Roy Kimberley has taken the second tour stop title of the BWPPA 9 Ball Tour. Played in the luxurious surroundings of a brand new Rileys club in Stafford over the weekend of 22nd/23rd January 2005, the BWPPA's Chairman beat Gary Swift 9-3 in the final to claim his second consecutive tour stop win and extend his lead at the top of the rankings.
Kimberley and Swift had both come through the first day's double-elimination phase undefeated, Kimberley with wins of 9-3, 9-4 and 9-4 over Danny Luton, Matthew Gleaves and Matt Duffy respectively, and Swift with wins of 9-6, 9-7 and 9-3 over Maurice Job, Tom Burns and newcomer Chris Ellis. The second day saw the last four return to play the semis and the final. The line-up consisted of Roy versus Matthew Gleaves in one semi-final, with Gary Swift against Mark McNeill in the other.
There was added drama during the second day, as there was more to play for than just the money and the ranking points - three places in this year's European Championships would be awarded to the top 3 in the rankings at the end of the event, with a fourth place to be decided in a qualifying tournament after the main event. After the first day's play, it was clear that Roy Kimberley and Matthew Gleaves would be going to Holland in April to represent Great Britain, but with a number of possible outcomes for third place. If Gary Swift had beaten Roy Kimberley in the final, the place would have been his, but it wasn't to be, and he ended up tying for third place with Matt Duffy and Mark McNeill.
There then had to be a play-off to decide the third spot, which was won by Scotsman Matt Duffy. Only then could the qualifying tournament for fourth place be started, and it was between Gary Swift, Nick Oliver, Mark McNeill and Danny Luton. Swift and McNeill knocked out Nick Oliver and Danny Luton, both with scores of 5-2, to play each other in the final. After seeing his chance for the Euro spot slip away twice already, it was third time lucky for Gary Swift, who saw off Mark McNeill 5-3 to join Roy Kimberley, Matthew Gleaves and Matt Duffy in Veldhoven in the Netherlands in April.
