Local pool star Gray completes a 'crazy good' year with success in a Christmas Open

The Bourne Snooker Club professional won the International Rules Pool Tour Christmas Open at the Castle Sports Lounge in Tamworth. He beat a field of 64 to take the first prize of £800.

There was some easy pickings for Gray all the way until the final where he won a gruelling final frame decider against Lee Irwin from Stockton-on-Tees. Gray had stormed into a 3-0 lead, but was pegged back to 5-5 before winning the deciding frame after a lengthy safety battle.

The format was initially six groups of four with the top two from each group qualifying for a final 32, straight knockout to the final. Gray finished top of his group with wins of 4-2 v Ryan England (Mansfield), 4-1 v Leigh Mannion (Derby) and 4-0 Marc Robson (St Neots).

He then beat London’s Dean James 6-1 in the last 32, Ryan Bodsworth from Huddersfield 6-1 in the last 16, Dave Mason from Derby 6-1 in a quarter-final and ex-professional Rob Chilton from Dudley 6-2 in his semi-final. Bourne’s Jason Bates also played, finishing second in his group to qualify for the knockout stages, but he lost 6-5 in his quarter-final to Mason. Gray said: “It was a great end to what’s been a crazy good year for me. It will be nice to have a break from the game now over the Christmas period and see what 2026 brings, but it’s certainly going to be very difficult to replicate the year I have just had.”

Gray ended 2025 as the number one ranked player on four tours, the IRPT Seniors, the IRPT Over 40s, the IRPT Amateurs and the English Pool Association Seniors.

SNOOKER

Late call-up Luke Simmonds won the final of the Snooker Legends League to lift the Mark Wildman trophy and pocket the £600 first prize.

Simmonds, who was a late replacement for Harvey Chandler, came through Group A undefeated, claiming victories over Paul Sparrow and Luke Pinches and drawing with Australian Ryan Thomerson, before easing to a maiden Legends Tour title with a whitewash win in the final against Gary Skipworth.

Simmonds produced breaks of 79 and 92, the highest of the event, on his way to a 3-0 final win at the Court Club in Bretton.

Skipworth, a professional in the 1990s, dropped only two frames as he cruised through Group B with a 100% record and claimed £300 as runner-up.

He also ended the year as tour number one, earning a £100 bonus, having reached three ranking finals in 2025. Local hope Steve Martin failed to win a match and finished bottom of his group.

There will be a record £10,500 in total prize funds across 10 events in 2026, starting with the Seniors Invitational which debuts in January.