daryl Peach at the British Professional Pool Players Association's Croydon Open.

Obviously determined not to be beaten again, Uzzell fought "tooth and nail" on a poorly racking table, through a never ending series of dry breaks and badly clustered "un-runout-able" splits.

There was only one "break and dish" of the entire race to eleven final. As the balls split perfectly, Uzzell pounced on the opportunity with relish and positively ran around the table, sinking ball after ball at break neck speed. Picking up his chalk from the table as soon as the stroke was finished, slapping the chalk back down after the briefest dusting of the tip and shooting the next shot without delay, really showing his true speed.

The rest of the match however, did not pan out as nicely as the poor splits meant that the players exchanged safety after safety after safety, cautiously trying to gain the advantage.

It was Uzzell who managed to get the "lion's share" of the table time, eventually beating Bullock with an 11-6 score.

Interestingly, Bullock, who hasn't played since 2003, has made a phoenix-like return with an awesome performance at his first tournament in three years.

The Somerset player reappraised his life style when he was involved in a very bad car accident on his way home after a gruelling tournament in Cambridge in 2003. Fortunately no one was injured but after waking up at the wheel with his car spinning off a motorway at very high speed in a cloud of dust, he realised he was burned out and disheartened with all the hours he was devoting to the game for the relatively little financial return available on tour at that time.

Now, refreshed and reinvigorated from his leave of absence, Bullock has played some of the best pool he has ever produced at this event and was only stopped by Uzzell's extraordinary tenacity. Watch this space!

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