The next installment of live FreeSports televised 8-ball pool on Monday nights will be the inaugural Eative Ultimate Pool Pairs Cup which breaks off on the 6th September.
This unique event – which carries a total prize fund of £32,800 – will feature 64 teams of two players. Played on Monday evenings and spanning 21 weeks, each night’s action will see a round robin group of four pairs. At the end of each night, the pair finishing top of the group will advance to the last 16 of the competition.
This same process is used for the last 16 phase, leaving the four remaining pairs to contest Finals Night.
Rules and Match Format
The Ultimate Pool Pairs Cup is played to International 8-Ball Rules.
Each match is limited to 20 minutes; matches are a race to four frames or whatever the score is when the 20 minutes expires.
For the first 15 minutes of the match there is a 30-second shot clock in operation. For the final 5 minutes of the match there is a 15-second shot clock in operation. Each team is allocated one 15-second extension per frame.
2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw.
Match schedule (single frames): Scotch Doubles / Singles / Singles / Scotch Doubles / Singles / Singles / Scotch Doubles
If teams are tied at the top of the table after all matches are completed, a 6 Reds Shootout will determine the winners.
(The Ultimate Pool Group has the right to amend these rules and formats)
The Teams
With no restrictions on player combinations, there are several ‘dream teams’ that have been formed for this special event.
One such pairing is the recent Ultimate Pool Masters winner Phil Harrison and reigning six-time world champion Michael Hill – two players who have faced each other in three world finals.
Another world champion duo on show will be Chris Melling & Scott Gillespie (current BI World Champion), whilst Jon McAllister – another of the sport’s current world title holders – pairs up with fellow Coventry cueist Josh Kane.
There is a de facto team Northern Ireland as Pro Series Event 1 winner Declan Brennan joins up with the legendary Ronan McCarthy, and there will also be strong representation for East Anglia with Shaun Chipperfield & Karl Sutton.
Another team tipped to do well will be Clint I’Anson & Jack Whelan – they have been world doubles champions in the past.
Other standout teams include Jimmy Croxton & Neil Raybone, Arfan Dad & Craig Waddingham, Geo Edgar & Carl Morris, Shane Thompson & Jake McCartney and Craig Lakin & Jordan Shepherd.
There is also a women’s team, as two of the greatest lady players of all-time in Emma Cunningham and Amy Beauchamp will take to the arena at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge.
Other big names already published include former world champion Liam Dunster and three-time Mosconi Cup winner Mark Gray.
Draw and Schedule
The draw and the schedule for the 2021/22 Ultimate Pool Pairs Cup can be viewed below:
Group 1 | Monday 6th September
Marc Fleming & Ross Fernie 1-2 Curtis Lee & Luke Vokes
Shaun Chipperfield & Karl Sutton 2-2 Adam Myerscough & Matt Rowland
Fernie & Fleming 2-2 Myerscough & Rowland
Vokes & Lee 2-2 Chipperfield & Sutton
Fleming & Fernie 0-4 Chipperfield & Sutton
Rowland & Myerscough 3-1 Vokes & Lee
Chipperfield & Sutton defeated Myerscough & Rowland via a 6-reds shootout
Group 2 | Monday 13th September
Josh Kane & Jon McAllister 4-0 Kevin George & Del Redmond
Jamie Mantle & Jasper Simmonds 1-3 Wade Morley & Ryan Clark
Mantle & Simmonds 2-2 George & Redmond
Kane & McAllister 2-1 Morley & Clark
George & Redmond 3-2 Morley & Clark
Mantle & Simmonds 0-4 Kane & McAllister
Kane & McAllister win the group
Group 3 | Monday 20th September
Morgan McInnes & Barry Lynn 1-4 Brian Halcrow & John Sullivan
Hiten Patel & Lak Badhan 2-1 Jordan Church & Andy Sullivan
McInnes & Lynn 2-1 Church & A.Sullivan
Patel & Badhan 0-4 Halcrow & J.Sullivan
McInnes & Lynn 3-1 Patel & Badhan
Halcrow & J.Sullivan 4-0 Church & A.Sullivan
Halcrow & J.Sullivan win the group
Group 4 | Monday 27th September
Jez Graham & Darren McVicar 4-0 Zak Shepherd & Andy Cragg
Mark Selby & Gareth Potts 4-0 Tommy Miller & David Addinall
Shepherd & Cragg 4-1 Miller & Addinall
Graham & McVicar 0-4 Selby & Potts
Graham & McVicar 3-2 Miller & Addinall
Selby & Potts 1-3 Shepherd & Cragg
Selby & Potts win the group via a three-way 6-reds shootout
