Ian Ali beat clubmate Rory Cooper 4-1 at the Hurricane Room in King’s Cross

IT was a final two years in the making, but for premier potter Ian Ali the wait was certainly worthwhile as it ended with him being crowned singles champion in the Chalk Farm Pool League.

The PJ O’Connors cueist captured the coveted title – along with bragging rights – after conquering clubmate Rory Cooper 4-1 in front of a packed crowd at the Hurricane Room in King’s Cross last week.

The final was originally pencilled in for the summer of 2020 but was put on the backburner due to Covid.

“Ian certainly had plenty of time to practise,” quipped league chairman Shaun Pollard. “But he won’t get long to enjoy his success as the defence of his title starts in less than two weeks’ time!”

Cooper was quick to exact his revenge as he teamed up with Kevin Howard to beat Ali and Levi Malcolm in an all-PJ O’Connors final to clinch the doubles title – winning an epic showdown 4-3 following a deciding frame thriller.

Pollard added: “We were adamant that no matter how long it took we were going to get any outstanding finals played. All the finalists deserve so much credit as they made the wait worthwhile by producing some fantastic pool.”