Gareth Potts, World British 8 Ball Champion wins The Joy Cup Chinese 8-Ball Masters.
Gareth Potts won The Joy Cup World Chinese 8-Ball this month when he pipped Chris Melling to the post with a 17-9 win. It was the first time Chinese 8-Ball was broadcast live on Chinese TV no doubt due to it’s increasing popularity.
The Chinese 8-ball game is a hybrid of snooker, played on a 9 ball table under American 8 ball rules competition rules. It has been played in China since the 1980’s and has been catapulted into the press recently by Scotland’s Stephen Hendry when he signed up to a 10 year contract to promote the game globally.
Gareth played well throughout the tournament and word on a lot of the cue sports forums was he was going to win. One thing that can be said for Gareth is he is extremely dedicated and professional. When asked on what he thought of the tournament his enthusiasm was clear;
“The tournament is amazing treated like film stars and the venue is by far the best I've ever seen. The game is the best game I've played and the most difficult!”
With the game being in a format that was new to a lot of the players that entered, it was something that suited Gareth’s style of play very well. When interviewed by This is Staffordshire he said;
“"The table has the same template and pockets as a snooker table, but with 9-ball American pool balls. It's very difficult to play, the balls are especially tight down the rails and you need a good skill level at both snooker and pool," he said.
"You need a good technique, but also a good 8-ball brain, knowing the patterns and how to break.
"I'm a decent snooker player so, with my pool background too, I was confident of doing well.'
We are incredibly proud to sponsor Gareth, he is the absolute professional and deserves every success in his sport and look forward to next years event.
Written By: Michelle Beresford