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2016 GB9 PAUL MEDATI TROPHY
Including The Pro Cup (II) & Challenge Cup (II)
Park Inn by Radisson Hotel
Forgegate
Telford Centre
Shropshire
TF3 4NA
United Kingdom
www.gb9balltour.com - event 3 details - Facebook - Twitter
www.parkinn.co.uk

Friday - Sunday 8/9/10 April 2016

2016 GB9 Paul Medati Trophy Champion, Mark Gray
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One of the most prestigious weekends in the GB9 calendar has reached its climax, and it�s Mark Gray, Benji Buckley and Jamie Brennan who have walked away with the silverware in Telford.

GRANITE HOLDS FIRM FOR THIRD TITLE

The final of the 8th Paul Medati Trophy was fittingly contested between two of the tour�s finest and longest serving members � Mark Gray, aiming to win his 7th main event title, and stalwart Stewart Colclough looking to finally break his duck.

Both players began their conquests in the first winners round, with Mark Gray coming up against and defeating Jamie Brennan by 9 racks to 3. Welshman Marcel Price was next up in round 2, but an emphatic 9-1 win for Gray ensured it was the Englishman who progressed to the winners qualifying round. This time it was a Scotsman, Chris Fraser, looking to halt Gray�s progress. He was indeed successful � Gray succumbing to a surprise 9-4 defeat which meant that defeat to Al Coton in the losers qualifying round would see him out of the tournament. That was a wake up call for Gray who secured a 7-1 win to progress to the last 16. There he faced newly crowned World Blackball Champion and GB9 debutant Gareth Hibbott. Gray was taking no chances against him, and a big 9-1 win meant that a quarter final with Jordan Church was on the cards. Gray�s ruthless form continued here with a 9-2 victory, and even when faced with Jayson Shaw in the semi finals he wasn�t letting up. 9-3 was the score line with which he defeat Shaw, leaving him one win away from back to back main event titles.

Colclough�s first match was unlike Gray�s in so much as Terry Davies took the game to Colclough right to the end. The Welshman finally was defeat by 9 racks to 8, however, leaving Colclough to face Ben George in winners round 2. He allowed himself a little more breathing space with a 9-3 victory, meaning that Bournemouth�s Damian Massey would face off against him for a spot in the last 16. Massey proved victorious in this encounter, winning through 9-6 and sending Colclough to the last chance saloon one-loss bracket. Andrew John was the one to try and finish off the work Massey started, but Colclough soared back to form with a decent 7-2 win. The last 16 draw pitted Colclough and Massey together once again in what turned out being one of the ties of the round. Keen to make amends, Colclough produced the goods when it mattered and eliminated Massey from the tournament with a 9-6 win of his own. The last 8 saw London�s Ashik Nathwani attempt to make his first main event semi final, but Colclough was clearly buoyed with his previous performance and proceeded to the semi finals 9 racks to 3. Chris Hall, himself looking to meet Mark Gray in a main event final for the second successive event, was last to try and stop the progress of the Mancunian. He couldn�t manage it, however, and a 9-2 win put Colclough into his first main event final.

The final promised to be a high quality encounter and the two players didn�t disappoint. It was Gray, however, who continued his stunning form in 2016. He defeated Colclough by 11 racks to 7 to take him within touching distance of the #1 ranked spot currently occupied by Craig Osborne. Colclough takes himself up to a career high of British #5.

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