2018 UKPT Event 3 - Birmingham

It was all about Karl Sutton on the third tour as the England player showed he’s clearly been putting the hours in ready for the forthcoming World Championships by not only taking the tour title but the challenge title as well! Sutton was in imperious form this weekend despatching of some of the game’s best players en route to what was, surprising as it may be for a player of his clear ability, his first ever UK Tour final. After numerous efforts Sutton must have been feeling like this moment would never come so when the opportunity presented itself he seized it with both hands by taking an astonishing 7-0 lead in the final. Sam Bircher, who had played some excellent pool to beat the likes of previous tour winner Ian Duffy and a World Championship seeded player, Neil Davey, to reach his first tour final, would no doubt have been sat in his chair ruing a couple of early missed chances and when Sutton faltered in the eight frame he was ready to take it and make the beginnings of a comeback. Bircher managed to take the next 3 before an unfortunate in-off on a very good break left Sutton with a finish that you would generally expect him to take but under the pressure of winning your first ever tour title would have felt like a mountain to climb. Having previously won a European singles title and numerous World titles with England, Sutton is clearly one to handle the pressure and he took out the finish in a calm and controlled manner to take the third tour of the 2018 season.

Sutton would have been forgiven for going out celebrating and forsaking his place in the last 32 of the challenge event on the following Sunday but he is clearly not one for resting on his laurels and instead set out to achieve a feat that only Phil Harrison before him, at tour 3 of 2014, has previously achieved, to win both the tour and the challenge event on the same weekend. Sutton was again in fantastic form and met Gurvinder Gill in the final with an opportunity to equal a master of the game. Gill had taken out some big names on his way to the final including Jack Pople and Josh Corkett, and was clearly in fine form, but meeting the previous night’s tour winner was a step too far on this occasion and Sutton ran out a convincing 6-2 victor to take the £1000 winner’s prize on top of his £2400 winner’s prize from the tour to make it a very profitable weekend and, most importantly no doubt for Sutton, achieve something that very few in the game will ever come close to, becoming a double champion!

TOUR RESULTS

CHALLENGE RESULTS

2018 UKPT Event 3 - Birmingham

It was all about Karl Sutton on the third tour as the England player showed he’s clearly been putting the hours in ready for the forthcoming World Championships by not only taking the tour title but the challenge title as well! Sutton was in imperious form this weekend despatching of some of the game’s best players en route to what was, surprising as it may be for a player of his clear ability, his first ever UK Tour final. After numerous efforts Sutton must have been feeling like this moment would never come so when the opportunity presented itself he seized it with both hands by taking an astonishing 7-0 lead in the final. Sam Bircher, who had played some excellent pool to beat the likes of previous tour winner Ian Duffy and a World Championship seeded player, Neil Davey, to reach his first tour final, would no doubt have been sat in his chair ruing a couple of early missed chances and when Sutton faltered in the eight frame he was ready to take it and make the beginnings of a comeback. Bircher managed to take the next 3 before an unfortunate in-off on a very good break left Sutton with a finish that you would generally expect him to take but under the pressure of winning your first ever tour title would have felt like a mountain to climb. Having previously won a European singles title and numerous World titles with England, Sutton is clearly one to handle the pressure and he took out the finish in a calm and controlled manner to take the third tour of the 2018 season.

Sutton would have been forgiven for going out celebrating and forsaking his place in the last 32 of the challenge event on the following Sunday but he is clearly not one for resting on his laurels and instead set out to achieve a feat that only Phil Harrison before him, at tour 3 of 2014, has previously achieved, to win both the tour and the challenge event on the same weekend. Sutton was again in fantastic form and met Gurvinder Gill in the final with an opportunity to equal a master of the game. Gill had taken out some big names on his way to the final including Jack Pople and Josh Corkett, and was clearly in fine form, but meeting the previous night’s tour winner was a step too far on this occasion and Sutton ran out a convincing 6-2 victor to take the £1000 winner’s prize on top of his £2400 winner’s prize from the tour to make it a very profitable weekend and, most importantly no doubt for Sutton, achieve something that very few in the game will ever come close to, becoming a double champion!

TOUR RESULTS

CHALLENGE RESULTS