Jason Francis, who created the Snooker Legends Tour, then launched the Seniors Snooker Tour, is now trying to help young snooker players to improve their game.
He is launching the Snooker Legends ‘Cues of Tomorrow’ Junior Series
Here is the announcement he made on social media, and via email:
Snooker Legends ‘Cues of Tomorrow’ Junior Series What we know so far…
You can now register your interest so you can get the details by email as soon as they are released for the Cues of Tomorrow Junior Series.
These events are not starting until September 2021 but here are the dates.
4th and 5th September
18th and 19th September
2nd and 3rd October
16th and 17th October
6th and 7th November
20th and 21st November
27th and 28th November
4th and 5th December
Finals Weekend 11th and 12th December
We have not published entry fees and prize money… why? because the more we raise in sponsorship and donations the cheaper we will make entry fees and the more we will pay out in prize money.
To enter the Under 14 Competition (U14) you must still be 13 years of age on the 4th September 2021
To enter the Under 18 Competition (U18) you must still be 17 years of age on the 4th September 2021
To enter the Under 21 Competition (U21) you must still be 20 years of age on the 4th September 2021
It does not matter if you have a birthday during the series as long as you are under the relevant age on that date.
The winner of of our U14, U18 and U21 series will get:
1. their entry fee funded for the 2022 Professional Q School
2. entry into the “2022 Q School Entry Preparation Programme” this
will include, but it not limited to, professional mentoring, WPBSA coaching, promotion of the Cues of Tomorrow Junior Series and a session with a famous Champion of our sport to prepare and get hints on what it takes to be the very best! Matt Andrews has already been announced as part of the team.
3. Should any of our Champions earn a WPBSA Tour Card from the 2022 Q School they will also be offered a two-year management contract with Snooker Legends and be assigned a professional player as a mentor for the first season. Should the player be under 18 the contract would be offered to the player via their designated guardian.
If you want to donate or support this initiative, either publicly as a partnering company or anonymously please email me jason@snookerlegends.co.uk
We already have Cue Craft and Legends Cue Sports as announced partners.
To get on the list to get the entry pack details when they are finalized please email, or message me, with the following
1 players’ name
2 players’ age
3 events they would be interested in entering age wise?
4 looking to enter events local to them or all national events?
5 parents’ name if under 16
6 players’ email if over 16
7 parents’ contact email if under 16
By registering…
1 you are not committing to enter
2 you are ensuring you get the option to enter when it opens if you choose and if you agree and accept the terms and conditions of the entry pack.Please share to any juniors you think will be interested in this.
The ‘Cues of Tomorrow’ Series could be a huge new opportunity for all amateur players out there.
Regards Jason Francis
Matt Andrews is a coach, and a mental coach who has helped Ronnie in the past. He was at his side during his famous Masters 2007 win.
Please share ! One kid you know, one kid you helped might become a world champion one day.
Amine Amiri has withdrawn from the BetVictor Welsh Open and has been replaced with a straight swap in the draw with the next available player on the Q School 2020 Order of Merit, Jamie Curtis-Barrett.
WST also announced that this season there will be 8 tour cards availbale through the one year list.Here is the announcement:
WST, in consultation with WPBSA, has decided that the following players will receive two-year tour cards, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons:
• Players finishing the 2020/21 season in the top eight of the one-year ranking list, who do not otherwise keep their tour card by finishing in the top 64 of the two-year rankings. This is a change from the current structure where only the top four on the one-year list earn a new tour card.
• Players who qualify for the final stages of the Betfred World Championship at the Crucible, who otherwise would not earn a new tour card. This rule was introduced for the first time last season.
This is as an interim measure due to the exceptional circumstances in the current season. Further details on the tour structure for 2021/22 will be announced in due course.
Kyren Wilson booked his place in the Winners Gtroup yesterday evening. He beat Ronnie by 3-2, from 2-1 down, in the SF, then beat Mark Williams by 3-2 again, this time from 2-0 down,
Congratulations Kyren!
