The WPBSA and WST have today jointly announced the provisional tour card structure for the 2022/23 World Snooker Tour.
Once again, the top 64 players on the official world ranking list following the 2022 Betfred World Championship will retain their professional status. They will be joined by players who are currently on the first year of a two-year tour card, as well as the top four players on the one-year ranking list, not already qualified for next season.
The tour will be completed by players who are able to successfully qualify through recognised tour qualification pathways. As was the case last season, these will include Q School, the CBSA China Tour, the World Women’s Snooker Tour and the Regional Federations recognised by the World Snooker Federation (WSF). Due to the timing of rescheduled regional events following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, additional places may be award for these tournaments.
There will also be places won via the planned staging of the WPBSA Q Tour and World Snooker Federation Championship tournaments, both of which were unable to take place last season but are now set to proceed.
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “We are delighted to announce the tour structure for 2022/23. This is a golden era for snooker in terms of our strength in depth and the standard of play on our global tour gets stronger every year.
“We are particularly excited to bring back tour places for the winners of the fantastic amateur events staged around the world, providing incentive and opportunity for the best new talent from around the planet. It is so important to see the leading players from all continents, including Africa and the Americas, playing in the spotlight of our professional circuit, in order to help our sport grow in those regions.
“We are one of the few truly inclusive sports, with no barriers in terms of gender, age and nationality, and that is reflected in our tour structure.”
Full qualification list:
Top 64 from the two-year Prize Money World Rankings after the 2022 World Championship: 64
Players awarded a two-year Tour card for the 2021/2022 season (not already qualified): 31*
Top 4 players from 2021/2022 one-year ranking list following the 2022 World Championship (not already qualified)** 4
CBSA China Tour**: 2
Q School**: 12
WPBSA Q Tour**: 2
WSF Championship**: 1
WSF Under-18 Junior Championship**: 1
World Women’s Snooker Qualifiers**: 2
EBSA European Qualifiers**: 2
APBSF Asia Pacific Qualifier**: 1
PABSA Americas Qualifier**: 1
ABSC Africas Qualifier**: 1
*Final total subject to change if any of these players finish inside of the top 64 of the two-year prize money rankings after the 2022 World Championship
**Players will receive a two-year tour card
In addition to these confirmed places, any players who qualify for the final stages of the Betfred World Championship at the Crucible, who otherwise would not earn a new tour card, will also receive a two-year tour card, as was the case last season.
Interestingly no mention of invitational cards …
Also worth noting that APBSF includes Oceania.
Players coming from some of these regions have consistently struggled on the main tour, some gave up before completing their two years, some even never showed up.
I’m certain that Jason Ferguson is aware that the level of the snooker in some areas is nowhere near what is required from main tour professionals and that the players coming from those areas have next to no chance to stay on tour after two years. It’s hard enough to have to move to the UK as an expat, to leave the family, to learn a different language, to adapt to a different culture without having to cope with the fact that you feel that you don’t have a proper chance to succeed. Ideally, there should be a true secondary tour, and this should be where all new pros start. The fact though is that there isn’t such a secondary tour for now … so why not offer those aspiring players one full year of scholarship under supervision of a mentor/coach and, only after that year, offer them a two years card PROVIDED that
they still want one
they have shown commitment and dedication throughout their scholarship
they have played in most Q-Tour events available to them (*)
Also, just as WST/WPBSA have put structures into place to support those players who struggle with mental health, it would be a good idea for them to facilitate the access to English language courses for those who need them. Brits tend to assume that everyone speaks English (whilst themselves usually don’t speak any other language 😉) but this isn’t the case. Being able to communicate is essential in every aspect of our lives. It’s even more important when one is away from home and family. Isolation is a huge negative factor when it comes to wellbeing and mental health.
(*) If the Q-Tour becomes truly international, some of those aspiring players may find it difficult to secure visas and other required papers for some destinations.
Following Judd Trump’s suggestion that the World Championship should leave the Crucible, David Hendon, in his podcast makes a very strong case for the Crucible, and for keeping longer formats as well. It’s well worth to listen to. It’s only the first 13 minutes and a bit, but it explains why, beyond the emotional aspect of a possible move, it would be extremely costly. David also makes a case for have more TRUE invitational events in the calendar. David was extremely critical of Judd’s ideas, but also praised him for taking part in the US Open pool event.
