POOL: Gray picked to play in one of the world's top tournaments

Gray (43), the resident professional at Bourne Snooker Centre, will be one of the 16 players competing in Matchroom Sport’s prestigious World Pool Masters event.

He is the sole England player chosen to take part and has been drawn to face Taiwan’s Chang Jun Lin, the current world number two,in the first round on Saturday February 18.

The event, which is being played at the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar, has an $80,000 prize fund with $20,000 going to the winner. First round losers pick up $3,000.

Gray said: “It’s always a great honour to play Matchroom Sport events and as a pool player this is one of the events you aim for.

“The Masters ranks up there with the World Cup of Pool, which I’m in later in the year with Darren Appleton, and of course the Mosconi Cup, which I’ve won three times. So I must be doing something right.”

Gray, who also lives in Bourne, is currently ranked number one in Europe.