After winning his four matches on the first day, dropping just one frame, Ronnie lost all three matches he played yesterday. He still added 7 pieces to his centuries tally … Mark Selby who had reached the final in Group 4, won just one match, finished last and was eliminated.
It was an incredibibly tough group, played at a very, very high standard. There were 27 centuries in that group alone, Ronnie making 7 of them.
Kyren Wilson beat Mark Williams 3-2 in the deciding frame of the Group Five final to advance to Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League Snooker at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
The Kettering man will now return on April 1-2, where he will join Zhou Yuelong, John Higgins, Graeme Dott, Judd Trump and the winners of the final two groups, to battle it out for the title and a place in November’s Champion of Champions.
Wilson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 in his semi-final, winning from 2-1 down with breaks of 128 and 132. Williams defeated Ali Carter 3-1 in his semi-final, having beaten O’Sullivan in his final group match to take fourth in the group table.
The Welshman took the first two frames of the final with breaks of 82 and 60, but Wilson hit back with 78 in the third and an 83 in the fourth, to force the decider. The fifth frame was the longest of the final, at just over 30 minutes, but Wilson eventually got the crucial red he required to put Williams out of sight.
“I put all of my effort into today and I finished off with three 3-2s,” said Wilson, who won the ranking event version of BetVictor Championship League Snooker last autumn.
“It has been a tough couple of groups so I’m delighted to get into the Winners’ Group. I have played O’Sullivan in a lot of big matches, so I know what it takes to beat him and I had to produce back-to-back tons after his centuries. That is the standard you have to reach to beat these legends of the game and I’m pleased that I managed to achieve that today.
“We are lucky to have snooker on at the moment and these tournaments are fantastic. I enjoy the set up, it is relaxed but with a bit of pressure with the money and Champion of Champions potential at the end of it. The groups have been really, really tough this year.”
Joe Perry will join Carter and Williams in Group Six having finished fifth in Group Five, where they will be joined by newcomers Liang Wenbo, David Gilbert and Anthony McGill. Barry Hawkins and Mark Selby have been eliminated from the event having finished sixth and seventh respectively in the group. O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the tournament and will be replaced by Li Hang.
It’s not the first time that Ronnie withdraws from the Championship League Snooker after playing in just one group. Matchroom may not be best pleased with that, but the fact is that many top players use this event as excellent “paid practice” and, if they go through, great, if not … still happy days. Ronnie earned £2000 over the two days; he played 8 matches against top opposition. Mark Selby came last but still got £500 for the highest break, plus £1000 for the frames he won in this group, and that comes on top of the £3200 he got from groups 3 and 4.
The format of this event is such that players may be tempted not to try their best in every match… consciously or subconciously. And yet it’s great to watch, because they play with a freedom that you won’t see in other events.
Anyway … here are some short videos shared by the event official twitter account.
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE SNOOKER: RONNIE O’SULLIVAN HITS MAGICAL SIX CENTURIES TO DOMINATE
World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan hit three straight centuries in a 3-1 win over Mark Selby to finish Wednesday on top of Group 5 with a 100 percent record. Runs of 125, 124 and 140 against Selby followed breaks of 122, 114 and 102 on his way to two 3-0 wins over Joe Perry and Kyren Wilson and a 3-1 success against old Essex foe Ali Carter.
World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan enjoyed a magical return to action in Milton Keynes on Wednesday by hitting six stunning centuries, including three straight tons against Mark Selby, to dominate a seven-man Group 5 at the Championship League.
O’Sullivan warmed up for next week’s Welsh Open at Celtic Manor by completing two 3-0 victories over Joe Perry and Kyren Wilson respectively and a 3-1 win over old foe Ali Carter, who he famously defeated in the 2008 and 2012 world finals, boosted by runs of 122, 114 and 102.
O’Sullivan was far from finished as he recorded three straight centuries of 125, 124 and 140 in a 3-1 win over Selby, who did not pot a ball after the opening frame, to finish the day on top of Group 5 with a 100 percent record on four points and a frame difference of plus 10.
