The Isle of Wight’s Craig Brown won the inaugural ‘Craig & Friends’ pool tournament in Kosovo on Sunday.
Craig Brown, from Newport, has claimed another international pool title after organisers in Kosovo honoured him by naming a tournament after him.
Brown, a former England international in both darts and snooker, returned to the Balkan nation after winning a tournament there earlier this year. Organiser Valdrin Maxhuni staged the 16-player, double-elimination competition in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, with posters, medals, certificates and even the winner’s trophy all bearing the ‘Craig & Friends’ name.
Before play began, Brown thanked players and spectators for their hospitality before presenting 6 football shirts, including 2 Newcastle United shirts donated by his father.
Craig said:
“Everyone clapped both me and David for coming. I thanked everyone for making us feel so welcome and said how grateful I was to be back in Kosovo. Then it was time to enjoy the day and play some pool.”
Brown’s fellow Newport player, David Strickland, also competed in the tournament. He narrowly lost his opening match 7-6 to Redon Podvorica before responding with a 7-2 victory in the losers’ bracket. His run ended with a hard-fought 7-5 defeat to Eronik Krasniqi.
Brown, meanwhile, produced another outstanding display. Victories of 7-3, 7-2, 7-4 and 7-3 secured his place in the final, where he defeated Fatbardh Ferati 7-5 to become the inaugural winner of the Craig & Friends trophy.
Speaking after his victory, Brown said:
“It was a really good final and I was delighted to win the tournament and the Craig & Friends Trophy.
“More importantly, it was another fantastic day spent with great friends in Kosovo and meeting new people who looked after both me and David throughout our stay.”
