Carl Morris was impressive throughout the evening as he won week eight of the 2022/23 Ultimate Pool Masters and qualified for the second phase of the competition at the start of next year.

Ultimate Pool’s number six ranked professional following a run to a Pro Series event final in 2021, Morris dropped just four frames in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Wednesday night – the fewest number of frames from any week winner, so far.

Action began with Morris – the sport’s youngest-ever world champion when he claimed the title in 1998 as a 21-year-old – up against 13-year-old Justin Matthews, the youngest-ever player to compete in the Masters.

Morris did a professional job and was merciless as he defeated the up-and-comer 8-0 in a display that included a golden break in the opening frame and two reverse clearances later on.

Next into the arena was the experienced Del Redmond facing 22-year-old Luke Terry. The match was very close early on with never more than a frame between the pair, but recent Challenger Series finalist Redmond was stronger in the closing stages as he wrapped up a 7-5 victory.

An intriguing final between two well-known and established figures, Morris opened up a 2-0 lead before Redmond got a foothold and levelled up at 2-2.

Former world number one Morris reopened up a two-frame advantage at 4-2 (break clearance in frame 6) and then punished a missed 8-ball from Redmond for a break clearance in frame seven to move further ahead, before back-to-back break clearances in frame eight.

Redmond scored a golden break and then chalked up frame ten to reduce his arrears to just two, but a grandstand finish was not forthcoming as Morris secured the next two frames for an 8-4 success.

Morris scores a triumph for the professional players after amateurs had won in each of the previous four weeks. He completes a last 32 group featuring Jake-Dylan Newlove, Bryan Cumming and Ben Rowland.