Judd BTW won his second match in Atlantic city. Once again his opponent appeared to be quite weak. Here is what Phil Haig put on twitter:
Judd Trump continued to impress on his 9-ball pool debut at the US Open in Atlantic City, beating India’s Dhruvalkumar Patel 9-2 to reach round three.
The Ace in the Pack swept to a whitewash victory in the opening round against the USA’s Joe Magee. His opponent on that occasion looked nervy and it was a similar story today. It was Trump who secured a 2-1 lead after an edgy first three racks. He then broke and ran the fourth to extend his lead to two at 3-1.
There was a further break and run later in the tie to move 6-2 ahead, from which point he reeled off the following three racks to emerge a comfortable victor. He now faces Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Shammari in round three.
Trump said: “There was a good buzz in here today. It is exciting for me to play pool and to be out here among the American fans. It is something new for me. He looked nervous before the game. He said I was one of his idols and that he watches a lot of snooker so it is obviously very difficult for him.
“It is a good warm up for me to try and see what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong. It will obviously get a little bit harder when you go further through the draw. The next game is going to get harder again. I like playing against the top players in any sport. I’m just excited to come up against the top players and see where I’m at.”
WST is pleased to confirm that, following consultation with both the WPBSA, and the WPBSA Players Board, this season players will receive both prize money and their ranking points where they lose in round one of any Cazoo Series event. This is a change from the previous position where players would only receive the prize money.
This is conditional on players both competing and completing their round one match. Players unable to complete their match for any reason will not receive the associated ranking points.
For the avoidance of doubt the Cazoo Series includes all of the following events: Cazoo World Grand Prix, Cazoo Players Championship and Cazoo Tour Championship.
Snooker’s world number two Judd Trump stormed to an impressive 9-0 defeat of the USA’s Joe Magee in his 9-ball pool debut at the US Open in Atlantic City.
The Ace in the Pack is following in the footsteps of fellow snooker legends Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Davis, Jimmy White and Alex Higgins in switching cue sport codes and trying their hand at 9-ball pool.
Trump came into the match concerned that the break could be a problem area of his game. However, after winning the lag, he potted from his first break off and impressed in that department throughout.
Magee offered little resistance and failed to capitalise on any errors made by Trump, who eased to victory. Next up he’ll face Dhruvalkumar Patel in round two tomorrow.
“I was quite nervous in the first couple of racks, but as soon as I knew he wasn’t a top player it helped me get my confidence,” said 2019 World Snooker Champion Trump. “My break off was pretty good as well, I was potting a lot of balls and getting chances, which I was worried about before it started.
“I’ll go away and have a quick chat with Karl Boyes, my newfound pool coach, to try to get some feedback. I’ve got no idea where I went wrong and if I was too attacking or anything like that.
“It is good because it gets me out of my comfort zone. It is a different type of pressure when I get here, because I am so confident of myself in snooker. I get to the pool world and everyone is expecting me to clear up every time. I hope I can take the experience back to snooker and learn from it.”
Joe Magee isn’t a top player indeed, he’s a local guy. If I understood correctly, this event is really an “open” as anyone wanting to pay the entry fees can actually enter. Judd Trump will certainly face much stronger opposition in the coming rounds.
That said, he was impressive. Being a top snooker player, he was expected to dominate his opponent in the potting department, and he certainly did. The table is much smaller and the pockets are big. That said, the balls are heavier, the cloth, and cushions are quite different anf the cut of the pockets is different as well; a snooker player may still need a bit of time to fully adapt to the competitive pool conditions. Judd worked with a coach ahead of the event and he certainly proved to be a quick learner.
The real “test” comes when the snooker player is faced with a type of shot that is not played in snooker. The very first “challenge” is the break. Ronnie played in the Mosconi Cup in the 90th, and he tried himself a bit at pool in the US in 2006; the break is a shot he struggled with a bit: “You break like a girl” was the verdict of one of his pool friends 😉. Judd didn’t struggle: he only came “dry” once. Maybe we should have expected that though as Judd has tremendous cue power, and I would class him as a “power player”, whilst Ronnie or Ding, for instance, are typically “touch players”.
Judd didn’t really need to play any other “typically pool” type of shot: Basically once he was in, he cleared. Joe couldn’t take any of the rare opportunities he had, and that in turn removed any kind of pressure Judd might have felt.
