The 32-year-old former England darts and snooker international reached the semi-finals of the EPBF Klaipėda Pool Open in Lithuania.
Craig won 4 consecutive matches at the weekend’s competition before losing 9–5 to eventual champion Jokubas Silantjevas in the last 4.
The Newport player had made the 20-hour journey to Klaipėda earlier in the week and immediately got his preparations underway, winning a local tournament while dropping just 3 frames.
He followed that success by reaching the final of Friday’s warm-up competition, organised by the Lithuanian Pool Federation, where he was beaten 4–1 by Lithuania’s No. 1-ranked player Kestutis Zadeikis.
Brown carried his form into Saturday’s main event, opening with a convincing 9–1 victory over Lithuania’s Tadas Vėlius.
He then whitewashed Andrius Stonis 9–0 before completing a hat-trick of victories against Lithuanian opposition with a 9–2 win over Arnoldas Vaiciulis.
The 3 victories secured Craig a place in Sunday’s quarter-finals, where he faced Latvia’s Arturs Kengis, the country’s No. 1-ranked snooker and heyball player.
Brown came through a tough encounter 9–4 to book his place in the semi-finals of a European ranking event for the first time.
His opponent in the last 4 was Silantjevas, the tournament’s top-ranked player and reigning European Under-19 champion in both 9-ball and 10-ball.
The Islander produced another strong performance but was beaten 9–5, with 3 costly fouls on the break handing his opponent opportunities to clear the table.
Reflecting on the semi-final, Brown said:
“I felt good before the match and didn’t do much wrong, but I lost 9–5 in a high-quality match.
“What cost me was that 3 out of my 6 break-offs, the white ball went into the pocket, which gave him ball in hand. He just cleared the table.
“That is the difference in pool. You need a little bit of luck on the break sometimes, especially at the top levels of the game.
“Jokubas is a top player and has got a big future.”
Silantjevas went on to claim the title, defeating Kestutis Zadeikis 11–7 in the final.
Craig received his bronze medal and trophy at the presentation ceremony, where he was greeted with warm applause from the Lithuanian crowd.
The result adds to an impressive year for the Newport player, who has already won pool tournaments in Romania, Kosovo, Albania and Moldova during 2026.
The brother of darts star Keegan Brown, Craig previously represented England at both darts and snooker and has made 6 maximum 147 breaks during his snooker career.
He returned to competitive pool after reaching a tournament final in Romania in 2025 and has since enjoyed considerable success overseas, with his bronze medal in Klaipėda marking another milestone.
Craig was delighted with his performance and the reception he received in Lithuania.
“It was a great experience playing in an EPBF ranking event. The people of Lithuania were superb to me and made me feel welcome and looked after me. I will return there in the future.”
