Over the last few days and week a number of news/announcements have emerged about players and events in Asia.
Top players participating in a CBSA event early August…
The most surprising of those announcements is this one…
And it was suggested that more top players could be there too. Since this was shared, it has been confirmed that Ryan Day will be involved as well. Regarding the prize money, this was shared by Sinosport.
Victoria Shi, who is assisting CBSA with the event, added this
Now why am I so surprised? Well, in the past, any suggestion about players playing on an “alternative” tour has been met with a prompt, negative and even threatening reaction from Barry Hearn.
Of course Barry Hearn is no more at the elm… at least not officially, but he’s certainly still involved. Of course, this ia the CBSA, and China has injected loads of money in the sport pre-covid. They are vital partners, now more than ever. But still …
And Ding is not involved???
The World Champion in Hong Kong…
Indeed, Luca Brecel is – or was – in Hong Kong with his manager Django Fung, doing exhibition stuff and meeting fans … Those pictures where shared by Patsy Cheung, who, in the past, was also involved in the organisation of the “General Cup”
News – not good news – about Luo Honghao
After an extraordinary first season where he qualified for the Crucible, Luo Honghao’s career tailed off. At the end of his third year as a pro he was relegated. He had entered the 2023 Asian Q-School but never made it to Bangkog, apparently not authorised to travel by the Chines authorities. in 2022, he played in the UK Q-Schools, but din’t progress past the last 32.
Now this appeared …
Harvey Chandler embracing Joy …
Harvey has also been involved in developing snooker in North-Africa… but he seems to be looking for something else now. Others may well follow if he succeeds.
It’s been a bit of a strange week for me – in a good way as I have been enjoying family time and in a less good way as we have been plagued with power cuts and Internet woes. Snooker has been put on the back burner all week, but here is what happened in Leicester.
Chris Wakelin and Mark Williams have reached the final day of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition, by winning their respective groups during stage two at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
Kyren Wilson began Group E strongly, with back-to-back 3-0 wins over Sanderson Lam and Anthony Hamilton. That gave him an advantage over nearest rival Wakelin, who had won his opening match by the same scoreline over Hamilton.
Wakelin followed up that result with a 2-2 draw against Lam, leaving him requiring a victory against Wilson in his last match to progress to the final day.
Wilson knew he needed just a point to go through, but it was Wakelin who took the opener to lead 1-0. Wilson hit back with a century in the second to restore parity. The Kettering cueman required just one more frame for his spot in the next phase.
It was Shoot Out champion Wakelin who claimed the third, before a brilliant clearance of 114 gave saw him run out a 3-1 winner and earn a spot in the final eight.
Wakelin said: “It’s a tough format. You have to get results in every single game. It’s feasible that two wins and a draw aren’t enough in this format. I was against a good friend of mine in Kyren and I have learned a lot from him, but out on the match table you’re there to win and to finish with a century, there is no better way to win. Last year was a big breakthrough year for me, knowing that I did it in this very arena (win a ranking event) has given me the belief when the moment comes, like it has today, to go out there and do it against Kyren when it really matters. That’s where the experience from the Shoot Out has helped me grow.”
Williams’ passage through to the next stage was plain sailing through the morning with 3-0 whitewash wins over Barry Pinches and Martin O’Donnell. In the evening session he went on to complete the perfect day, scoring a 3-0 win over Robbie Williams to top the group.
Robert Milkins and Noppon Saengkham moved through to the final eight of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
Milkins headed into Winners’ Week looking to replicate the form which saw him claim the BetVictor Series bonus for the 2022/23 campaign. He was pitted against Pang Junxu, John Astley, and World Championship semi-finalist Si Jiahui, as they battled it out for a spot in the final day on Friday.
Early on, Milkins found his groove to claim all three points with a 3-0 win over Astley, before a 2-2 draw with Si left the BetVictor Welsh Open champion on four points. Si rounded off the afternoon with a victory over compatriot Pang.
