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Britain's Hottest Junior 9-Ball Pool Player     

* Phil is winner of Barnsley 8-Ball *

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* Phil is winner of Chesterfield 9-Ball Open *

Report to follow

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* Phil is winner of Sunderland 9-Ball Open *

The Sunderland 9-ball competition was an exciting event with some big surprises. Some of the top names in the SPPL were in action on the night, Hopeful Steve Dawson was overcome 7-2 by Simon Gardner, before Anthony Miller was taken out by our very own Marc Smith (7-4). Chris Cowie was in relentless form through the early rounds, but he met his match in Graham Hickman who's dazzling performance took him as far as the semis, before tour pro Phil Burford ran in two racks to beat the SPPL favourite 7-5.

In the bottom half of the Draw, Steve Thompson was quietly making his way through the field, winning a scrappy game Adam Smith in the second semi-final of the evening (7-4) to take him into the final with Burford. By then though Burford was in great touch, and displayed a masterclass of 9-ball, running out the final 4 racks to finish 7-1 and take first prize and title of Sunderland 9-ball Champion 2009.

Report by Brian Watson, www.Pro9.co.uk

REPORT -  Friday 10th April

* Phil is winner of Nottingham Open *

Phil took the honours at the Nottingham 9 Ball Open this weekend. The event followed the now traditional format of group stages followed by a single elimination round from the last 16 onwards, with all the entry fees returned to the players as prize money.

Phil's protagonist in the final, Chris Buckmaster, paid tribute to his opponent saying, "I have to say Phil was my toughest opponent of the day." Buckmaster also complimented the organisers too, "The day was very enjoyable, Kev ran the tournament very well, which included a very tasty pie buffet which was a nice treat!".

Results from last 16 stage :

REPORT -  Wednesday 18th February

Phil enjoys a bit of practice before the event

240 players participated in the “Dynamic French Open” in Sucy-en-Brie, Paris, representing no fewer than 33 different countries. Phil put in a decent performance, winning his first match 9-3 but then joining the one loss side after meeting Ralf Souquet. A couple of rounds later, a lack-lustre game against Nuno Santos from Portugal saw the end to Phil's participation. The eventual winner was Niels Feijen from the Netherlands, defeating Austrian, Mario He, in the final. Niels Feijen has now won 2 Eurotour events in a row and gets the lead in the Eurotour Ranking 2009, with Ralf Souquet close behind in second place.

REPORT -  Monday 16th February

Report by  S.A.P.P.A.

Sunderland's Chris Cowie won his first SAPPA Tour Event with an exciting 10 racks to 7 victory over reigning European Junior 9 Ball Champion, Phil Burford. The turnout of 48 players saw a good mix of new faces, regular faces and returning faces. One of the returning faces was that of Jimmy Pollock, SAPPA’s first Scottish 9 Ball Champion back in 2000 and he showed that his time away from SAPPA had not dulled his game by reaching the Quarter Finals.

The draw at the start of the tournament brought some fascinating match ups with Phil Burford having to work his way past Scottish number one, Pat Holtz, and the winner of the last Tour Event, Fraser Patrick, just to reach the last 16. In another part of the draw, Glasgow’s Stevie Capaldi had an excellent 7-4 victory over former Scottish 9 Ball and reigning Scottish 8 Ball Champion Jayson Shaw.

The re-draw for the last 16 brought some interesting matches and it was at this stage that Cowie started his fight for the tournament win with a very tight 8-7 win over Davy Jack. Cowie followed this with a Quarter Final victory over Cameron Bowes and a Semi Final match that saw him overcome a 5-1 deficit to beat Michael Valentine 9 racks to 5. On the other half of the draw Burford was making his way past Gordon Bain in the last 16 by 8 racks to 5, the returning Jimmy Pollock in the Quarter Finals, again with an 8-5 scoreline, and Scottish number one Pat Holtz with a 9-4 Semi Final victory.

Sadly for Burford, the winner of this season’s US Open Qualifier back in July, he did not play his best in the final and Cowie, who was runner up at the 2008 Scottish 9 Ball Championships held at the same venue, was able to capitalise on the few chances that were left for him to take his first SAPPA Tour win.

