Report
TOUR 3
The third EPA tour of the season saw the old guard take charge with Adam Davis, a regular in the winner's enclosure at the tour and former World Champion, taking the title with an impressive display. Davis met his first tough challenge in the last 32, where he played Dave Roblin, a tough competitor who can compete with the best. Roblin saw a 6-4 lead disappear as Davis managed to peg him back and then sneak the final frame. He didn't have quite the same trouble with England's Mike King as he carried out a demolition job, winning 7-0! The next game was always going to be close and so it proved as Davis again found himself 6-4 down. A crazy safety game ensued where every ball ended up over one pocket, not something you see every day! Davis managed to edge this frame before clearing off the next two breaks to win 7-6. Dom Cooney then received similar treatment to Mike King, with Davis proving unstoppable notching up an 8-1 victory.
Dylan Leary also had a tough run in, having two long battles against D'Imperio and Gill, both ending 7-5 and setting back his quarter final match against Matt Brierley. This again proved a tough match, with Leary taking a 6-4 lead through a flawless display and then Brierley pegging him back to 6-6 with back to back clearances off the break, only to see a good chance go begging in the decider and give Leary the opportunity he needed to take the match. The semi-final saw Eaton-Lees, who had beaten tour 1 winner Josh Kane 7-1 in the last 16, race off to a 4-2 lead. From there, however, he let a few chances slip and gave Dylan the opportunity he needed, and he took them well to notch up an 8-5 victory.
After a day of almost non-stop playing, it's always difficult to bring your A game to the final, and so it proved to be for Leary, who will rue a few of the chances he missed in this match. For Davis, having been in this position on numerous occasions, it is a little easier and no doubt his quick semi-final, and the break that followed it, will have done him good and helped him on his way to the victory that he eventually sealed with an 8-4 score line.
TOUR RESULTS
| FINAL |
ADAM DAVIS [8] |
DYLAN LEARY [4] |
| SEMIS |
Dom Cooney [8-1] |
Dan Eaton-Lees [8-5] |
| QUARTERS |
Phil Harrison [7-6] |
Matt Brierley [7-6] |
| LAST 16 |
Mike King [7-0] |
Guvy Gill [7-5] |
| LAST 32 |
Dave Roblin [7-6] |
Giuseppe D'Imperio [7-5] |
| LAST 64 |
Martin Walker [7-0] |
Adam Toms [7-2] |
| LAST 128 |
Lucas Dejean [7-0] |
CHALLENGE 3
Shane Thompson is a regular in the latter stages of the challenge, having previously won it on a number of occasions. His solid play and keen focus were on display again in Telford as he made light work of a number of classy opponents such as Pat Ward, Matt Brierley and Harjeet Singh, to set up a final with one of the up and coming stars of the game, and current World Masters Champion, Callum Singleton.
Singleton is only in his first season on the tour but has wasted no time in making his mark, reaching a final of the challenge at only his third tour and notching up a number of good victories in both the tour and the challenge events so far. The final saw Shane take a narrow 4-3 lead before a long safety battle ensued in the next. Singleton looked like he had the upper hand for most of it, but Thompson managed to pull out a top-class finish to take it and get within one of victory. Singleton held his nerve to clear off the break in the next frame before Thompson matched him in what was to be the final frame, taking the match 6-4.
CHALLENGE RESULTS
| FINAL |
SHANE THOMPSON [6] |
CALLUM SINGLETON [4] |
| SEMIS |
Harjeet Singh [5-2] |
Shannon Purcell [5-0] |
| QUARTERS |
Matt Brierley [5-2] |
Dane Jones [5-2] |
| LAST 16 |
Pat Ward [5-2] |
Andy Barker [5-4] |
| LAST 32 |
Scott Anderson [5-0] |
Sawan Naker [5-0] |
| LAST 64 |
Carl Jones [5-1] |
Kevin Sutton [5-2] |
| LAST 128 |
Lakesh Badhan [4-0] |