Pang and Astley took a point each from their encounter, to mathematically leave both players out of the picture. However, Astley’s 3-1 win over Si dented his hopes of progression.
In the final match, Milkins took an early 2-0 lead over Pang to ensure it was him that topped the group. Pang did battle back to take the final two frames for a draw, but for Milkins it was already job done.
Milkins said: “I will need to be even sharper in the next phase. I felt 100 times better than I did in the opening stage. I could win another ranking event, it’s mad, isn’t it? I will have to improve a lot though.”
In Group C, Saengkham headlined with Ashley Carty, Daniel Wells, and Liu Hongyu all battling it out for their spot in Friday’s final action of the opening ranking event on the calendar. Saengkham downed tour debutant Liu 3-0, before Carty got the better of Wells 3-1 to leave it tight at the top after Saengkham and Wells played out a draw to complete the afternoon.
Liu’s opening loss didn’t deter the teenager, who bounced back with three points against Carty and a point against Wells. Those results left the picture quite clear going into the final match of the session, with Saengkham requiring a point against Carty, who needed all three to progress to the next stage.
Saengkham took a tight first frame but a more comfortable display in the second saw the Thai star press home a 2-0 advantage, which was enough to top the group. Carty took the third, but Saengkham won the final frame with a break of 76 to round a 3-1 win off.
Shaun Murphy and Xiao Guodong have made the final eight of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
After progression last week into Stage Two, Murphy faced one of the trickiest groups on paper to progress from with former winner David Gilbert, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, and James Cahill all gunning for a place in the final day.
Murphy started out strongly with a 3-1 win over Cahill thanks to breaks of 79, 64, and 51 and followed that up with 84 and 65 on the way to a 3-0 dispatch of Un-Nooh, to sit in pole position going into the evening session. Gilbert ended his afternoon with a draw against Un-Nooh and started the evening off with a 3-0 win over Cahill.
The final match of the session had it all on the line, with Murphy taking on Gilbert in a group decider. The 2005 World Champion only needed a draw, whilst a victory was required for Gilbert. Murphy took the opener, but Gilbert rattled in back-to-back centuries to set up a final frame shootout for a spot in Friday’s Group 1 alongside Chris Wakelin and Robert Milkins. It was Murphy who stepped up with a 71 break to ensure his progression.
Murphy said: “I am delighted. It’s the overriding feeling. I’ve had a busy few days since being here last week. I didn’t know what to expect but I was quietly pleased with today’s work. My friend Robbie and I went out for a coffee and we came back to the news there were four centuries on the bounce in another game and then David’s had two against me. You’re thinking I’ve played well here, but I am going to finish second. I held it together in the last frame and I am looking forward to Friday.”
Group A saw Zhou Yuelong, Xiao Guodong, Ben Woollaston, and Michael Holt take to battle with one of the most bizarre groups in the tournament’s history set to play out. Eventually it would all come down to the highest break. The afternoon session saw Zhou drawing 2-2 against Holt and Woollaston, with the latter sharing the spoils against Xiao.
The pattern of draws continued in the evening session with Holt surrendering a two-frame advantage to draw 2-2 with Xiao. Crucially Xiao made a break of 109 in that match, but it was Zhou who was top at that stage by virtue of his high break of 114.
Holt did notch up the first win of the day with a 3-0 win over Woollaston. That result left the picture clear for Xiao and Zhou with either needing a 3-0 win to secure the group, with any other result seeing Holt’s passage to the final day secured.
Xiao did secure the whitewash 3-0 win he required to seal progression by the barest of margins. He was level on points, frames and head-to-head with Holt, but his 109 break took him through.
Cao Yupeng and Sam Craigie have progressed to the final day of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena, Leicester live on Viaplay Xtra in the UK, Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Netherlands, Poland, and broadcasters worldwide including Matchroom.Live.
Judd Trump, Joe Perry, and Matthew Stevens all stood in Cao’s way of progression but the Chinese cueman did enough, in the end, to move through to tomorrow’s final day.