Here are the match and post-match interview:
I don’t watch a lot of pool: a bit of the mosconi cup is my usual annual pool regime. I did however enjoy what I saw yesterday. The dress code is casual but none of the players I watched looked shabby. The setup is interesting although I can’t really see that beeing used in snooker. There were other familiar faces and voices around as well: Marcel Eckardt was the referee in Judd’s match and Phil Yates was in commentary.
I think that it would be interesting to have a competition mixing different cuesports. Maybe a team event, with “three players” teams, a snooker player, a 9-balls pool player and a 3-cushions player, with all players competing in all three disciplines. Such event would probably broaden the horizon of most fans. It might also encourage the various federations to collaborate, which in turn might help the cuesports “bid” for the Olympics. I’m not entirely convinced that cue sports are well suited for the Olympics, but IF they became Olympics sports, it would definitely help their exponents to be recognised as “true” sportspersons in the various countries and that in turn will help with funding, broadcasting and exposure.
Stuart Bingham ‘not a fan’ of Stephen Hendry’s snooker comeback: ‘He’s going to have more bad days than good days’
Phil Haigh Tuesday 7 Sep 2021
Stephen Hendry is continuing his comeback to the main snooker tour (Picture: WST)
Stuart Bingham says he is ‘not a fan’ of Stephen Hendry’s return to snooker, and although the seven-time world champion is fully deserving of the invite to play on the main tour, he will ‘have more bad days than good days now’.
Hendry was offered a two-year tour card by then WST chairman Barry Hearn in 2020 and played for the first time in nine years at the 2021 Gibraltar Open.
He was won a couple of matches since then, beating Jimmy White in the World Championship qualifiers before edging out Chris Wakelin at the British Open last month.
With two wins under his belt and the 52-year-old believing he is fast improving after nine years away from top level competition his return to the baize has not been a failure and he intends to keep playing for some time to come.
However, Bingham is not sure what the legend of the sport will get out of the comeback, thinking it is going to be something of a painful task for the Scot.
Asked about Hendry’s return on the Talking Snooker podcast, Bingham said: ‘Each to their own. I’m probably not a fan.
‘What he’s done in the game, he deserves a wildcard whenever he wants, same as Jimmy White and most probably Ken Doherty.
Stuart Bingham feels Hendry has given himself a very tall task (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I dunno, Stephen’s taken nine years away from the game, even though he’s played a handful in the Seniors, he’s lost that edge. Only really Stephen himself can answer how good he thinks he can get back to.
‘He gave up the game because he didn’t like losing and I’m not sure how long he’s going to play for. I can see him losing a fair bit the way he’s playing at the moment.
‘He might have a good match but having that time off, nine years off, he’s going to have more bad days than good days now, I think. As harsh as that may seem, but that’s how I think
Hendry has picked up those two wins and looked good in his first match back, which ended in defeat to Matt Selt who was in superb form at the Gibraltar Open, however, he has struggled in a couple of his other matches.
Bingham isn’t particularly impressed with what he has seen, but he would love to see Hendry rediscover some of his old magic and create more memories on the snooker table.
‘I watch him but you can see him struggling with himself,’ said the 2015 world champion. ‘He throws in a few snatchy cue actions and you can see why he give up.
‘He said he had a bit of “cueitis” [or the yips], he couldn’t let go of the cue and things like that and you can still see it’s there. Everything’s very deliberate and when it gets to the crunch, a pressure situation, you see it appear.
‘Hopefully he can get out of it and get back to some sort of level and it’ll be good for the game.’
I agree with Stuart here, but that doesn’t mean that I think that Stephen Hendry shouldn’t play, that he should have stayed in retirement. He simply has to do what he feels is right for himself. He isn’t proud of his last match at the Crucible and badly wants to return there, if only just once, to play and fight for every ball, no matter the outcome of the match. I fully understand that. Can he do it? I’m not sure.
Inevitably, when a great in sport shows signs of decline, and the wins don’t come anymore, you hear fans saying that they should retire. The usual excuse is that it “damages their legacy”. It doesn’t, none of their achievements will be erased ever. What it does though is “damage” their image in the mind of the said fans, who can’t accept that, no matter how great a sportsperson is/was at their peak, decline comes eventually. They can’t cope with it.