Group 5 | Monday 4th October
Andy Appleton & Michael Tomlinson 3-1 Elliott Glover & Simon Phillips
Jimmy Croxton & Neil Raybone 0-3 Mark Leathem & Steve Wall
Croxton & Raybone 2-3 Glover & Phillips
Appleton & Tomlinson 4-1 Leathem & Wall
Glover & Phillips 3-0 Leathem & Wall
Appleton & Tomlinson 2-2 Croxton & Raybone
Appleton & Tomlinson win the group
Group 6 | Monday 11th October
Tony Blount & Scott Crawley 3-2 Jake-Dylan Newlove & Toby Bolt
Chris Melling & Scott Gillespie 2-1 Kevin Kirkham & Rob Sim
Newlove & Bolt 4-0 Kirkham & Sim
Blount & Crawley 4-1 Melling & Gillespie
Newlove & Bolt 2-2 Melling & Gillespie
Blount & Crawley 3-2 Kirkham & Sim
Blount & Crawley win the group
Group 7 | Monday 18th October
Rob Wharne & Guvy Gill 2-1 Sam Boome & Jamie Stokes
Arfan Dad & Craig Waddingham 3-1 Mark Gray & Chirs Patient
Boome & Stokes 2-2 Gray & Patient
Wharne & Gill 2-3 Dad & Waddingham
Wharne & Gill 2-3 Gray & Patient
Boome & Stokes 2-3 Dad & Waddingham
Dad & Waddingham win the group
Group 8 | Monday 25th October
Lee Briscoe & Glenn Cahir 1-2 Neil Davey & Steve Singh
Emma Cunningham & Amy Beauchamp 1-4 Oussama Masskini & Nigel Clarke
Briscoe & Cahir 1-2 Cunningham & Beauchamp
Davey & Singh 1-2 Masskini & Clarke
Cunningham & Beauchamp 0-4 Davey & Singh
Briscoe & Cahir 2-1 Masskini & Clarke
Davey & Singh defeat Masskini & Clarke in a 6-reds shootout to win group
Group 9 | Monday 1st November
Aaron Davies & Matt Brierley 1-3 Martin McIntosh & Darren Matthew
David McNamara & Gareth Higgins 2-3 Oly Bale & Russell Burgess
Davies & Brierley 1-2 McNamara & Higgins
McIntosh & Matthew 2-3 Bale & Burgess
McIntosh & Matthew 2-4 McNamara & Higgins
Davies & Brierley 3-1 Bale & Burgess
McNamara & Higgins defeat Bale & Burgess in a 6-reds shootout to win group
Group 10 | Monday 8th November
Peter Martin & Tom Jones 1-1 Chris O'Hare & Dave Martinson
Jack Whelan & Clint I'Anson 2-2 Ryan Bowler & Rob Adams
O'Hare & Martinson 3-2 Bowler & Adams
Whelan & I'Anson 3-0 Martin & Jones
Bowler & Adams 2-2 Martin & Jones
Whelan & I'Anson 4-2 O'Hare & Martinson
Whelan & I'Anson win the group
Group 11 | Monday 15th November
Geo Edgar & Carl Morris 2-0 Craig Baller & Matt Haddrell
Michael Hill & Phil Harrison 3-2 Ryan Walton & Tommy Doherty
Baller & Haddrell 1-2 Walton & Doherty
Edgar & Morris 0-3 Hill & Harrison
Edgar & Morris 2-2 Walton & Doherty
Hill & Harrison 4-1 Baller & Haddrell
Hill & Harrison win the group
Group 12 | Monday 22nd November
Dom Cooney & Luke Gilbert 3-1 Jamie Moray & Richard Gifford
Lee Kendall & John Roe 1-2 Craig Hart & Mat Lawrenson
Moray & Gifford 4-0 Kendall & Roe
Cooney & Gilbert 3-2 Hart & Lawrenson
Moray & Gifford 2-2 Hart & Lawrenson
Kendall & Roe 3-1 Cooney & Gilbert
Cooney & Gilbert win the group
Group 13 | Monday 29th November
Eddie Barker & Dylan Leary 2-0 Kyle Brown & Denis Horan
Declan Brennan & Ronan McCarthy 3-0 Chris Back & Darren McCarthy
Brown & Horan 2-2 Back & D. McCarthy
Barker & Leary 0-4 Brennan & R. McCarthy
Barker & Leary 4-0 Back & D. McCarthy
Brown & Horan 2-2 Brennan & R. McCarthy
Brennan & R. McCarthy win the group
Group 14 | Monday 6th December
Liam Dunster & Lewis McHoul 4-0 Simon Baker & Rob Holt
Chris Day & Shaun Storry 4-0 James Jones & Lee Loftus
Baker & Holt 1-2 Jones & Loftus
Dunster & McHoul 2-2 Day & Storry
Baker & Holt 0-4 Day & Storry
Dunster & McHoul 4-0 Jones & Loftus
Day & Storry defeat Dunster & McHoul in a 6-reds shootout to win group
Group 15 | Monday 13th December
Sam Bircher & Lee Washbrook 2-2 Tony Brown & Robert Dagnall
Tom Cousins & Shane Thompson 1-1 Phil Malam & Tim Roberts
Brown & Dagnall 0-4 Malam & Roberts
Bircher & Washbrook 2-2 Cousins & Thompson
Brown & Dagnall 1-2 Cousins & Thompson
Bircher & Washbrook 4-0 Malam & Roberts
Cousins & Thompson (23.88 seconds) defeated Bircher & Washbrook (no time - unfinished) in a 6-reds shootout to win the group
Group 16 | Monday 20th December
Scott Coventry & Bryan Cumming 2-2 Tony Jackman & Craig Woods
Craig Lakin & Jordan Shepherd 3-1 Wayne Lewis & Ryan Scott
Coventry & Cumming 4-0 Lewis & Scott
Jackman & Woods 1-3 Lakin & Shepherd
Jackman & Woods 1-2 Lewis & Scott
Coventry & Cumming 4-0 Lakin & Shepherd
Coventry & Cumming win the group
The draw and schedule for Phase Two of the Eative Ultimate Pool Pairs Cup can be found HERE.
