Isle of Wight pool player Craig Brown has claimed his fourth overseas 9-ball title of the year, winning in Tirana after another fine run.
Craig, 32, from Newport, continued his strong form on the European 9-ball circuit with victory in Albania, adding to earlier successes in Romania and Kosovo.
The former England international in darts and snooker travelled alone for the trip, combining competition with a catch-up with friends in the Albanian cue sports scene.
During his stay, Craig spent time with leading figures in the sport, including Eklent Kaçi, a 2-time world champion and current world No.6, and his brother Kledio Kaçi, ranked No.16 and a 2025 world semi-finalist. The pair, along with their father Fredi, welcomed him during his visit.
Craig also visited Darts Bar Tirona in Tirana, where local players took the opportunity to test themselves against an English opponent in a series of informal matches.
The main competition took place on Saturday at BARON Billiard & Snooker Club, around 8 miles outside the city. Starting at 15:00 and running through to midnight, Craig produced a consistent set of performances to reach the latter stages.
He recorded wins of 9-5, 9-7 and 9-6 in the early rounds before stepping up in the semi-final with a convincing 9-3 victory over Ylli Tafa.
In the final, Craig faced Reald Shabanllari and maintained control throughout, securing a 9-4 win to take the title.
Conditions inside the venue added a different challenge. With no smoking ban in place, the room quickly filled with smoke, creating a throwback atmosphere reminiscent of UK pool halls in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The victory means Craig has now won 4 tournaments across Europe in 2026, underlining his growing impact on the 9-ball scene despite limited opportunities on the Isle of Wight, where American pool tables and regular competition remain scarce.