In his first competitive matches since losing 6-3 to John Higgins in the quarter-finals of the Masters last month, the world number three also enjoyed breaks of 54, 76, 54 and 71 before his final fixture of the day against Selby, who ended the day pointless alongside Barry Hawkins from three matches.
O’Sullivan, who faces world number 77 Robbie Williams in the first round of the Welsh Open, is ideally placed to make a push for victory in the Group 5 final on Thursday with the top four contesting the semi-finals.
He is already guaranteed to progress to the last four before concluding his Group 5 fixtures against Mark Williams and Barry Hawkins on Thursday.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is top of the Group Five table and already guaranteed a place in Thursday evening’s play-offs after winning all four of his matches so far in BetVictor Championship League Snooker at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Having already defeated Joe Perry, Kyren Wilson and Ali Carter, O’Sullivan then overturned a 1-0 deficit in his fourth and final match of the day to beat Mark Selby 3-1 with a hat-trick of centuries; 125, 124 and 140.
That left Selby winless in three matches, putting him joint bottom with Barry Hawkins, who also suffered three defeats on day one of the fifth group of this year’s invitational BetVictor Championship League Snooker.
Carter entered the tournament in this group and sits second behind O’Sullivan, having only lost to the World Champion in the four matches he played. Mark Williams and Wilson have two wins each, while Perry won one and lost two of his opening three matches.
Live coverage of BetVictor Championship League Snooker is available on Matchroom.Live as well as on Freesports in the UK & Ireland, Zhibo.tv in China and on global betting platforms.
Judd Trump beat Mark Selby 3-0 in the Group 4 final to advance to Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League Snooker at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
The World number one concluded his victory with a 102 break to take his career century tally to 778, now outright third on the all-time list, having overtaken Stephen Hendry’s 775 earlier in the group. Trump had come from two frames down to beat Kyren Wilson 3-2 in his semi-final, a total clearance of 131 in the decider setting up the final with Selby.
Leicester’s Selby also reached the final by winning a deciding frame; he beat Mark Williams 3-2 having been 1-0 and 2-1 down.
“The way I closed out the last three or four games, I played some of my best stuff,” said Trump. “I was pretty consistent the whole way through, played a good game against Jack and Kyren played well to beat me [in the league phase].
“In the end I had to dig deep against Kyren in the semi-finals. I made a really good comeback and played really well against Mark in the final.”
On surpassing Hendry’s tally of career centuries, Trump added: “It is special for me. People try and discredit it because there are more tournaments, but I am still at a better frame per century ratio and I am scoring as heavily as anybody has scored.
“I have to keep doing my thing on the table, playing the way I play, making my breaks and enjoying myself. Over the next couple of years there is a chance for me, if I can keep this form up, to win as many titles as possible.”
Trump will join Zhou Yuelong, Graeme Dott and John Higgins in Winners’ Group from April 1-2, with three more places left to be earned in the big-money conclusion to BetVictor Championship League Snooker.
Barry Hawkins will join Wilson, Williams and Selby in Group Five having finished fifth in Group Four, where they will be joined by newcomers Joe Perry, Ali Carter and Ronnie O’Sullivan. Tom Ford and Jack Lisowski have been eliminated from the event having finished sixth and seventh respectively in the group.
BetVictor Championship League Snooker sees 25 of the game’s elite players compete for their share of a total prize pot of up to £205,000.
Follow BetVictor Championship League Snooker on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest news and scores from Stadium MK.
