Rileys American Pool and Snooker Club - Stretford
Stretford Arndale Centre
Chester Road, Stretford
MANCHESTER
Greater Manchester
M32 9BD
Tel: 0161 865 8123
Fax: 0161 865 8123
www.bpppa.org
www.rileysltd.com
Saturday-Sunday 16-17 December 2006 *** Last update 14.50pm Monday
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) champion Mark Gray
Mark Gray has won the BPPPA's 2nd main ranking tour event of the 2006/07 season at Manchester this weekend and it couldn't have been a closer finish. Gray, the current No.1 on the tour, beat the current No.2 in the final by a single rack in the race to 11 final.
Thanks to Shirley Ang, Nigel Webb and Mark Mills who all helped stand in for BPPPA President Ted Bristow who is recovering well after a hospital visit.
"Read More..." for the report and photos by Mark Mills.
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) tournament desk
69 Runners turned out for the latest B.P.P.P.A. event at Rileys Stretford in Manchester, and for the first time without B.P.P.P.A. president Ted Bristow who was not behind the desk due to his recent health problems, but the tournament was left in the safe hands of Shirley Ang and Nigel Webb who both did a great job to keep things running smoothly all the way.
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) player Andy Worthington
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) player Ian West
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) players Daryl Peach and Steve Higton
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) Mark Gray and Daryl Peach
In the final it looked like it was going to be one way traffic as Gray raced into a 3 rack lead despite the fact that Peach had won the lag, although Peach was not helped by the fact that Gray broke and ran his break in the second rack and Peach then scratched from his break in the third to see Gray clean up from there 3-0 to Gray, In the next it looked certain that the score was going to be 4-0 but Gray left himself a very awkward shot bridging over another ball and missed his shot to let Peach back into the match to reduce the deficit, Peach broke and run the next rack to bring the score back to within one rack, but Gray replied immediately with another break and run to lead 4-2, Peach kept the trend going with another break and run to close the gap back to one, rack eight Gray breaks and for the first time does not have a pot on the 1-ball so he lays a good snooker which Peach escapes successfully but leaves it on for Gray to clear and lead 5-3.
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) runner up Daryl Peach
Gray could and should have extended his lead to three when Peach scratched on the break but ran out of position, and Peach managed to win the small safety battle to take the 9th rack, Gray broke and ran again in the 10th rack to regain his two rack advantage at 6-4 and for the second time in the match Gray had a three rack lead when Peach for the third time in the match scratched on the break, this time Gray made no mistake 7-4, soon it was 8-4 for Gray yet another break and run, Rack 13 and time for Peach to break and run after the previous two scratched on the break he could not afford another one, In rack 14 Gray looked odds on for another break and run when an easy shot down the rail for the two ball he got a massive kick which left an easy run out for Peach which he grasped with both hands, game on once again at just two rack deficit, Peach piles on more pressure in the next rack with another break and run the reduce the arrears once again to one rack, Gray soon took back the advantage with yet another break and run to lead 9-7.
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) champion, Mark Gray
The arrears were once again reduced to one rack in the 17th rack now 9-8 in favour of Mark Gray, For once rack 18 was a very scrappy rack with both players playing a few loose shots, but it was Peach who missed a vital ball to leave Gray the rack on a plate and put Mark Gray on the hill, But Peach has been one never to give up and took the next two racks to make it a hill-hill battle, into the final rack and it was to be a scrappy affair with both players looking for that perfect safety shot and it was Gray who found it and took the match 11-10, Mark Gray had earlier pipped Daryl Peach to the player of the season award before the start of the tournament.
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) player Andy Worthington
Surely we should be seeing players of Mark Grays pedigree in the world championships pretty soon and I am sure we will, with the exception of the final Gray had swept the field aside beating Simon Widlo 9-6 and James Kay 9-2 and followed these up with thumping wins over Steve Brown 9-3 and Andy Worthington 9-4, whilst Peach was seeing off Lee Rigby and Jonathan Mathers and Jon Davies in the Quarters, Steve Higton was Daryl’s semi-final opponent and a tough match looked on the cards but that was never the case, not that Higton did anything wrong, Peach just did not miss and even had Higton himself leading the plaudits.
Andy Worthington was full of praise for his last 16 opponent Tom Ainsworth-Smith who only started playing the game 4 weeks ago at Nick Dysons club in Macclesfield, a name to look out for in the future.
| 1st. | £850.00 |
| 2nd. | £415.00 |
| 3rd. | £210.00 |
| 4th. | £210.00 |
| 5th. | £100.00 |
| 6th. | £100.00 |
| 7th. | £100.00 |
| 8th. | £100.00 |
| 9th. | £50.00 |
| 10th. | £50.00 |
| 11th. | £50.00 |
| 12th. | £50.00 |
| 13th. | £50.00 |
| 14th. | £50.00 |
| 15th. | £50.00 |
| 16th. | £50.00 |
| 17th. | £30.00 |
| 18th. | £30.00 |
| 19th. | £30.00 |
| 20th. | £30.00 |
| 21st. | £30.00 |
| 22nd. | £30.00 |
| 23rd. | £30.00 |
| 24th. | £30.00 |
| 25th. | £30.00 |
| 26th. | £30.00 |
| 27th. | £30.00 |
| 28th. | £30.00 |
| 29th. | £30.00 |
| 30th. | £30.00 |
| 31st. | £30.00 |
| 32nd. | £30.00 |
| TOTAL | £2,965.00 |
62 Men, 3 Ladies, 4 Juniors
THE LAST 32 | ||
Mark Gray | 9 : 6 | Simon Widlo |
James Kay | 9 : 7 | Phillip Burford |
Steve Brown | 9 : 7 | Gary Stewart |
Tony David | 9 : 7 | Adam Jackson |
Ian West | 9 : 1 | Steve Lister |
James Taylor | 9 : 3 | Tommy Donlon |
Tom Ainsworth-Smith | 9 : 1 | Kevin Brown |
Andy Worthington | 9 : 6 | Stewart Colclough |
Mike Rogers | 9 : 5 | Adam Smith |
Steve Higton | 9 : 5 | Louis Clark |
Matthew Lawrenson | 9 : 4 | Tony Burton |
Paul Williams | 9 : 6 | Gareth Esprit |
Bradley Parker | 9 : 5 | Dave Simmonds |
Jon Davies | 9 : 6 | Martin Chapman |
Jonathon Mathers | 9 : 2 | Martin Nightingale |
Daryl Peach | 9 : 3 | Lee Rigby |
THE LAST 16 | ||
Mark Gray | 9 : 2 | James Kay |
Steve Brown | 9 : 8 | Tony David |
Ian West | 9 : 7 | James Lister |
Andy Worthington | 9 : 5 | Tom Ainsworth-Smith |
Steve Higton | 9 : 7 | Mike Rogers |
Mathew Lawrenson | 9 : 5 | Paul Williams |
Jon Davies | 9 : 8 | Bradley Parker |
Daryl Peach | 9 : 5 | Jonathon Mathers |
THE QUARTER FINALS | ||
Mark Gray | 9 : 3 | Steve Brown |
Andy Worthington | 9 : 5 | Ian West |
Steve Higton | 9 : 8 | Mathew Lawrenson |
Daryl Peach | 9 : 5 | Jon Davies |
THE SEMI FINALS | ||
Mark Gray | 9 : 4 | Andy Worthington |
Daryl Peach | 9 : 4 | Steve Higton |
THE FINAL | ||
Mark Gray | 11 : 10 | Daryl Peach |
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BPPPA Dynamic Manchester Open(I) champion, Mark Gray
Photos and report by Mark Mills