Granite Gray is a snooker legend again

Highly-rated nine-ball pool star Mark ‘Granite’ Gray reverted to snooker at the weekend and won the Legends Tour competition at the Court in Bretton.

The 48 year-old resident professional at Bourne Snooker Centre has barely played competitively in the last 15 years, but he dropped just one frame in claiming the £300 first prize, £20 high break prize and the trophy.

Gray beat Luke Gilbert from Huntingdon 2-0 in the final after playing superbly to beat a former World Pool Championship runner-up Dom Cooney, also from Huntingdon, 2-0 in the semi-final.

Gray delivered a 93 clearance in the first frame and a 64 break in the second frame against Cooney.

Gray also beat Darren Bettney from Bury St Edmunds in the quarter-final after dropping his only frame of the tournament to fall 1-0 behind.

He had opened up with a 2-0 win over Peterborough man Paul Newman.

“My bread and butter is still 9-ball pool,” Gray said. “But there have hardly been any competitions in the last 20 months because of Covid.

“This coming weekend I am in Telford playing on the GB9 Ball Tour , where there will be 112 runners. I am currently ranked number two and got to the semis of the last event back in August before losing losing to the legend Darren Appleton 9-8!”

Gilbert had been seeking his second successive Legends Tour title.

Nineteen players took part in a best of threeframe format with an impressive nine breaks over 50 recorded.

Best breaks: Mark Gray (93, 64, 59, 51), Kristian Williams (54, 55), Ivan Pastore (55), Luke Gilbert (76) and Richard Jones (75).

Mark Gray with his trophy