Trump opened with a 3-1 win over Matthew Stevens, making two centuries, while Cao top scored with a 141 in a 3-0 success against Perry. Cao then came from 2-0 down to earn a vital 2-2 draw against Trump, before scoring another 2-2 draw against Stevens.
That meant Trump had to win his last match against Perry to top the group, and he started well as a break of 119 gave him the opening frame then he took the second for 2-0. But missed reds at key moments in each of the last two frames allowed Perry to battle back to 2-2.
Cao said: “I am very happy, I had a good feeling about today. I tried to make myself play quickly and I was more relaxed out there so I managed to put some good breaks together. I was surprised when Judd missed the red. I feel today may well be my lucky day. It would be a dream to win a ranking event. I want to get a title. I’ve never done it before and I hope this is my season.”
In Group G, Craigie faced off with Jak Jones, Michael White, and tour debutant Long Zehuang and he made light work of White in his opening match 3-0 to set the early pace.
Craigie started the evening session with a 2-2 draw against Long, which meant that in his last game against Jones he only needed one frame, and he went on to win 3-1 to ensure top spot.
Shaun Murphy won a third ranking title within the past five months by beating Mark Williams 3-0 in the final of the BetVictor Championship League in Leicester.
It’s the perfect start to the season for 40-year-old Murphy as he captured the first ranking title of the campaign, banking the top prize of £33,000. Having enjoyed a golden spell earlier in 2023 when he won the Players Championship and Tour Championship, Murphy has now taken his career tally of ranking titles to 12.
The day started with the group phase and Murphy opened with a 2-2 draw against Xiao Guodong before beating Chris Wakelin 3-1. His third match against Robert Milkins ended 2-2 and that was enough for the 2005 World Champion to top the group and proceed to the final.
In the other group, Welshman Williams drew 2-2 with Sam Craigie then beat Cao Yupeng 3-1. The 48-year-old needed to beat Noppon Saengkham in his last group match to finish on top, and he scored a 3-1 success.
The final was a one-sided affair as Murphy cleared from the last red to snatch the opening frame, then made breaks of 73 and 69 to run out a comfortable 3-0 winner. Williams missed out on a 25th ranking title and first since the 2021 British Open.
Murphy said: “I’m delighted. My team and I have been working really hard and we knew it was coming. I think that’s three of the last four events, I’ve been to the final and won. I am not sure what the secret is but I am doing something right. I’m very keen on making goals and setting targets. Achieving number one on the world rankings is something I’ve never achieved, but it is on the list of goals I would like to hit this season and this has been the best possible start.”
Despite the very short format all but one of the player who reached the Finals Day were members of the top 32. The only exception was Sam Craigie, who is ranked 42.
Only two “amateur” made it to the final week: Michael Holt and Barry Pinches, both experienced former pros.
I have been agreeably surprised by the Chinese rookies, not really by any of the UK ones.
Cao Yupeng is a baffling player. One moment he looks unplayable, the next he struggles to string 3 balls together.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association Group of organisations (WPBSA) has today announced the launch of WPBSA Q Tour Global which will carry four World Snooker Tour cards.
Following two successful seasons based within the UK and mainland Europe, this season’s WPBSA Q Tour Global will for the first time incorporate regional events held around the world, each offering access to an extended Q Tour Playoff at the end of the season.
WPBSA Q TOUR UK/EUROPE
As in previous seasons, the rebranded WPBSA Q Tour UK/Europe will retain its previous format, with an expanded calendar of seven events to be held across the season.
To include four tournaments within the UK and a further three in mainland Europe, the circuit will once again see players compete to finish the season as the top ranked player and earn a place on the World Snooker Tour.
The next 16-ranked players (to include each event champion) will be guaranteed to qualify for the season-end Q Tour Global Playoff.
Each Q Tour UK/Europe event will carry an increased prize fund of over £14,000 and will be open to players from around the world. As in previous seasons, 48 players (see below) will be seeded through to Saturday’s last 64, to be joined by 16 qualifiers.
