Daniel Lee
12 months on from claiming his first main event title on the BWPPA tour Daniel Lee became the British 9-ball champion again, but this time the win came with added significance as Lee ends the season as the UK's number 1 wheelchair pool player.
The Wheelchair Cuesports Academy at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury was once again the setting for the final tour stop of the season. Before the first ball was struck it was a three horse race for the top spot, with Fred Dinsmore and Roy Kimberley also in the running, but Lee knew if he progressed further than Dinsmore or Kimberley, then he would be assured of his place at the summit of the worlds largest wheelchair pool tour.
Lee began his campaign beating Danny Luton 7-2, before a much closer encounter edging past Tony Southern 7-5. He was then assured of his place at the top of the pile when he beat "the Sandman" Kimberley 7-5 in the semi-final. Elsewhere in the tournament Darren Taylor returned to the tour after appearing in his second BWPPA event for 10 years. Having started his campaign off with a 7-0 loss at the hands of Kimberley, Taylor then beat Matt Lester 7-3, before bowing out of the main event losing 7-4 to Craig Welsh.
Meanwhile Ireland's Dinsmore was doing all he could to hold onto the top spot. Dinsmore began with a 7-2 win over Welsh; he then beat Kimberley and Southern 7-5 to reach the final.
Unfortunately this wasn't enough and by the time Lee and Dinsmore met in the final. Lee was the new number 1. It certainly showed how confident Lee was, as he raced into a 4-0 lead. It was always going to be tough from there, even for a player of Dinsmore's quality. Lee took the match 7-4, and with it his third main event title this season. Along with the trophy, Lee collected a brand new Predator 8K3 cue from the title sponsors.
In the challenge event, the equation was simpler. As long as Nick Oliver was in the draw, he would take top spot in the challenge event rankings. Unfortunately for the Great N.O he was unable to complete a hat-trick of Challenge titles after he lost 5-3 to Luton in the semi-finals. Welsh took the challenge title with a 5-4 win over Luton.
Challenge number 1 ranked player Oliver picked up a brand new Poison Anthrax 3 cue from our tour sponsors Poison Cues. As well as Lee and Oliver, the players ranked 2-6 picked up wonderful prizes from tour sponsors Predator Cues and Talisman Cases.
Pictures of the event can be found here in the BWPPA gallery.
Yet again we've witnessed some top class pool from very talented players this season. We would like to thank all of the players, and the tour sponsors The Gentlemen’s Night Out, Simonis Cloths, Predator/Poison Cues, Talisman Billiards, Kamui tips, Aramith Balls, Cheqio, Gosport Pool Arena, Magic Racks, Escape Pool Bar, TigerCues and AB Wallace Trophies.
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 www.bwppa.com and 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 in 2017 and have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at BWPPA.