REPORT -  Monday 22nd January

Phil was narrowly beaten by slick Mosconi Cup potting machine Mark Gray at the last 16 stage of the Midlands Classic, the first GB9 tournament of 2009. Gray followed up with two consecutive 9-6 wins in the quarter and semi-final matches, qualifying through to the final where he convincingly beat reigning world champion Daryl Peach with a one-sided 11-6 margin.

REPORT -  Saturday 17th January

Following the Spanish Open - the last Eurotour event of 2008 - 100 foreign players decided to stay on for the annual CEP 8 Ball Championship in Málaga.The entry was limited to 192 players, and several people, including some top Spanish players, ended up on the waiting list. A total of 21 British players were accepted for this popular event, but it ended with a victory for Germany as Oliver Ortmann carried off the beautiful trophy and 4000 euros, defeating Britain's Darren Appleton 8-3 in the final. The tournament began with 8 groups of 24 players playing a modified double elimination system where you could lose once in the first two rounds. It was then straight knockout. The top 4 from each group went on to the final phase of 32 players.

Unfortunately most of the Brits didn’t make it through the second round to final phase of 32, but the four who did were:
Andy Appleton with straight wins of 6-2, 6-5, 6-1, 6-2
Karl Boyes, with a walk-over in the first match, then wins of 6-3, 6-4, 6-5
Darren Appleton, also with a walk-over in the first match, then wins of , 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
Phil, who was in fine form, also qualifying with four straight wins of 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

Beginning the final phase on day 2, Phil managed to hold off David Alcoberro in a tight match that finished 7-6. However, after reaching the last 16 stage, a match against the Spanish Open finalist, Marcus Chamat, saw Phil defeated 7 games to 3.

REPORT -  Friday 12th December

Along with several other European players, Phil flew straight from the Swiss Open in Geneva to compete in the prestigious 2008 US 9-Ball Open, held annually at the beautiful Chesapeake Conference Center, in Virginia, USA.

"I managed to get through quite a few rounds. It was a great experience and I'm confident I'll go further given the opportunity to compete again next year" said Phil with a smile.

Mika Immonen, "The Iceman" from Finland, claimed the US$40,000 first-place prize with a 13-7 victory against Filipino, Ronnie Alcano.

(video)

REPORT -  Friday 31st October

Phil takes third place in Swiss Open

World class pool master Ralf Souquet defeated Phil 9-2 in the semi-final. The 20-time Euro champ then downed fellow German, Christian Reimering, 9-4 in the final to take the magnificent trophy and €5000 first prize

- A full report may  follow .. if I can get more details out of Phil !!

***  VIEW  MORE  PHOTOS  ***

REPORT -  Monday 20th October

Facing a tough draw in the early rounds of the British Grand Prix in Mansfield this past weekend Phil pulled out a tight 9-8 victory over current world champion Daryl Peach and followed up with a 9-6 win over Karl Boyes. Then after a close 9-7 result against Damien Overton in the quarter-final Phil faced his nemisis, Imran Majid, in the semis, eventually losing 9-4.

Darren Appleton won the GB9 British Grand Prix Pro Cup event, displacing Phil from the pole position that he has held since event 2. "It's a bit disappointing to lose the top spot after holding it for most of the season" said Phil "but considering I started the year at number 29 and my main aim was just not to get relegated, on reflection I'm delighted with my achievement."

Karl Boyes and Tony Drago finished the season ranked 3rd and 4th in the GB9 Pro division rankings, with Imran Majid, Kevin Uzzell, James Kay, Daryl Peach, Mark Gray, Jayson Shaw, Craig Osborne, Raj Hundal, Paul Williams, Damian Overton, Pat Holtz and Michael Valentine filling out the top 16 respectively.

Final standings courtesy of  www.gb9balltour.com

REPORT -  Wednesday 24th September

Photographs : EPBF/IPBF Bethan Sage	Phil almost makes last 32, going out to world class player Konstantin Stepanov of Russia, with a close 9 - 7  result.
	Time out at the bar with sponsor, Gareth Esprit

REPORT -  Tuesday 16th September

The penultimate event of the season for the UK's official 9 ball tour was won by Jayson Shaw, who took the tough Pro Cup event in an astonishing display, blowing away every opponent, including top Euro Tour player Mark Gray in the final. Phil played well going as far as the quarter-final stage, but after a hard fought battle went out 9-8 to Craig Osborne, one of the four UK players who qualified for the Eurpoean Championships this year. "Craig was a huge support to me in the European Championships" said Phil, "he's a great team member who watched all my matches and offered plenty of encouragement from the sidelines. I have great respect for him as a player and as a person."