I remember the reactions when Hendry came back on the Seniors tour: he was going to wipe the floor with everyone … allegedly. Actually, he struggled badly, as he had struggled badly in the last years of his (first) career. But somehow it was as if his faithful fans had erased those last years from their memory, remembering only the “peak Hendry”.
I hope that Stephen manages to get back to the Crucible, and that he can do himself justice. He reigned supreme at the Crucible for years. His last match there – there is always a last one – should be a match he’s proud of.
The draw for the 2021 US Open Pool Championship has been made with 2019 champion Joshua Filler starting his defense against America’s Joseph Byler in the opening match of the tournament at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City on Monday, September 13.
Shane Van Boening and Earl Strickland will start their hunts for a sixth US Open title against Francesco Candela of Italy and the USA’s Adam Martin respectively. Matchroom Pool World Rankings No.1 Albin Ouschan begins against Scott Haas. 22-time World Snooker ranking title winner Judd Trump makes his bow in pool against Joe Magee.
Live rack-by-rack scoring will be available throughout the event at www.matchroompool.com thanks to our partners CueScore. Broadcast details for the tournament in full can be found here with coverage on DAZN for those in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Brazil with UK coverage available on Sky Sports throughout.
…
The 2021 US Open Pool Championship will be partnered by Diamond, who supply the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are ARAMITH Tournament BLACK pool ball set with Duramith™ Technology by Saluc. Predator is the Official Cue of the event and Kamui are the Official Chalk and Tip. The US Open Pool Championship is sanctioned by the WPA.
Quite incredibly the bookies make him favourite for the title. This probably simply means that they believe that enough punters will fall for the bait because Trump himself admitted that deep down he knows that he can’t win it, that he would be happy to just win a match. It’s a different game, with many aspects, and shots, that are not present in snooker. If he were to win it, it would be truly extraordinary.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has announced the relaunch of WPBSA Q Tour which will run during this current season.
Initially unveiled last June as a replacement for the previous Challenge Tour system, Q Tour will provide a clear pathway to the World Snooker Tour with two professional places to be won and further high-quality competition for elite amateur talent in our sport.
The 2021/22 season will see a minimum of four Q Tour events held, with the top ranked player at the end of the season guaranteed to earn a two-year tour card. There will also be a play-off tournament run with 16 players with the winner also to be awarded a main tour place.
There will be a prize fund of £12,000 to be won at each tournament with the overall Q Tour ranked number one and the final play-off winner each earning a bonus of £2,000 upon joining the professional circuit.
It is planned that each of the four events staged this season will be held within the UK due to the continued challenges caused by the global pandemic. It is, however, the clear intention that from the start of the 2022/23 season, Q Tour will become a global circuit to include regional Q Tour competitions.
Event structure
Each weekend tournament will be made up of 64 players, with the top 40 eligible players from the 2021 Q School Ranking List eligible to compete. They will be joined by the eight highest ranked junior players on the 2021 Q School Order of Merit, not already qualified.
Tournaments will also include an open entry element through the introduction of preliminary rounds held on the Friday immediately prior to the start of the weekend competition. Up to 16 players will qualify to complete the weekend field.
All Q Tour events will be held at official 147 Clubs recognised by the English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards.
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “I am today delighted that we are able to announce our plans for the staging of WPBSA Q Tour this season.”
“Snooker has not been immune to the effects of the pandemic, and it is of course the amateur game that has perhaps been most significantly affected as a direct result of the coronavirus restrictions that we have all experienced over the past 18 months. I know that it has been an extremely challenging time for these fantastic players and I am grateful for their continued patience as we have worked to provide opportunities to compete.
“The launch of WPBSA Q Tour 2021/22 represents the first of these opportunities and will be a significant addition to our calendar for elite amateur players, providing a direct pathway to the World Snooker Tour.”
It is anticipated that the first Q Tour competition will take place not before November and further information including entry details will be released soon.
It’s good to finally get some news about the Q-Tour, and to read that it’s on, even if it’s with only four events this season. It’s also too to see that 8 spots will be reserved for junior players.
I do not expect covid-19 to go away though and I sincerely hope that WPBSA will come good on the promise of having regional Q-Tour events next season despite the circumstances. We all want and need to go back to normal, even if that means taking a few additional precautions for some more time. It’s something that everyone should accept: it’s a matter of health and security for all.
