Surbiton eightball pool star Steve Petty added another title to his ever-growing list of achievements at the weekend when he travelled to Solihull to join the ranks of the GB9 Tour, the UK’s premier series of professional nineball tournaments.

The 18-year-old potting prodigy and Surrey A Team player charged through the 200-man field to reach the last eight of the main event, beating pre-tournament favourite and seasoned professional nineball player Imran Majid along the way.

Petty also brushed aside everyone to win the Challenge Trophy, the amateur tournament run over the weekend. He collected a cool £950 for his trouble.

He said: “I thought I’d do okay in the amateur event and I was delighted to win that but to reach the last eight of the main event was something I wasn’t expecting,’ says Steve.

‘I play English eightball pool and, even though I’m a professional at that game, the switch to playing nineball pool which has larger tables and heavier balls makes it a totally different discipline,’ says Steve.

‘I played a bit of nineball before Xmas when I qualified for GB9 but it’s a game I’m still learning about and probably will be doing for a long time yet.

‘I thought I’d do OK in the amateur event and I was delighted to win that but to reach the last eight of the main event and beat a nineball professional of Imran Majid’s calibre was something I wasn’t expecting,’ says Steve.

‘But after doing so well this weekend I’m confident I can do some real damage on the GB9 Tour.’ And many who saw him at the weekend are already tipping him to win a main event before the season is out...