By reaching the quarter-finals Phil still remains UK Pro-Tour number 1 with 25 points. Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes currently hold second and third place respectively with 20 points, closely followed by Kevin Uzzell on 19 points.

REPORT -  Sunday 7th September

Phil demolished the field in the EPBF Junior 9 Ball category to win the Gold Medal and take the coveted title of European Junior Champion.

PHOTOS

          MEDAL PRESENTATION  -video-

Photo : EPBF/IPBF Bethan Sage

Results tables, as from the last 16, single elimination stage:

REPORT -  Sunday 17th August

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!"

Phil lines up a shot in an earlier round, before meeting Daryl Peach in the final

Eventual winner, Daryl Peach

REPORT -  Tuesday 15th July

S.A.P.P.A's annual qualifying tournament to send a player to the US Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA took place on 6th July at Q Club in Glasgow, Scotland. Although this qualifier was primarily a Scots promoted event, all entrants were welcomed.

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.

REPORT -  Monday 7th July

Phil "The Locomotive" Burford, the former Under 18 Junior UK Champion, has won The Barnsley Nine Ball Open with a stunning 10-9 victory over the two-time English 8-Ball World Champion Chris Melling.

The youngster from Darlington appeared to tear through the single elimination stages of the event with a very strong performance producing some very one-sided results in his favour, but without doubt the toughest match was the final, going to a tense hill-hill deciding rack.

Report by  Pro9.co.uk

MORE PHOTOS

Photo : Damian Overton

Phil Burford and Chris Melling shake hands before the final

Results Table

REPORT -  Sunday 22nd June

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.

REPORT -  Tuesday 3rd June

128 of the UKs finest 9-ball players descended on Croydon this weekend as Britains biggest and best 9-ball pool tour hit London for the second tour event of the season.

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.

REPORT -  Tuesday 1st April

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.

S.A.P.P.A  Scottish American pool players Association - Friday 29th February

This weekend saw the first tournament of Britain's new official professional 9-ball pool tour, the Midlands Classic. The Pro Cup, comprising the elite top 32 UK professionals, was held in the stylish Rileys Pool & Snooker Club at Solihull, Birmingham. Amongst the players was reigning World Champion Daryl Peach, along with Euro Tour champions, and several Mosconi Cup players.

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.

Phil met world number 3, Karl Boyes, in the semi-finals, who had previously come through the quarters with a 9-6 victory over number 1 Euro Tour player, Mark Gray. It was a close game, both players showing excellent positional play and potting expertise, ending with Phil running out his last rack to win 9-7.   Watch this match on CueSport tv

With putting every effort into reaching the final Phil was ultimately feeling the pressure. Starting strongly by taking a 1-0 lead Phil was happy enough, but given the late hour his tiredness was beginning to show and Phil eventually suffered an 11-4 deficit at the hands of Imran Majid.  Watch this match on CueSport tv  "Imran is a great player" said Phil "he just didn't miss! But for me, beating Daryl was special, he's the player I admire most. Now I feel I don't need to fear anyone!"

REPORT -  Tuesday 5th February

GB9 provides a professionally run American pool tour throughout Great Britain specialising in the 9 ball discipline. On launching the tour in November 2008 a staggering level of interest was received with applications to join the 96 player tour reaching over 140 within a few days of the initial announcement. The tour was therefore extended to 128 players, 32 Pro and 96 Challenge Division, to accommodate the maximum number possible given the format, strict time schedule and size of venues available.

48 players applied to join the Pro Division for which there were only 32 places available. Consequently the GB9 Tour Committee had the task of selecting the best 32 players with the remainder being offered a place on the Challenge Division. Phil is delighted to be one of the players selected for the much sought after 32 Pro Division places.

Tour players include some of the worlds very best, including the current World Champion Daryl Peach and the current European Number 1 Mark Gray amongst a host of other big names in the sport such as Mosconi Cup player Imran Majid, Raj Hundal, Darren Appleton and 2007 World Championship semi-finalist Karl Boyes.

www.gb9balltour.com

REPORT -  Wednesday 2nd January

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