Judd Trump is going to play in the US Open Pool Championship next week. It’s a Matchoom event. Of course the move has attracted the attention of the media, and Judd took the opportunity to once again air his views on what the future of snooker should be: shorter formats, more like pool and moving the World Championship away from the Crucible and towards a “big” venue. You read it here:
‘Deep down I know I can’t win it’ – Judd Trump testing the waters with US Open Pool Championship entry
“I’m going there to see if I could ever do it more, if I could play pool and go back to snooker and not lose too much feel or anything,” he sai, . “It’s a feeler event to go out there and test the water. “Deep down I know I can’t win it, but I’m getting a cue, I’ve got somewhere to practice for the next three days, I’ve got a table when I arrive so I can get going straight away.”
Judd Trump says his trip across the Atlantic for the US Open Pool Championship is to test the waters, and he would be happy to win one game.
There is a gap in the snooker calendar due to the cancellation of the Turkish Masters, and it opened up a window for Trump to enter the eight-ball event.
Trump will face Joe Magee in his opening match on Monday, but is not expecting much as his practice has been non-existent and he does not even possess a pool cue.
“I’d be happy to win a game,” Trump told the Metro. “We left it so late and I’ve just tried to experiment and do as much as I can with no snooker tournaments going on. I’ve not even got a proper cue at the minute. I haven’t played since I was a kid, really. I expect absolutely nothing.”
The US Open is the most prestigious pool tournament on the calendar, and Trump is hoping to make a positive impression to open up the prospect of mixing sports.
“I’m going there to see if I could ever do it more, if I could play pool and go back to snooker and not lose too much feel or anything,” he said. “It’s a feeler event to go out there and test the water.
I don’t like going with the attitude that I’m just there to enjoy it, that’s not what I’m about, I like going there knowing I can win it.
“Deep down I know I can’t win it, but I’m getting a cue, I’ve got somewhere to practice for the next three days, I’ve got a table when I arrive so I can get going straight away.”
Trump has spoken about trying to modernise snooker, and he feels pool is more suited to his forward-thinking approach.
“It’s something I want to be involved with,” Trump said. “It’s much more up to date, more modern and more in line with the year we’re in and values I want and who I want to appeal to.
To be a worldwide sport you’ve got to have the backing of America, I think. Pool has the potential to do that, whereas snooker is still struggling, that’s why I’ve gone over there to suss out the market and see what can be done.
“There’ll be a lot more noise. It’s not good when you’re losing and I’m probably going to lose so it’s not good for me, but when you get on a winning streak in that kind of environment you can feel invincible.”
Judd Trump: The World Snooker Championship needs to move on from the Crucible
Phil Haigh Thursday 9 Sep 2021 5:25 pm
Judd Trump feels the World Snooker Championship could do with a new venue (Picture: Getty Images)
Judd Trump believes it is time for the World Snooker Championship to move on from Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, feeling that the pinnacle of the sport deserves a bigger venue.
The World Championship has been held at the Crucible since 1977 and has become the sport’s spiritual home, with the likes of Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Steve Davis winning all their world titles there.
However, it is a relatively small venue with a capacity of around 1,000, less than half the number that Alexandra Palace in London can accommodate for the Masters, for example.
Trump accepts that the uniquely tight conditions the Crucible provides helps create the special atmosphere in the room, but also feels that snooker bosses should look to expand if they want to grow the sport.
‘It’s an amazing venue but is it the best place for the World Championship now? Probably not, I don’t think,’ Trump told Metro.co.uk.
‘It needs an historic, prestigious event there, maybe put the UK Championship there but the Worlds needs to go to a bigger venue, for me.
‘The pinnacle of the sport shouldn’t be held back spectator-wise, there should be thousands! If you can sell the Masters for 2,200 people, the Worlds should be getting 5,000 at a massive stadium or arena, not a little theatre.
‘I know it brings the excitement with the crowd so close, it makes you more nervous but I think they could do that on a bigger scale somewhere else. It’s the World Championship, everyone’s going to be excited, everyone’s gearing up for it all year, but I think it’s just a little bit held back.’
Robertson was making the point that casual or non snooker fans will struggle to stay engaged over matches that last four sessions and Trump agrees that changes are needed to attract new supporters.
‘Nobody wants to make changes, but Neil’s not saying that for his benefit, he’s thinking of a bigger picture,’ said Judd. ‘He knows that to play snooker over two days, four sessions, the die-hard fans watch it, but the people who we want to appeal to, to grow the sport aren’t going to watch all four sessions.