THE DATES
The provisional dates for this season’s Q Tour UK/Europe are:
Q Tour 1 – 25-27 August 2023 – North East Snooker Centre, UK
Q Tour 2 – 15-17 September 2023 – Snookerhallen, SWEDEN
Q Tour 3 – 20-22 October 2023 – Heilbronn, GERMANY
Q Tour 4 – 10-12 November 2023 Landywood Snooker Club, UK
Q Tour 5 – 15-17 December 2023 – Castle Snooker, Brighton, UK
Q Tour 6 – 5-7 January 2024 – Sofia, BULGARIA
Q Tour 7 – 16-18 February 2024 – Northern Snooker Centre, UK
As was the case last season, each weekend tournament will be made up of 64 players comprising the following:
The top 32 eligible players from the 2023 UK Q School Order of Merit eligible to compete.
Iulian Boiko, Haydon Pinhey, Sydney Wilson, Duane Jones, Alfie Davies, Barry Pinches, Rory McLeod, Steven Hallworth, Simon Bedford, Florian Nuessle, Alex Taubman, Jamie O’Neill, Peter Lines, Ryan Davies, Fergal Quinn, Joshua Thomond, Josh Mulholland, Sean McAllister, Daniel Holoyda, Robin Hull, Craig Steadman, Chris Totten, Michael Holt, Zachary Richardson, Umut Dikme, Ben Fortey, Lewis Ullah, Daniel Womersley, Harvey Chandler, Jamie Curtis-Barrett, Martyn Taylor, James Lee
The top 8 from the 2023 Asia-Oceania Q School Order of Merit
Ka Wai Cheung, Lei Peifan, Yu Kiu Chang, Gong Chenzhi, Jefrey Roda, Dhruv, Jatan Patel, Asutosh Padhy, Khalid Ali Alkamali
The eight highest ranked junior players on the 2023 UK Q School Order of Merit, not already qualified.
Bai Yulu, Antoni Kowalski, Liam Davies, Jamie Wilson, Bulcsu Revesz, Oliver Sykes, Vladislav Gradinari, Paul Deaville
EVENT ENTRY
The 48 qualified players will be contacted directly by email with entry instructions. Each player will be required to pay a block entry fee of £525 by 12:00pm on 28 July and will be guaranteed a place in the last 64 of each UK/Europe tournament.
Following this date, subject to the number of players who have accepted and paid for their Q Tour UK/Europe place, we will contact top up players as required until we have 48 confirmed players for each event. These players will have until 12:00pm 1 August to claim their place.
Open entry for all Friday qualifying tournaments will be opened to all players from no later than 2 August. We aim to accommodate all players who wish to enter, however, we do reserve the right to limit entries for each qualifier subject to the number of tables available at the club and time available.
For the first time, the WPBSA Q Tour Global will incorporate regional Q Tour Series’ staged around the world as part of the planned international expansion of Q Tour.
The WPBSA welcomes expressions of interest to stage Q Tour tournaments from recognised organisations and national federations which share our vision for high-quality amateur events.
As part of the WPBSA’s commitment to the international growth of our sport, the leading players from these Regional Q Tour events will qualify to compete at the Q Tour Global Playoff, alongside players from Q Tour UK/Europe.
Players competing in Q Tour events outside of UK/Europe, must be resident for a minimum six months to be eligible to play in these events.
Q TOUR PLAYOFF
The WPBSA Q Tour Global Playoff will be relaunched for the 2023/24 season with three places on the World Snooker Tour to be won for the first time.
As in previous seasons, the Playoff will include the winners of Q Tour UK/Europe events, followed the highest ranked remaining players up to 16 players. They will be joined by a further eight players from regional Q Tour events held around the world. Should these places not be taken, they will be filled by additional players from the Q Tour UK/Europe Rankings.
