Versatile sportsman Craig Brown has qualified for the UK Pool Open in Telford.
In addition to playing pool, Craig – brother of darts player Keegan – is an accomplished darts and snooker player.
Craig last hit the news in February when he reached the final of a pool tournament in Bucharest, Romania, after being knocked out of a WDF (World Darts Federation) event.
Craig says:
“Since coming home from Romania in January, I’ve started playing 9-ball pool again after losing in a final. The Isle of Wight has only 2 American Pool tables in Ryde and Shanklin, which are not fit for purpose, and there are no players or leagues on the Island either.
“For last 7 weeks, I have been playing on a snooker table with American pool balls. The balls are bigger and the snooker pockets are tighter, so it is very hard to pot on the table.
“On Sunday 23rd of March, I entered UK Open Qualifier in Tooting in London, which I ended up travelling to the night before and got there at 01:00, as I finished work at B&Q at 20:00, and it was a 09:00 start.
“I had no clue who anyone was and was a little nervous at the beginning, as I’ve not had any matches or even played on American pool tables since January.
Article continues below this advertisement “I won my first game 7-3. My next game, I won 7-2. In the match to qualify, I won 7-0 against Andrew Phan, who played at the UK Open last year.”
The UK Open is a Major on the calendar. It will feature a 256-player field, including the top 128 professionals from the World Nineball Tour Live on Sky Sports and WNT.TV in May.
There is a $200,000 prize fund and an increased top prize of $40,000.
Craig added:
“To be honest, I didn’t think I would actually qualify as I don’t get to play on tables and don’t have any match practice at all, so it’s a bit of a shock. I played really well, but it will be a different level against the top players.
“I’ve still got darts to concentrate for the rest of the year, going to Estonia, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg and Belgium on the WDF Circuit, so this is something different.
“I’ve only been back playing for 7 weeks, as I took a 13-month hiatus from all cue sports to concentrate on darts. I’m just going to enjoy the experience, and I have no expectations or pressure.”