‘They’re going to come in at the last session and watch the end, it doesn’t really get going until it gets to like 12-12 or something like that. I can see where he’s coming from.
‘The format needs to be long, it needs to be two or three sessions, but first to 18 might be a bit too long these days.
Trump beat John Higgins to win the World Championship title at the Crucible in 2019 (Picture: Getty Images)
‘The semi-finals taking three days…a round should never take longer than the final. I’ve played in second round matches that take three days, which is absolutely ridiculous.
‘Three sessions is enough, you could even do it in a day, play 10am, 2.30pm and 7pm and have it done in a day. I think it could capture the audience more.
‘Going to the first day of a match is not the same as seeing the outcome. I wouldn’t go to, say, golf and just watch the first 12 holes and not the finale. I wouldn’t watch the first set in tennis then not the rest of the match.
‘Probably from a commercial point of view, extending the tournament makes more money, sells more tickets, better viewing figures, but the game could head in a different direction in that tournament.’
The Ace enjoys playing at the Crucible and recognises the vast history connected with the venue, but strongly believes it is in the good of the game to move on and try new things to attract new fans.
‘It’s such a special event with so much history behind it, but unless you were around in that era…I don’t think kids these days go back and watch the 1978 or 1980 final. I know I don’t,’ he said.
Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White have contested some memorable Crucible matches (Picture: Getty Images)
‘It’s an amazing place to play snooker, it’s hard to say and a lot of people won’t like it, but maybe put another tournament there and move the World Championship somewhere else, or maybe you could have it there every couple of years at first.
‘Neil’s not saying what he said to benefit himself and neither am I, it’s beneficial for the future of snooker. People aren’t going to like it now but you’ve got to think about 10 years’ time.
‘To grow the game it’s got to go to a bigger venue. It’s not an easy change to make and the Crucible will always be attached to snooker and should have a tournament there, but I’m not sure it should be the World Championship.’
Trump and Robertson are in agreement that they would like to see the World Championship shaken up (Picture: Getty Images)
Trump has been happy to speak out about the future of snooker in the past, telling Metro.co.uk earlier this year that dress codes, commentary and the marketing of the game all need to be shaken up.
On taking over from Barry Hearn as World Snooker Tour chairman this year, Steve Dawson said he was looking forward to talking with Trump about his ideas for the future.
‘The door is always open,’ Dawson told the BBC in April. ‘It will be good fun to talk.
‘There are formal channels which players should go through but there is no reason why we shouldn’t listen to players and groups of players and their ideas.’
Asked whether that chat has taken place yet, Trump says is hasn’t, but understands that it has been a difficult time for snooker chiefs, trying to get tournaments organised as the impact of the pandemic rumbles on.
‘Not yet. I think it will happen in time,’ said Trump. ‘At the moment it’s been quite quiet, it’s probably stressful them with not many tournaments and people moaning that they can’t earn money.
‘It’s nobody’s fault but it’s a bit of a struggle and stressful time for a lot of people at the moment. They’re obviously working hard behind the scenes but as soon as we can start getting back to tournaments again and crowds back in, and we know it’s not going to be taken away at any given moment, then that’s when we can really get into the nitty gritty and give our opinions on how we can grow the game for the benefit of snooker.’
Trump believes it is not just his opinion that needs to be heard, but all players should have more of a say on how the game is run.
The world number two has the whole of September off as the Turkish Masters was postponed and the top 16 now go straight to the venue for Home Nations events, with qualifiers brought back in for those outside the elite, which take place this month.
The change was brought in for this season and the former World, Masters and UK champion feels players should get a say on such things.
‘It is quite hard because players don’t really get a say in anything,’ he said. ‘For me, there should have been a vote over whether players want to play in qualifiers or not, but it’s just done instantaneously, all of a sudden a letter’s sent out and people have to go to qualifiers.
‘Everything is brought upon players so fast and I think players need more of a say in stuff.’
OK, in short, here are my views:
If Judd wants to grow snooker then he should make sure that snooker remains snooker and is not made to look more like pool, be it when it comes to the rules, the dress code, the atmosphere. If people want to watch pool, they will attend pool events.
Formats should certainly NOT get shorter. I would go back to best of 9 as the standard, maybe event best of 11. I want the best players to get through, I want tension to build. I’m a traditionalist, not a sensationalist (or a gambler) loving “shocks”.