In recognition of the increased status of the Playoff, the event will be held over three days and will be made up of three sections of eight players, meaning qualifiers into this season’s prestigious grand final will only need to win three matches at the Playoff to earn a place on the World Snooker Tour. Quarter-finals will be played over the best of nine frames, semi-finals the best of 11 frames and the finals over the best of 19 frames.
The Playoff will also carry a prize fund of almost £20,000 for the first time, with each tour card winner set to take home £2,000. Each qualifier will be guaranteed to earn at least £500, with prize money increasing to £750, £1,000 and the £2,000 top prize.
“THE ULTIMATE TEST”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “Our WPBSA Q Tour has quickly become a key cornerstone in the amateur snooker calendar, offering direct access to the World Snooker Tour and regular competition at high-quality venues.
“We are therefore now delighted to be able to launch the WPBSA Q Tour Global, which for the first time enables players around the world to be able to compete and potentially earn their place on the professional circuit. It is particularly important to add that this new global model will serve players all over the world with life changing opportunities. It is also important to state that our vision includes working with federations and partners around the world who share our vision of a truly open global sport.
“I am hugely excited by the potential of Q Tour and in particular now the Global Playoff, with long frame formats, I can only speak on this as a former snooker player, when I say this is the ultimate test for players aiming to take the next step with a full-time career on the World Snooker Tour.
“We will soon be writing to our many partners and friends around the world, inviting them to join us in this truly global plan.”
FURTHER INFORMATION
The 48 players eligible to accept a seeded place on Q Tour UK/Europe will be contacted shortly with instructions on how to accept their place.
Further information, including open entry details and full entry packs, will be published as soon as possible.
More details will follow shortly on how federations and/or organisations can develop their plans and ideas with us.
All this is extremely good news. I want to see this as the start of a proper secondary tour. I do hope that the Q-Tour playoffs will be streamed and that fans will be allowed to attend. This I hope is the seed for a proper, much needed secondary tour. I’m only disappointed that there is no event in Belgium. I’m also pleased that Bai Yulu has been invited. Matches are played over a longer format in the latter stages too.
The qualifiers run from Tuesday July 25 to Saturday July 29 in Leicester* followed by the final stages in Nuremberg, Germany from August 22-27.
…
Matches involving the top eight seeds have been held over to Germany. They are:
Kyren Wilson begins the defence of his title against Dean Young
Shaun Murphy faces a battle of two former World Champions against Graeme Dott
Masters champion Judd Trump takes on 2022 African Champion Mohamed Ibrahim
Player of the 2022/23 season Mark Allen faces Anton Kazakov
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan meets Andy Hicks
Four-time Crucible king Mark Selby plays tour debutant Manasawin Phetmalaikul
Neil Robertson is up against Wu Yize
Luca Brecel plays his first match as World Champion against Jackson Page
The match schedule for the final stages will be announced soon.
In the qualifying rounds, matches to look out for include: Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui against Shoot Out runner-up Julien Leclercq John Higgins v Martin Gould Aaron Hill v Jimmy White Mark Williams v Zhang Anda
Details of how to watch the qualifying rounds will be announced soon.
*Please note that there is no access to fans for this qualifying event. To see which qualifying event fans will be welcome at this season, click here.
Yesterday was the last day of stage 1 at the 2023 Ranking CLS, with one experienced player and one rookie progressing to stage 2. Here is the report shared by WST:
Astley And Liu Complete Stage Two Line-Up
John Astley and Liu Hongyu secured the final two spots up for grabs at Winners’ Week of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena, Leicester live on Viaplay Xtra in the UK, and broadcasters worldwide including Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland, and the Netherlands and Table 2 live on Matchroom.Live globally.
Astley opened with a 3-1 win over Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut, making breaks of 128 and 79. He then drew 2-2 with Ma Hailong which meant that his final match against Gary Wilson would decide the group. BetVictor Scottish Open champion Wilson had drawn his first two matches so needed a win, but Astley got the better of the Georgie derby by a 3-1 scoreline to secure his place in phase two next week.