PLAY OFF RESULTS SEMI-FINALS
Judd Trump 3-2 Kyren Wilson 2-101 (100), 6-121 (121), 69-52 (69, 52), 118-0 (51, 67), 131-0 (131)
Mark Selby 3-2 Mark Williams 16-84 (84), 67-37 (52), 54-64 (Selby 50), 99-36 (83), 72-49
THE FINAL Judd Trump 3–0 Mark Selby 100-5 (62), 72-25, 103-0 (102)
FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
P
W
L
FW
FL
PTS
Money Won
Judd Trump
6
4
2
15
8
4
£6,300
Mark Selby
6
4
2
12
10
4
£4,100
Mark Williams
6
3
3
12
12
3
£2,800
Kyren Wilson
6
3
3
11
11
3
£2,700
Barry Hawkins
6
3
3
11
12
3
£1,100
Tom Ford
6
2
4
13
14
2
£1,800
Jack Lisowski
6
2
4
8
15
2
£800
Jack Lisowski didn’t play well at all. I hope that the heavy defeat at the hands of Judd at the German Masters is not affecting him too much.
As for Judd’s reaction to people “discrediting” his achievements, I can understand it. He’s the best player and the heaviest scorer at the moment. He works hard and deserves what he gets.
Comparing players of different eras is always difficult and probably meaningless. The tour structure has changed, the way the ranking and seeding work has changed, there are more tournaments, which offers more opportunities, but is also more demanding. The conditions have changed, different tables, faster cloth, different balls … The only thing I strongly believe is that the very top players of the past would probably thrive on the current conditions as well … but how well would they actually do is just guess work.
Ronnie starts today in Group 5, and it’s an extremely tough group. It’s also excellent match practice.
Michael White is a two-time ranking event winner but is currently playing as an amateur having dropped off the pro tour.
The draw for the world ranking event has pitted three-time World Champion Williams against White in a Welsh derby in the opening round. That match will take place on Tuesday February 16th at 1pm.
In all there will be 128 players battling for the Ray Reardon Trophy in the tournament which runs from February 15 to 21.
Shaun Murphy, who won the event for the first time last year, will start the defence of his title against Zak Surety on Monday February 15th at 1pm
World number one Judd Trump will meet China’s Zhao Jianbo while World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will face Robbie Williams. BetVictor Shoot Out champion Ryan Day will be up against Ian Burns.
It’s the fourth and final Home Nations event of the season, and the fifth of six events in the BetVictor European Series.
The event will be broadcast by BBC Wales, Eurosport, CCTV5, Matchroom Live and a range of other broadcasters worldwide.
Ronnie will start his campaign in Tuesday, 16 Frebruary, probably after 2pm, against Robbie Williams. It’s a tough opening match over such a short format, with possibly Mark Joyce, Martin Gould and David Gilbert or Zhou Yuelong to follow: certainly not an easy draw. Of course, he could also face Jimmy White in the second round provided they both win their last 128 match. A lot of fans would love that but I don’t really expect that to happen. If Ronnie progesses in the tournament, he could play John Higgins in the QFs and Judd Trump in the SFs. Aargh…
‘When he winds me up’ Laila Rouass jibes at Ronnie O’Sullivan on Saturday Kitchen
LAILA ROUASS jokingly mocked partner Ronnie O’Sullivan on Saturday Kitchen today as she revealed the food she cooks for the world snooker champion when he “winds her up”.
Saturday Kitchen: Laila Rouass on cooking aubergine for Ronnie
Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt welcomed actress Laila Rouass and world snooker champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan, on the BBC cooking show this morning. In the usual fashion, the chef asked the guests what their food heaven and hell were but was taken aback when the actress joked she rustles up Ronnie’s least favourite food when the couple clash.
Matt introduced: “Morning guys, we’ve got a couple of guests today actress Laila Rouass and world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.
“You’ve both done the show independently before now we’re doing things slightly different today.
“[Laila’s] food heaven is [Ronnie’s] food hell and visa versa, is that right?”
Revealing her food heaven, the actress said: “My food heaven oh god what was it? I can’t remember. Aubergine and coriander.
Saturday Kitchen: Laila Rouass hit out at partner Ronnie O’Sullivan (Image: BBC)
Saturday Kitchen: Laila and Ronnie revealed their food heaven and hell (Image: BBC)
“I love aubergine because my mum cooked it, it’s Lebanese food and my mum loves cooking Lebanese food. I’ve grown up with aubergine.
