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Current UK Professional Rankings

Phil has regained his position at the top of the British professional rankings after reaching the final of the Scarborough Pro Cup this weekend. Now on a mark of 22, Phil is 4 points ahead of nearest rival Darren Appleton.

This weekend 'Rileys Scarborough' were hosts of the fourth GB9 Event. The beautiful new club opened 2 years ago and is situated in the heart of the bustling town centre, just a few minutes walk from the stunning North Yorkshire coastline.

The Pro Cup event, exclusively for the 32 elite players on the tour, was won by current world champion Daryl Peach, culminating in an 11-4 win over Phil in the final.

For Phil, the earlier rounds held a few tense moments, most notable being the incredibly close 9-8 success over Lee Rigby. Going into the quarter-finals Phil was up against consistent player James Kay, who, on their last meeting had beaten Phil 9-7. But this time Phil turned the tables, gaining a 9-7 victory before heading on to the semi-finals. Phil had an impressive run through the semi, playing faultlessly against highly rated Kevin Uzzell to win 9-4.

However, it was world champion Daryl Peach who stamped his authority in the final with a competent 11-4 victory, taking the trophy and the title. Reflecting on his performance after the match Phil was a little disappointed with the way he played "The Z9 clothed table we used in the final was alot faster than the table I played on in the semi. I took a bit of time to adjust and found myself over-running a few shots. But you just can't do that when playing against someone like Daryl so I have no excuses. He's a brilliant player and I have to be at the very top of my game to get anywhere near beating him!"

The field of players came from all over Scotland, along with a few from England, but it was eventually an English victory with Phil taking the coveted top prize.

Upon reaching the quarter-finals stage, Phil played a decisive 9-3 victory over Greg Alexander, who himself had beaten top favourites Jayson Shaw and Michael Valentine in earlier rounds. Moving into the semis, Phil then defeated Mark Boyle 9-6 before taking the final with a dramatic 10-7 win over professional snooker player, Fraser Patrick.

Phil is now the recipient of a fabulous trip to the US Open 9-Ball Championships in Virginia, with his flight, hotel and $600 entry fee all paid for by the SAPPA organisation. The US Open is the longest run and arguably the most prestigious 9-Ball event in the world. It is to be held at the beautiful Chesapeake Conference Centre in Chesapeake, Virginia, with a field of 256 players and a $250,000 total prizefund.

Phil started well in the GB9 Pro Cup event this weekend with a 9-4 win over Andy Worthington, followed by a close 9-8 victory against Lee Rigby. He found James Kay in good form however, in the quarter-final, eventually losing 9-7 after a tight match. This time the Pro Cup Trophy went to Yorkshireman Darren Appleton who beat fellow former English Pool player Karl Boyes 11-7 in the final.

The challenge Cup final was a battle between Londoners David Walsh and Andy Nicholson. It was Walsh who finally triumphed with a competent 11-5 victory to take the trophy and the title.

Imran Majid has done the unthinkable and won the main event for the third time in a row.

Looking like a European list of 9-ball superstars, the Pro Division entries included the reigning World 9-Ball Champion, Daryl Peach; European No.1, Mark Gray; UK No.1, Imran Majid; Scottish No.1, Pat Holtz; Irish No.1, Paddy McGloughlin, snooker hotshot and current French Open champion, Tony Drago, previous World Pool Masters Champion, Raj Hundal, and English pool legends Darren Appleton and Chris Melling.

Phil had another impressive run reaching the semi final after a nail-biting 9-8 win over Darren Appleton, a victory that has earned him the number one position in the UK Professional Rankings.

Phil rises to Scottish Challenge, making the FINAL along with Jayson Shaw.

It was a busy weekend at Styx, Kirkcaldy when the SAPPA Tour held the finals of the 2008 Scottish American 8-Ball Masters and the sixth Tour Event of the 2007/08 season.

Sunday saw 62 players turning up to play in SAPPA Tour Event 6. In the end, Jayson Shaw made it two Tour Event wins in a row by beating Darlington's Phil Burford by 10 racks to 5 after an exciting day's 9 Ball. Burford, the best Junior player in the UK at the moment, beat Andy Morris 8-2 in the last 16, Paul McGowan 8-3 in the Quarter Finals and Michael Valentine 9 racks to 7 in the Semis.

Shaw, in the meantime, had just as tough a route to the final beating Stevie Capaldi 8-5, Ian Mackintosh 8-4 and Chris Cowie 9 racks to 1. In the end, Shaw was too strong for Burford, taking the final and the £400 first prize.

Phil played superbly throughout the tournament, overcoming World Semi-Finalist Karl Boyes and reigning World Champion Daryl Peach, eventually losing to Imran Majid in the final.

After making it through to the quarter-finals Phil found himself up against world champion, Daryl Peach. Initially Phil racked up an impressive 6-1 lead, but a couple of dry breaks mid-match helped Peach edge back, taking the score to 6-5. Handling the pressure well, Phil calmly ran out the next rack as did Peach, the score now 7-6. Still totally focused, Phil held on to take the last two racks and win decisively, 9 racks to 6.

 Results Table