The format of the World Championship offers a unique challenge and should stay. There are two changes I would want to see though: a return to the best of 31 for the SFs – to possibly avoid the very late SF2 night finish – and the Final to conclude on a Sunday, not on a Bank Holiday Monday, which is only a holiday in the UK. If WST has serious ambitions to make snooker global the latter is a must.
The Crucible is an iconic but inadequate venue in many respects: it’s cramped, it’s too small, it’s poorly ventilated, it offers little room for hospitality. However, IF the World Championship is to be moved, it should be moved around the World, not just more or less permantly moved somewhere else in the UK. The BBC would probably never agree to such change though.
Putting the World Championship or any snooker event in a big 5000 seats stadium is just preposterous. Already at the Tempodrom, if you are sat in the rafters, the table looks very small and you need good eyes … There is no point to be sat in a big venue, and to pay good money, only to have to watch on TV screens to see the action properly. If it comes to that, you’ll be more comfy at home … maybe with a very good bottle of wine that will cost you (much) less than the price of the ticket + travel + hotel.
In principle I would agree on a vote on qualifiers. However, no qualifiers would mean, having to travel to the main venue for all, and this in turn would mean added costs for the UK players, whilst it would stay the same, or be cheaper for the “oversea’s” players and for this reason I’m afraid that, even if nobody likes qualifiers, they would still stay because UK players are a majority, and the current UK centric bias would only be reinforced by the fact that it would then be the result of a “democratic vote”… and that UK bias in turn is one of the reasons why the UK players continue to be a majority. It’s a vicious cercle.
The only way to get out of this vicious cercle would be to scrap qualifiers, play the tournaments as a whole at or near the final venue, and to pay basic fees to the first round losers, not counting towards rankings, but covering basic expenses. It would only be right: you need two to play a match of snooker. As long as they give it their best, the losers contribute to the event, entertain the fans, generate money for the broadcasters, sponsors and venue management. they should get something for it, it should not cost them. It’s not “rewarding mediocrity”, it’s paying for a work done.
Having said all that, good luck to Judd at next week event, and safe trip.
Igor Figueiredo has withdrawn from the BetVictor English Open, Scottish Open and German Masters, as he is unable to play after travelling back home to Brazil.
Figueiredo has been replaced by the next available player in the Q School Order of Merit in each of the corresponding events. For the English and Scottish Opens this is David Lilley and for the German Masters it is John Astley.
Brazilian number one Igor Figueiredo has gone over half a year without seeing his family as he battles to hit the heights on the World Snooker Tour and inspire a new generation of South American players.
Figueiredo won the Pan American Championship in 2019 to regain his place on the professional circuit and took the decision to permanently move to the UK in order to maximise his prospects of success. That meant he had to leave wife Claudete and his three children Stephanie, Igor and Elizabeth behind in Rio De Janeiro, relocating 5,887 miles to his current base at the Q House Academy in Darlington.
Just months later, the coronavirus pandemic took hold and made travel home even more difficult. Figueiredo hasn’t seen his family in person since last Christmas.
“I don’t have any sponsors or support, so I had a big decision over the last two years. I knew that I didn’t have any chance going back and forth. I needed to stay here and live here, to work every day and try my best. Travelling between the two countries would give me no chance,” said 43-year-old Figueiredo.
“I made this decision with my wife. I sold my car and used this money to make the leap and give it a go. It was very difficult to leave. I have two younger children and one older, my wife and my father who is getting older as well. I’ve done this to try and change my career, but also the landscape of snooker in South America. I want to inspire more people to play the sport and grow it.
“By getting in the top eight of the one year list at the end of last season, I now have two more years and I want to give it a real go. I am 43 now, so I don’t have too long to go in my career. I have to try and make the most of it.”
The Rio cueman was taught his craft on a small table in his family home by father Nilton, who is a former estate agent. From there Figueiredo would go on to make a living from competing in national tournaments in Brazil and money matches, although the latter quickly dried up when the wider public became aware of his considerable talent.
Figueiredo eventually set his sights on the professional ranks, but has been faced with many challenges throughout his career. In Brazil, they compete on 10ft tables as opposed to the regulation 11 ft 8½ in ones. Figueiredo’s first experience of a full size table came in 2009, when he was runner-up to Alfie Burden in the World Amateur Championship and earned his initial spell as a professional.