China’s 19-year-old Liu, embarking on his debut season as a professional, opened his campaign with a superb 3-1 victory against seasoned campaigner Ricky Walden, making a top break of 75. Liu then beat David Lilley 3-0 and Peng Yisong 3-1 to make it three wins out of three and top his group.
BetVictor Championship League Snooker returns on Monday, 17th July with stage two. Kyren Wilson headlines Group E on table one, while three-time world champion Mark Williams headlines Group F on table two.
I didn’t see much of yesterday action but what I saw was Mink, not playing well at all but trying her heart out at the table. She managed two draws and finished third, ahead of Gary Wilson who was the highest ranked player in that group.
Liu Hongyu was playing his first matches as a professional and managed to win his group, just like Long Zehuang had done before him. Those two are CBSA nominees. In general the Chinese rookies have done quite well, unlike some of the much fancied/hyped Brit youngsters. Of course, some of the British/Irish youngsters are very young and it’s good to be confident, but there is a huge gap between the young amateur game and the professional tour. I’m not sure that putting them in the spotlights and heightening expectations on them is helpful. There have been a few starting on tour with ambitions to “Show Ronnie wrong”, because in general he isn’t rating them very high … only to prove him very right. Of course it’s more complex that that, there is no reason why all young players should be numpties but the system isn’t helping them. And – my very personal unpopular opinion – many, at amateur level, are made to believe that they are much better then they actually are and the brutal reality check is too much for them to cope with.
David Gilbert battled past Yuan Sijun to secure a spot in Winners’ Week of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
China’s Yuan had found himself top of the group after picking up two victories in his first two matches – beating both Sean O’Sullivan and Ishpreet Singh Chadha 3-0. Gilbert trailed in second place, having opened the day with a 2-2 draw against Singh Chadha and disposing of O’Sullivan 3-0.
The two table leaders collided in the final match of the day on Table One. Having picked up the opening frame, Gilbert formed a 69-1 lead in the second. Yuan came back to the table and almost stole it – but a missed pink gave the Tamworth potter the frame and a 2-0 advantage.
Yuan forced a final-frame decider by taking the third, meaning a point would be enough to send him into the second stage. However, Gilbert took the last to ensure his progression.
Cao Yupeng produced a day of dominance, winning all three of his matches to top Group 31. The Chinese star completed the early session with no frames dropped against Steven Hallworth and Ian Burns.
Lyu Haotian sat second in the table, taking four points from a draw with Burns and win over Hallworth. Lyu knew that victory over Cao in the group decider would take him into next week’s second stage, but ultimately fell short at the table.
A monster 145 in the final frame saw Cao record the highest break of the tournament so far. He went on to seal a 3-1 win and secure his place in Winners’ Week.
Scottish Open winner Gary Wilson looks to secure his place in the next round on Friday, 14 July as the final qualifying spots will be filled. He faces John Astley, Nutcharut Wongharuthai and Hai Long Ma in Group 9. Meanwhile Ricky Walden, David Lilley, Yisong Peng and Hongyu Liu are in action on Table 2 – live on the Matchroom Muti Sport YouTube channel.
In other news … looking back at the 2010 Higgins affair
John Higgins has been Nick Metcalfe and Phil Haigh’s guest on talking snooker and, inevitably, what happened during the 2010 World Championship was discussed.
John Higgins says he still doesn’t feel like he’s over the unfounded match-fixing allegations made against him in 2010 and ban for much lesser offences, admitting it was the toughest time in his life.
Higgins was the target of a sting operation from the News of the World and the now defunct newspaper alleged that he agreed to lose four frames in four matches for €300,000 (£261,000).
After being suspended from snooker Higgins was cleared of match-fixing by an independent hearing four months later, but did receive a ban of six months for failing to report the illegal approach and intentionally giving the impression he was prepared to act in breach of betting rules.
