Finally local cue sports star makes his Mark at 8-ball pool

​Gray won the second event of a high-quality competition at the Legends Sports Bar in Braintree over the weekend.

The final was a ‘local derby’ as Gray beat former World Champion John Roe, who runs the Court Snooker and Pool Centre in Bretton, 7-4.

The final was a scrappy affair before Gray sealed the £700 first prize. Roe won £350 for his efforts.

Gray said: “I had a super tough draw from round one and beat two full-time professionals. Hopef ully this can help me moving forward in 8-ball and I can start finding some results on the Ultimate Pool Tour.”

The Ultimate Pool Tour is a relatively new 8-ball event which is screened live on satellite television.

Gray is better known as a snooker player and 9-ball pool player, but he beat Ultimate Pool professionals Roe and Dylan Leary on his way to the top prize in Braintee.

Gray beat Leary 5-2 in the first round before seeing off Lee Smith from Norwich (5-3), Northampton’s Colin Cooper (6-3), former snooker professional Adam Davies from Clacton (6-5 from 1-3 down) and Aiden Owens from Lowestoft (6-5, with a break and clearance in the final frame) before beating Roe.

**The win capped a great week for Gray as he produced a 102 clearance in the final Spalding Snooker League game of the season for Bourne Snooker Centre B against Spalding Services A beating his own highest break of the season of 88.

Gray (49) is the resident professional at the Bourne Snooker Centre.