Lancashire’s Jack Crank bowed out of the Under-23 Singles after a close last-16 contest on Thursday, while England B Under-23s strengthened their team challenge with back-to-back 5–4 victories at the IEPF World Eightball Championships in Marrakech.
Crank’s singles run ends in the last 16
Crank faced Joshua Hands for a place in the Under-23 Singles quarter-finals after reaching the last 16 with Wednesday’s 6–2 victory over Jack Green.
The Lancashire representative pushed Hands throughout Thursday evening’s tie, but was edged out 6–4. The result ends Crank’s individual campaign after an encouraging run that also included a 6–0 victory over Lochlann Turner in the opening stage.
Crank’s attention now returns to the England B Under-23 team competition, where there is still plenty to play for.
Two pressure wins for England B Under-23s
England B won two tight team matches by the same scoreline on Thursday. They first defeated Northern Ireland 5–4 before overcoming South Africa 5–4 later in the afternoon.
England B’s late match against France A ended in a 7–2 defeat. The result leaves England B fifth on 22 points after 15 completed matches, with 11 wins, four defeats and a 78–57 frame record.
They are level on points with Malta, Morocco A and France A, with frame difference separating the four sides in the latest completed-match table. Friday morning’s final round-robin fixture against Scotland A will therefore be crucial.
More wins across the England teams
England’s Men maintained their momentum with two 13–8 victories, beating India and France. The England Over-50s also completed a Thursday double, defeating Malta and New Zealand 10–5 in successive matches.
The England Ladies followed their World Team Shootout success with wins over New Zealand 9–6 and Northern Ireland 10–5 in the main team competition.
England A Under-18s enjoyed three wins, beating Scotland 8–1, Australia B 5–4 and Australia A 7–2. England B Under-18s recovered from a 6–3 defeat by New Zealand to edge both Morocco and Malta 5–4.
In the other Under-23 team action, England A beat South Africa 6–3 before losing a close contest against France A 5–4.
Friday: final round-robin test for England B
Crank and England B are scheduled to face Scotland A at 9.30am on Friday 25 September in their final listed round-robin fixture. Their route beyond that match will depend on the completed table and official tournament progression.
With the teams around them closely matched, every frame could prove significant. Fixtures and later-stage pairings should be confirmed through AllScores before publication or sharing.
Sources and live scoring
- Official IEPF AllScores Live scoring
- EPA profile: Jack Crank
- English Pool Association
- EPA ICR26 records
- International Eightball Pool Federation on Facebook
- Ultimate Pool Association Morocco on Facebook
- English Pool Association on Facebook
Results and fixtures checked against the official AllScores data on Thursday 24 September 2026. Tournament schedules and later-stage pairings can change; please check the official live scoring page for the latest information.