“In Brazil the tables are ten feet and there is a lot of pool. I had never even seen a full size table until 2009 at 32 years old. I’d never played full size in my life. I am just so happy because I think I have improved a lot,” Figueiredo explained: “My dad played with his friends in our house when I was younger. When he played I would wonder what he was doing and what was happening. He eventually would invite me to play at just five years old and I would see the balls collide and the cue actions. There was magic in my mind. From then I have never stopped for 38 years.”
Figueiredo enjoyed an impressive run at this year’s Betfred World Championship qualifiers, which brought him to the verge of history.
No South American has ever qualified for the Crucible before, but wins over Farakh Ajaib, Robbie Williams and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh took Figueiredo within one match of becoming the first. Unfortunately, he met his match on Judgement Day, losing a tight contest with Mark Joyce 10-7.
“I think it is the dream of all players to reach the Crucible, but especially for me. There was a lot of pressure as I may not have that many more chances. When the first player from South America qualifies for the Crucible, there will be a lot of attention on it. Whoever does it will hopefully open up a lot of opportunities for other South Americans. It is difficult to play only for the results like you have to in that tournament, because it is so important. It is easier when you are able to focus on your performance first.”
Despite narrowly missing out on an appearance at the Theatre of Dreams in April, Figueiredo did make his Crucible debut a month later at the World Seniors Championship. After scoring a 3-0 win over 1991 World Champion John Parrott in round one, Figueiredo defeated 36-time ranking event winner Stephen Hendry 4-1 to reach the semi-finals. Unfortunately his dreams of the title were ended by a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Jimmy White. Despite falling short, it was an experience that Figueiredo took great pride in playing in the sport’s most famous arena.
“It was great that I could still make history and be the first South American at the Crucible in the seniors. People in Brazil were very excited for me to play Hendry. He was my first hero. I saw him play on television in Brazil when I was younger. Now in the time of YouTube it is easy to see everyone, but it wasn’t like that then. I was very happy to beat him and people in Brazil were so happy with the result, although he retired in 2012 and has come back after a long time out, people at home still see him as the king. It was very good for me to get the win.
“Jimmy played well and solid in the semi-finals. I made mistakes and didn’t control my emotions. It was a good chance to get a title and the winner of the tournament would have had lots of further opportunities.”
Just last month football legend Pele took to Instagram to state he felt that snooker should be an Olympic sport. Figueiredo believes that snooker could do more to harness the support of high profile figures in other sports to further its own Olympic cause. He says that snooker is very popular among some of Brazil’s most revered football stars.
“Neymar also likes snooker. Every football player from Brazil likes snooker. Neymar has a table in his house and you can see the picture of Pele playing. It is important to hear from these people and allow them to help snooker develop for new generations.
“I think it is very important for snooker. To get snooker to the Olympics would be crucial not just for prize money but sponsorships and funding for players. I think we need to use the voices of well known people to push it. These people can help snooker to get places as it is popular with a lot of famous people from other sports.”
PABSA is pleased to announce that Igor Figueiredo has become an official PABSA Ambassador. Igor recently became a qualified coach and will be helping promote and support growth of cue sports in the Pan America region. Igor joins Cliff Thorburn as a fellow PABSA Ambassador.
PABSA President Ajeya Prabhakar “We would like to welcome Igor, who is a great player and fantastic guy to the PABSA family. I love his enthusiasm for the game and his support of growth in the Pan American region”.
The WPBSA and WST have today jointly announced the provisional tour card structure for the 2022/23 World Snooker Tour.
Judd Trump continued to impress on his 9-ball pool debut at the US Open in Atlantic City, beating India’s Dhruvalkumar Patel 9-2 to reach round three.
Snooker’s world number two Judd Trump stormed to an impressive 9-0 defeat of the USA’s Joe Magee in his 9-ball pool debut at the US Open in Atlantic City.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has announced the relaunch of WPBSA Q Tour which will run during this current season.
Brazilian number one Igor Figueiredo has gone over half a year without seeing his family as he battles to hit the heights on the World Snooker Tour and inspire a new generation of South American players.
Just last month football legend Pele took to Instagram to state he felt that snooker should be an Olympic sport. Figueiredo believes that snooker could do more to harness the support of high profile figures in other sports to further its own Olympic cause. He says that snooker is very popular among some of Brazil’s most revered football stars.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 