Over the weekend we saw the remainder of the Chinese World 8-Ball Masters being played out.
So far in the tournament, our British players had put up a good fight, but were all eventually all knocked out one-by-one. The last two Brits standing were Darren Appleton and Gareth Potts, who had to play against each other for a position in the final.
It was a relatively close match ,reaching 5-4 before Potts raced ahead to 9-5, and by then it was all over for Appleton. He put up a good fight, but Potts went on to win 9-7, securing himself a place in the final. Appleton went away slightly disheartened, but still pleased with third place at his first appearance in a Chinese 8-Ball tournament.
Gareth Potts was up against a top Chinese player in the final, but with three 8-Ball World Championship triumphs up his sleeve and having prepared himself by practicing on the only Chinese 8-Ball table in Europe, his opponent didn’t know what hit him. Storming ahead, Potts won the match 15-5, winning the tournament for the second time in a row.
In this match you could really see Gareth’s talents shining through from the English 8-Ball he has made his name in. This background gives him an advantage over other players, in his ability to see patterns in the game, but it shows real skill and dedication to be able to apply this to a much larger table, with American balls and differing rules.
As we were sponsoring Gareth this year, were watching at home and cheering him on, so we’re really pleased to see him win. If you are interested in this great form of pool, check out our Pool Coaching with Gareth Potts pages, where you can buy coaching with Gareth Potts. If you opt to have your training session at his club, you can play the champ on his Chinese 8-Ball table for yourself!
Written By: Abi Ponton