The Wizard of Wishaw returned to the sport in impressive style, winning the first tournament he played in after his ban and the 2010 UK Championship shortly after, beating Mark Williams in a classic final.
He says the period beforehand was the most difficult time of his life, though, as he waited for the verdict of the independent hearing and whether he could continue his career or not.
Asked if the situation was the toughest time of his life, Higgins told the Talking Snooker podcast: ‘Without a doubt. I didn’t know if I was ever going to be picking a cue up again.
‘Your career was in the hands of independent committees. You just had to put your trust in them, that they were going to come to the correct decision.
‘Obviously then, trying to get your career back on track again. Without a doubt that was (the toughest time). I still don’t think I’ve really got over it now.’
The allegations emerged during the 2010 World Championships (Picture: Getty Images)
There is an especially painful reason why the 48-year-old feels he has not got over the scandal, as he believes the stress of the situation could have cost his father in his battle with cancer.
John Higgins Sr passed away in early 2011 and his four-time world champion son has felt that what the family went through the previous year could have made things worse.
‘My dad at the time, he wasn’t well at all,’ Higgins said of the controversy. ‘I think (about) what it did to my family and my dad.
‘It’s a terrible illness that my dad had, but you sometimes think, if that never happened, you don’t know if he could have lasted longer. That’s the tough part of it. That’s just life isn’t it, you’ve just got to get on with it.
‘I suppose I did have a lot of anger, I’ve got to be honest. But I knew I couldn’t keep that with me. If I’d have kept the anger and shut everybody away, it would have ended up bursting you from the inside.
‘I believe you’ve got to just let that go and try and be the same person you are again.’
Higgins would go on to win the 2011 World Championship, the fourth and most recent of his Crucible triumphs and has since gone on to take his ranking title tally to 31.
What I’m not sure about is if John Higgins fully understands what impact this whole affair had on the sport at the time. I remember that evening very vividly. The last session of the second semi-final at the Crucible was underway, featuring Graeme Dott and Mark Selby. Barry Hearn had just taken responsibility of snooker, although he had not yet been officially voted in as chairman. I was in the media room, with a number of journalist, waiting for the match to finish, and for the post-match interviews. Most of them were chatting lightly on various sport related subjects. I was processing my pictures. Suddenly, one of them, sat behind me, said “this is bad, very bad” in such a deeply concerned tone that all conversations stopped and everyone gathered around him as we watched, in horror and disbelief, the video that the NOTW had published. It was all the worse because John Higgins was the defending champion. He had lost earlier to Steve Davis, but he still was the defending champion. Steve Davis BTW was in tears when the possible implications unfolded.
Barry Hearn was trying to dig snooker out of near-bankruptcy caused by years of lazy mismanagement. He had the confidence of the bookies, especially BetFred, the title sponsors. But there were huge concerns in the immediate aftermath of the NOTW publication that BetFred could withdraw their support which would have been catastrophic. Fred Donne however very quickly offered reassurance that he wasn’t going to withdraw his support, quite the opposite.
John Higgins was not the only person involved in the scandal. Actually the “main culprit” was his then manager, Pat Mooney. Pat Mooney was a member of Hearn’s board, along with Jason Ferguson and Brandon Parker. From what I heard at the time from Brandon Parker himself, each of them had been tasked to develop the game in specific regions, especially the future PTCs: Jason in the UK, Ireland and Asia, Brandon in Western Europe, with a focus on Germany, and Pat in Eastern Europe. The thesis of people defending John Higgins has always been that the matches that were discussed were just exhibition stuff but from what I had learned at the time from Brandon … well, let’s put it this way … I’m far from convinced that it was just exhibition stuff and not future PTCs they were discussing.
Pat had previously tried, in association with John Higgins, to further develop snooker in Europe by creating the World Series of Snooker. Some of those events had been played in the USSR. It was a great initiative but it wasn’t the commercial success they had hoped for and the pair was said to have huge debts, notably towards players who had participated in those events and hadn’t yet been paid in full.
