'uri' ); ?> The Main Event Results from the GB9 London Classic

The Main Event Results from the GB9 London Classic

A Pro9 - Europe's No.1 Pool Player Resource Article

http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/



Date: Sunday, June 01 2008 @ 16:34:39 UTC
Topic: GB9



GB9 Ball Tour London Classic
Rileys American Pool and Snooker - Wealdstone

35-43 High Street
Harrow
Wealdstone
Middlesex
HA3 5DE
Telephone: 020 8863 3705
www.gb9balltour.com
www.rileysltd.com
Over 120 photos from this event - AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Sunday 1 June 2008


2008 GB9 London Classic Champion Imran Majid (left),
presented with his trophy by Pete Williams, Director of CueSportTV

Imran Majid maintains unbeaten record at GB9 Ball Tour Main Event

After three days of play, with a full field of 128 elite quality players in the Main Event at the GB9 event in Harrow, Imran Majid has done the unthinkable and won for the third time in a row. It shouldn't be possible should it? There's too much luck needed in nine-ball to have a dominant champion isn't there?

Well... Apparently not, but the journey wasn't without hiccups, not least the final match which went hill-hill with both players missing the final nine ball once, after Majid left himself too straight on the eight to get good shape on the nine. He missed a long thin cut playing from near the rail, then Hundal missed the only shot available to him, a table length bank into the opposite corner pocket!

Both shots were very makeable, but nine ball is all about the pressure, and these were the hero shots, the ones that count, the "make or break" shots, the ones that nine ball is all about - these two shots made this the best GB9 final so far... After three days of play the title, the money, the ranking points, the glory - everything hung on this one last 21/4 inch yellow striped ball. Majid executed a perfect cut down the opposite rail to send the nine into oblivion and his star into orbit. Nine ball pool at it's best - absolutely thrilling!!!





"Read More" for details...

In an interview before the final Imran said, "Well I think to start off with I've got a big advantage playing on these tapped in conditions, I use a cut break and it works very well."

"Most of the time I'm getting a shot on the one and I'm never going to scratch, whereas other people are putting it down to luck to get a shot on the one ball and scratching a lot of times, you know hitting the ball hard and they don't really know where the cue ball is going sometimes so I think I'm three racks up before I start any match."

Three wins out of three tournaments and only six events in a season, is it too early to be mentioning the possibility of a Grand Slam? Well... Majid is already looking forward to the next GB9 event, the GB9 Yorkshire Cup to be held at the beautiful seaside town of Scarborough.

"The club looks very nice", he said!


2008 GB9 London Classic Runner-Up Raj Hundal (right),
presented with his cheque by Pete Williams, Director of CueSportTV



Action from the final of the 2008 GB9 London Classic



Raj Hundal in action at the 2008 GB9 London Classic



Jonathan Mathers in action at the 2008 GB9 London Classic



2008 GB9 London Classic player David Walsh in action



Valentine's Day Massacre

This is incredible... Six foot five inch Michael "The Yeti" Valentine - yes, a giant of a man with a giant-sized break was playing a match when the joint of his break cue failed. The shaft snapped off mid-break and fell noisily onto the bed of the table, but despite all the balls rolling all over the play-field, not one of them touched the shaft.

"The shaft went flying up in the air and the butt actually hit my chin, I didn't really know whether to hold my chin or go for the shaft", "I've never broken a break cue before and it was quite funny as Karl didn't get a foul from it as it never touched a ball".

A quick inspection of the SledgeHammer cue components revealed that the actual joint pin was completely obliterated and had sheared right off.

With the debris from the shaft not impeding the flow of any of the balls, Valentine was permitted to continue playing after removing the shaft from the table and proceeded to completely clear the table for a well earned, but expensive point.

Valentine's break is deceptive, it doesn't look like there's too much power going on, and it isn't an elaborate affair with a ton of follow-through either, but the give-away is if you listen to it.... A controlled, understated break that produces an ear-splitting crack every time the white hits the one ball.


THE STATS





THE GB9 LONDON CLASSIC

THE MAIN TOURNAMENT

THE LAST 32

Imran Majid

9 : 8

Paul Williams

Andy Appleton

9 : 6

Clark Smith

Neil Raybone

9 : 5

Paul Medati

Andy Barnett

9 : 8

Daryl Peach

Scott Higgins

9 : 6

James Kay

Tommy Donlon

9 : 8

Andrew Nicholson

Adam Clarke

9 : 7

Kevin Uzzell

Michael Valentine

9 : 8

Karl Boyes

Darren Appleton

9 : 4

Chris Cowie

Damian Massey

9 : 4

Gary Houstoun

Jonathan Mathers

9 : 5

Christopher Robson

Andy Worthington

9 : 5

Thomas Ainsworth-Smith

Mark Gray

9 : 1

Jason Howard

David Walsh

9 : 8

Adam Benn Smith

Pat Holtz

9 : 7

Tony Drago

Raj Hundal

9 : 2

Paul Edwards



THE GB9 LONDON CLASSIC

THE MAIN TOURNAMENT

THE LAST 16

Imran Majid

9 : 5

Andy Appleton

Andy Barnett

9 : 7

Neil Raybone

Tommy Donlon

9 : 7

Scott Higgins

Michael Valentine

9 : 6

Adam Clarke

Darren Appleton

9 : 3

Damian Massey

Jonathan Mathers

9 : 6

Andy Worthington

David Walsh

9 : 7

Mark Gray

Raj Hundal

9 : 8

Pat Holtz



THE GB9 LONDON CLASSIC

THE MAIN TOURNAMENT

THE QUARTER-FINALS

Imran Majid

9 : 3

Andy Barnett

Michael Valentine

9 : 4

Tommy Donlon

Darren Appleton

9 : 4

Jonathan Mathers

Raj Hundal

9 : 6

David Walsh



THE GB9 LONDON CLASSIC

THE MAIN TOURNAMENT

THE SEMI-FINALS

Imran Majid

9 : 4

Michael Valentine

Raj Hundal

9 : 8

Darren Appleton



THE GB9 LONDON CLASSIC

THE MAIN TOURNAMENT

THE FINAL

Imran Majid

11 : 10

Raj Hundal








Visit the official tour website: www.gb9balltour.com




The GB9 Ball Tour is sponsored by:


Sponsored by Rileys Pool, Snooker & Poker clubs






And the GB9 Ball Tour is promoted by:



The GB9 Tour, sponsored in it's inaugural year by Rileys Pool, Snooker and Poker Clubs, has drawn talent from the length and breadth of the country, who will be putting the final touches to their practice routines in readiness for what must be the toughest national tour in Europe.

The GB9 official match cloth is sponsored by Z9Billiard Cloth by Klaus Zobrekis, a new company with a new high tech cloth, designed after three years of intensive development, and aimed at the top end of the market for professional "worsted" pool/billiard cloth for American style tables.





Visit www.gb9balltour.com for more details.