Darren Appleton

Britains World Number 1, Darren Appleton went through yet another GB9 Pro Cup field undefeated this Saturday in lifting the 2009 GB9 Yorkshire Pro Cup.

Due to a less than full field Appleton received a bye through to round 2 where he faced tricky opponent Chris Buckmaster. He overcame the improving Buckmaster, promoted from last years Challenge Cup and regaining his place in the pro ranks for 2010, by a scoreline of 8-6.

Next up came former WEPF World 8-ball Champion Mick Hill in the quarter finals, a recent convert to the big tables and Appleton’s nemesis at the recent Eurotour event in Portugal. On this occasion Appleton was able to dispatch the Midlander 9-3 to step into yet another semi-final.

It was another case of deja vu in the semi-finals as Appleton came up against good friend Karl Boyes. These two have met on numerous occasions on the GB9BallTour over the past two seasons and Appleton maintained his upper hand with a 9-5 win which included four break and runs.

So it was the Yorkshire native that made it into the Yorkshire Pro Cup final and once again his opponent was the ever-impressive Mark Gray.

These two players met in the Southern Masters Pro Cup final earlier in the year, a match that went the way of Mark Gray.

The man from Peterborough had good wins over Daryl Peach, Scott Higgins and Phil Burford en route to the final. The final itself just proved one step too-far for Gray as Appleton got revenge in a tight and tense encounter that finished 9-8 in Appleton’s favour.

Both players had three breaks and runs each in a high quality match that finished in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Appleton’s win puts him into second spot in the Pro rankings behind Daryl Peach and one ahead of Mark Gray. It is an astonishing season because Appleton has missed two events through other commitments, however, each event he has participated in he has reached the final.

This win solidifies his position as the World number 1 player in the current climate.