ASLAM ABUBAKER – SIMONIS GRAND PRIX CHAMPION

The BWPPA tour descended on Escape Pool Bar in Barnsley once again for tour stop 2 of the campaign, the Simonis Grand Prix. This event saw the largest field for a BWPPA tour weekend in a number of years. Among the entrants were 2 debutants Lee Woodward from Birmingham, and Graham Brown from London. We were also delighted to welcome back to the tour Sheffield’s Gary Swift and Birmingham’s Adam Pearson.

Brown couldn’t have had a tougher welcome to the BWPPA tour losing 7-1 to former BWPPA #1 Abubaker. Abubaker followed that up by winning two tough matches, he beat current #1 and man of the moment Daniel Lee 7-5 before coming through a hill-hill encounter with Swift 7-6.

Elsewhere in the draw Woodward showed some signs of promise, only just being edged out 7-6 by fellow Brummie Pearson. BWPPA stalwart Danny Luton had a came through a tough match, beating Dave Beaumont 7-5 in a clash of English 8-ball World Champions. Roy Kimberley was next for Luton, Kimberley came through a 7-3 victor and followed that up by beating Tony Southern 7-5.

Over in the one-loss bracket Luton put in a strong performance to beat Pearson 7-1, and followed that with a 7-4 win over Swift, to force a rematch with “the Sandman” Kimberley in the semi-finals. In the semi it was Luton who turned the tables, beating Kimberley 7-4. In the other semi-final it was a carbon copy of an earlier match with Abubaker once again beating Lee 7-5.

In the final Luton took a scrappy first rack, he then doubled his advantage when Abubaker missed a 9-ball down the rail. Abubaker took the next to cut his deficit to 1, but then a missed 9-ball from Luton in the 4^th rack enabled the Leicester cueman to level at 2-2. The next 2 racks were shared including a high quality run out from Abubaker following a miss on the 1-ball from Luton. It soon became 4-4, before Abubaker took the next 2 racks, and missed an 8-ball in the 11^th rack, Luton stepped in, and Abubaker’s lead was cut down to one at 6-5. Luton was faced with a tricky cut on the 9 to take the match to a decider. Abubaker duly stepped in and made a shot, which under the circumstances was missable, but he took his first title of what could well be his last year on the BWPPA tour.

In the Challenge Cup sponsored by the World Pool Series there was a revised version of the handicapping system for this event with the players who previously received a 1 rack start now receiving a 2 racks start and players who received a 2 racks start receiving a 3 racks start. Lester received a walkover into the semi-finals, while debutant Woodward received a 2 racks start from the Players Championship Main event winner Southern. Southern took the match advancing to the semi-finals where he faced Beaumont, who beat Swift in the quarters 5-0.

It was a dramatic semi-final between Beaumont and Southern going all the way to a hill-hill decider which Beaumont took 5-4.

In the other semi-final Lester narrowly defeated Welsh 5-3 after receiving a 3 racks start. In the final Lester once again had a 3 racks start against Beaumont, the first 2 racks were shared and Beaumont took the next 2 racks to trail by 1. Lester held his nerve to win his first BWPPA Challenge event in his home club, after previously winning 2 Challenge events at the Wheelchair Cuesports Academy in Aylesbury.

A video of the main event final is available here. Pictures of the event can be found here in the BWPPA gallery.

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The BWPPA would like to thank all of our sponsors:

World Pool Series, Gentlemen’s Night Out, Simonis cloth, Aramith billiard balls, Kamui, Predator Cues, Talisman Billiards, Escape Pool Bar in Barnsley, Tiger Cues of Warrington, Cheqio, Ultimate Team Gear, A.B Wallace Trophies, Gosport Pool Arena and Fred Dinsmore Billiards

We also are always looking to expand the sponsorship side of the tour, so if you or your company would like to become one of our sponsors, please visit our contact us page.

You too can be a part of the world’s largest wheelchair pool tour; please keep checking on http://www.bwppa.com and http://www.pro9.co.uk for further information. In addition to our national tour stops there is also the possibility of representing Great Britain in international tournaments such as the EPBF European Championship and WPA World 9-ball Championship for wheelchair players. See you all at the 3rd event of the year, the Talisman British Wheelchair 10 Ball Championships 2017 at the BWPPA/BWCSA Wheelchair CueSport Academy from 15-16 July 2017.

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