Local cue sports star back to form after a bad break

​The resident professional at Bourne Snooker Centre won a Cue Ball Promotions 9-ball event in Leicester, coming out on top of a field of 32.

Gray (49) won group matches against Nottingham’s Bash Maqsood (5-2) and former Cambs star Adam Lewis (5-0) before his toughest match of the day, a 7-5 win in the last 16 against Chesterfield’s Dean Sporton.

Gray then saw off Londoner Danny Gokhul (7-3) in the quarter-final, Lewis again 7-2 in the semi-final and Benji Buckley of Sheffield 7-1 in the final to claim the £300 first prize.

Buckley had beaten Gray in the final of this event last year.

Gray then popped over to the Grantham Snooker and Pool Hall to win the Grantham Snooker Open.

There was a top-class local field of 26, but Gray romped through the field, dropping only three frames in five matches to win the event and pick up another £200 in prize money. He added £10 for the highest break of 98 which came in his 3-1 final win over Matt Lee.

Gray compiled 14 breaks over 50 while also beating Adam Richardson (Grantham) 3-0, Jason Green (Bourne) 3-1, Jamie Turner (Skegness) 3-1 and former professional Graham Cripsey (Skegness) 3-0.

Gray is next in competitive action at the Court Club in Peterborough later this month when he will play in the Snooker Shootout which is the first event of the local Legends Tour Ranking series.