'Granite' Gray's great run to the final of a prestigious pool tournament
Local cue sports star Mark ‘Granite’ Gray continued his strong start to the pool season with a runners-up finish in an IRPT Seniors Tour event in Keighley.
Gray, the resident professional at Bourne Snooker Centre, had won the first event of the season in Tamworth so he has consolidated his position at the top of the rankings.
There were 128 entrants with a group format played over the best of five frames followed by a knockout stage for the last 64. Gray won six of his seven group games including a 3-0 whitewash of Ultimate Tour pro Dylan Leary
Gray rode his luck to win his last 64 and last 32 matches 5-4 before improving to win his last 16 tie 5-2 and his quarter final match 6-3. In the last eight he claimed the notable scalp of pool legend and former world champion Phil Harrison for the first time. Gray cruised past Paul Riley from Nottingham 6-1 in his semi-final, but he lost the final 7-1 to Devon’s Richie Blackmore after going in off on his break twice while the champion broke and cleared up on three occasions. Gray won £800 to Blackmore’s £1,600. The next event is in Weston-Super-Mare in July.