“But you’re not a fan, though?” Matt asked Ronnie.
“It’s very hard to get it right. If it’s right it’s okay but if it’s not I don’t like it and coriander is a complete no-no.”
“Some people taste coriander and they think it tastes soapy,” Matt said. “Ronnie, what’s your idea of food heaven?”
Saturday Kitchen: Matt joked it was “amazing” the couple got on with each other (Image: BBC)
Saturday Kitchen: Matt was amused by the couple’s eating habits (Image: BBC)
“I love fish cod is nice anything fishy,” the snooker champion replied.
“I hate cod I really don’t like I’ve tried to cook it,” Laila commented.
“It’s amazing you still get on,” Matt joked.
“She’s adapted her menu. I put a menu out every Monday,” Ronnie remarked.
“When he winds me up I just make aubergine for supper and then he just starves,” Laila joked.
Later, Matt quizzed the couple on their respective favourite foods and why they were drawn to them.
Laila revealed: “My mother was a chef and her speciality was Lebanese food so they roast a lot of aubergine and that’s something I grew up with. But [Ronnie] can’t stand aubergine.”
“It doesn’t do anything for me, aubergine it doesn’t have any flavour and coriander does the opposite for me it kills me,” Ronnie said. “My mate calls me the fish man because I always have fish wherever I go,” he continued. “Red meat can sit around too long whereas fish goes and I can get on with what I need to do.”
“That’s quite visual, thanks for that,” Matt joked and Laila added: “On a Saturday morning.”
Discussing her imminent return to Holby City as Sahira Shah, the actress said: “I left 2012 and so it’s good to be back. Sahira is a go-getter she’s really talented, she’s really ambitious. It’s like visiting an old friend going back to Holby.
“I was supposed to start filming in May but then we went into total lockdown so it delayed until October hence I only stopped filming two weeks ago.”
“If you’ve got to touch somebody they’ve got to be in your bubble so they bringing in somebody that’s in your bubble,” she explained.
“There was one day Ronnie wasn’t playing and I said Ronnie can come and they looked at his pictures and they said, ‘No, he’s just too hairy we’re never going to be able to match them’ so he didn’t come in in the end.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Laila Rouass’s new life – Buddhism, green tea and early nights
EXCLUSIVE Laila says the snooker champion’s rock and roll days are behind him as he now prefers green tea and turning in at 11pm
Laila Rouass and her fiance, former wild man of snooker Ronnie O’Sullivan
He’s not quite at the pipe and slippers stage but it looks like The Rocket’s turbo boosters have been turned down a few notches.
For years, snooker speed king Ronnie O’Sullivan grabbed the headlines for his booze and drug antics as well as his wizardry at the table.
But at 45, a father of three – and even a grandad – the current world champion really does have a more philosophical approach to life.
And he can thank fiancée Laila Rouass for that.
The Holby City actress has been researching the teachings and methods of the Buddha and Greek philosophers as part of her studies in wellbeing.
She says Ronnie has bought into the idea too and is a calmer cueman as a result.
Laila says she’s been inspired by philosophers to help her future husband Ronnie (Image: Alpha Press)
Gone are the days – and nights – of living it up with rock giants like Ronnie Wood and Liam Gallagher.
Now, says Laila, 49, her fella is more likely to be found tucked up in bed for an early night with a cup of green tea.
Having seen the effect on Ronnie, the former Footballers’ Wives star is now setting up a workshop, a website and an Instagram page to help others through the stresses of lockdown.
Laila, who has been with Ronnie for nine years, said: “I enrolled on a Yale University course on wellbeing and happiness which has led to me starting a new initiative about self-compassion.
“It’s been a lifesaver for me. I’m putting together a workshop using the likes of Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, whose philosophy is about dealing with setbacks – like at the moment.
….
Two Ronnies – O’Sullivan and Wood – along with Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones back in 2004 (Image: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)
“To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control. We should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately.
