GB9 is Britain’s official professional 9 ball pool tour and is widely regarded as one of the toughest national tour on the planet. GB9 is proud to announce that McDermott Cue will be the official cue sponsor of the GB 9 Ball Tour.
“We are very pleased to welcome McDermott Cue on board our growing portfolio of world-class sponsors,” said Andy Warden, Chairperson of the GB 9 Ball. “There are not many companies who can say they have been in the billiards industry for over 40 years and GB9 are proud to be associated with that heritage. We look forward to having a long and mutually beneficial partnership with them.”
“We are thrilled to begin our new partnership with GB9,” stated Andy Werner, Director of Sales and Marketing for McDermott Cue. “GB9 has quickly become the proving ground for Great Britain’s best players. We look forward to being a part of the excitement.”
Formed in 1975, McDermott Cue is an American pool cue manufacturer that is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI. McDermott pool cues and high-performance shafts are some of the most recognized products in the billiard industry. They are known for their quality construction, exotic woods & materials, intricate inlays and limitless customization options.
The first ever Tier II final in the Challenge Cup saw two players both relatively new to GB9, Chris Fraser and Dave Evans, do battle for the title. This tier was designed especially for players looking to develop their games whilst playing tournament standard pool, and these two players have shown their worth in taking their games to the next level.
Scotsman Fraser opened his account in the Challenge Cup with a 9-7 victory over London’s Paul Taylor, a result that saw him face Simon Gardner in the last 16. he stepped his game up a gear in dispatching of Gardner by 9 racks to 4. This put him into a quarter final match against Devon’s Jamie Graham. The two players couldn’t be much further apart in terms of residence, but the scoreline couldn’t have been much closer on the day, Fraser winning through once again by 9 racks to 7 and pitting him against Luke Rollison in the final four. It was another 9-4 scoreline that saw Fraser past the finishing post and into his first ever major final on the GB 9 Ball Tour.
Evans opened up his campaign against namesake Dave Simmonds in the first round, himself another long time servant of the tour. Evans came out on top by 9 racks to 5 to have him face Joni Holden in the round of 16. Both players served up an excellent match, but Evans came home winner 9-7 to book a place in the quarter final. Here he faced GB9 Chairperson Andy Warden, himself in his best ever finish at a GB9 event, but the Chair was dethroned in a match that Evans won by 9 racks to 6. In the semi-finals he faced Aslam Abubaker, who must be given credit for becoming the first wheelchair player ever to make the semi-finals in any GB9 competition.
His dream run was brought to an end by Evans, however, and Evans took the match 9-5 to secure his place in what was also his maiden final.
With both players fired up for the first ever GB9 final, a close scoreline was expected. However, Fraser stepped his game up another gear to win his first title on the GB 9 Ball Tour, winning the final by 9 racks to 2.
