Pool - 2015 GB9 Paul Medati Trophy
1st-3rd May 2015 - The Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, Telford, England

      OSBORNE PUTS IT RIGHT

Craig Osborne put pay to his long overdue GB9 main title drought with victory at the 2015 Paul Medati trophy.

Nearly four years ago from claiming his last tour success, Osborne defeated Benji Buckley in the final.
Buckley meanwhile was attempting to taste main victory for the first time.

Both players qualified through to the knockouts without hassle. Buckley even started with consecutive 9-0 whitewash wins, before securing his last 16 place with a defeat of the experienced Kevin Uzzell.

Osborne began the KO’s by coming through a hill-hill thriller with Mark Foster. He then had more routine affairs against Phil Burford and Stewart Colclough.

Buckley continued his relentless assault on the field with wins over Paul Taylor 9-3 and Phil Wildman 9-2.  However he then also displayed his grit and bottle by just getting the better of former World Champion Daryl Peach 9-8 in the last four.

Whether or not experience told in the final, Osborne ended his trophy lean spell as he came through 11-5.

There would be some significant consolation for Buckley though, as he went on later in the weekend to take the Mark Lovell Challenge Cup.

He eliminated Aslam Abubaker, Kev Simpson, Wildman, Chris Cowie, Dave Nelson and Robin Cripps 9-4 in the final to take home a Challenge title.

During the Rasson Billiards Pro Cup, an invitational event among the tours elite competitors, Darryn Walker came on top of all the quality opposition, to make some measure of amends for losing in the Midlands Classic final at the last event.

He beat Ashik Nathwani and Imran Majid to book his spot in the single elimination stage.

From there he conquered Osborne 10-4 in the quarter-finals, before denying Spaniard Juan Carlos Exposito 10-9; after being 9-5 adrift.

Things didn’t get any easier in the final though as he squared up to fellow Englishman Peach.

In a close match that nearly went to the wire, Walker ended up on the right side of an 11-9 scoreline.


Written by Michael Day, published on 2nd July 2015

Our sponsor...