“But individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through self-discipline.
“Buddha’s whole view was about what happens in life not being permanent.
“It’s about changing your mind state. That’s kind of what I’ve done through lockdown. In some ways, it’s been so useful for me to have this time.
“Our mindset also affects how we treat ourselves and how we eat.”
Speaking about how her new philosophy has affected Ronnie, Laila added: “I did the course but he’s kind of got into it as a result.
Ronnie now has a healthier lifestyle (Image: REX/Shutterstock)
“There’s a thing called ‘Intuitive Eating’ which sounds a bit Gwyneth Paltrow/hippy dippy, but it’s based in scientific fact and research.
“It’s a philosophy of eating that makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals.
“Essentially, it’s the opposite of a traditional diet. It doesn’t impose guidelines about what to avoid and what or when to eat. It’s listening to your body and eating food that makes your body feel good.
“So Ronnie’s started realising, like me, that this stuff actually works. It’s just small practices that you can include in your daily life that make you happier.
“He’s started doing it and is loving it. He knows that if he has a big, fat Maccy D’s he’s not going to feel good afterwards.
“But it’s not easy to get into that mindset and break old habits. It’s easy to realise what it is, but it takes practice to actually do it.” It all seems to be having an impact on Ronnie.
….
Ronnie O’Sullivan plays a shot during the first round match on day two of the 2020 ManBetX Welsh Open (Image: Getty)
Laila went on: “He’s so boring these days. He likes watching TV, going out for dinner.
“All those rock and roll days are well and truly over.
“Before the pandemic, I’d be like, ‘Let’s go out! Let’s go to the club. Let’s go downstairs and have a dance’. And he’d be, ‘No, mate, no, no, no’ – that’s what he’s like – so we’d be having our green tea at 11 o’clock at night.”
Charismatic Ronnie has long been regarded as the sport’s most naturally gifted player – and its greatest ever.
He has six world titles and many believe he would have more but for off-the-table distractions.
…
Ronnie has turned to sports psychiatrist Steve Peters over the years, with great success.
He has said that he fancies giving something back himself when he hangs up his cue, possibly as a drugs and alcohol counsellor or carer.
…
“When I finish playing I want to train as a counsellor. I want to understand the business and mental health side.”
Fans will hope a retired Ronnie is a few years off, of course. He has the small matter of the world championships to defend in April.
He doesn’t make himself favourite to win. But then he’s always been philosophical like that.
Laila might have got Ronnie into the Buddah, early nights and green tea, but she failed to get him on Holby City … and that’s because he’s too hairy!
Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘too hairy’ for Holby City role with girlfriend Laila Rouass
…
Sahira Shah (Laila Rouassa) will make her return to the hospital tomorrow to run Darwin Ward and over the weekend, Laila was on Saturday Kitchen with her husband and snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan.
With soaps using the two metre rule when filming, it means any scenes that involve two characters being in close proximity either have to be altered or, a family member must be called in to replace the other actor. During Laila and Ronnie’s appearance on Saturday Kitchen, they revealed he wasn’t able to be used as a body double because he was too hairy to be a patient.
Laila told presenter Matt Tebutt: ‘It’s so funny. What happens now is if you’ve got to touch somebody, like a patient, you’ve got to know them, they’ve got to be in your bubble. So they bring in somebody that’s in your bubble and just cut away. I was like ‘oh yeah Ronnie can come’ and they looked at his pictures and they said ‘no no, he’s just too hairy – we’re never going to be able to match them’.
Laila continued: ‘So he didn’t come in in the end. I think it would have been fun to have him as a supporting artist. I think it’s the Italian [in him].’
…
Well, having seen it close-up, I can’t argue with the”hairy” bit!
Now, surely that’s enough gossipy gossip for an entire year.
Kyren Wilson beat Mark Williams 3-2 in the deciding frame of the Group Five final to advance to Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League Snooker at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Judd Trump beat Mark Selby 3-0 in the Group 4 final to advance to Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League Snooker at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 