The whole situation wasn’t improved by the fact that a few days later, it transpired the John had attempted to bet on himself to lose. This wasn’t that uncommon at the time: players, although they tried their best to win, still took “insurance bets” in case they still lost to recoup some of their financial loss. But of course it came across as particularly bad under the circumstances.
So this whole affair was far from being just a storm in a cup of tea. It could have destroyed snooker there and then.
I also heard from sources I reasonably trust that the NOTW had been “tipped” about Mooney’s financial situation and hence his vulnerability to such approach. If true one has to wonder who could have benefitted from this scandal and how. I always wondered if it wasn’t actually Hearn who was the actual main target.
In the light of all that, I believe that John actually got away lightly. Most of his ban happened during the summer break; he was back playing mid-autumn, and didn’t miss any of the “majors”. To his credit though, despite his private concerns and sorrows – he had to leave the 2011 German Masters, after winning his first round match, because his father condition had worsened and he didn’t make it back to Scotland in time to say his farewell – John did work incredibly hard in the 2010/11 season to redeem himself.
Also a collateral victim of all this was Graeme Dott. Graeme won his SF and was informed of the whole situation during his post-match presser. Pat Mooney was actually his manager and he immediately distanced himself from him … but surely that’s not a great situation to find yourself in when a few hours later, that same day, you have to play, and concentrate on, a World Final.
Yesterday group winners at the 2023 CLS were Shaun Murphy and Sanderson Lam. The latter was a rather surprise winner in a group that featured Barry Hawkins.
Shaun Murphy made a triumphant start to his season, with victories in all three matches at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
The 2005 World Champion took Group 4 by storm, defeating Andrew Pagett 3-0, before a tense 3-1 win over Lukas Kleckers to close the first session.
A table-topping decider followed against China’s Tian Pengfei. Tian had accrued two victories himself over Pagett and Kleckers – meaning the winner of Wednesday’s final match would progress.
Murphy only required a draw and his fate was sealed in the third frame, following a break of 67 to move 2-1 up. He then claimed the last to make it three wins from three.
Sanderson Lam brought an impressive display to top Group 12 – finishing the day with seven points after wins Zhang Anda and Jamie O’Neill. Leeds native Lam had also drawn 2-2 with Table 2’s headliner Barry Hawkins.
Former World Grand Prix winner Hawkins required a 3-0 victory in his final group match over Zhang Anda, or a 3-1 win with a break over 98 or more, to stand a chance of beating Lam for qualification for Winners’ Week.
Leading 2-1, a break of at least 98 was required in the final frame for progression through the group. A sticky situation in a cluster of reds on 62 forced an attempted double into the middle pocket, but failure to pot meant Lam would be the man returning to Leicester next week.
The penultimate day of stage 1 sees David Gilbert fight for a place in Winners’ Week, commencing on July 17, against Yuan SiJun, Sean O’Sullivan and Ishpreet Singh Chadha. Group 31 will also be settled, with Cao Yupeng, Lyu Haotian, Ian Burns and Steven Hallworth fighting for supremacy.
Meanwhile, on the amateur side, Jason Francis has announced the return of the 900
We are delighted to announce the 900, Season 2, a chance for more amateur players to compete on SKY for the biggest ever prize in Amateur Snooker. We are giving 8 chances to WIN a place in a TV week.
The first question is…Am I eligible to enter?
The 900 Qualifiers are not for open to
1, Any player currently serving a WPBSA or National Governing body ban for any reason.
2, Any player who has previously been banned by the WPBSA, or any National Governing in the past twenty years for a betting or match fixing related breach.
3, Any players holding a 2023/24 WST Tour card.
4, Any player under 18, before the first day of the qualifier is not eligible to play.
If you do not fall into any of those categories you can enter any or ALL of the 8 Qualifiers as long as the event is not full.
IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN INVITATION TO THE TV STAGES YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENTER THE QUALIFIERS.
You should now fill out the form and send off as soon as possible.
WE WILL THEN REPLY TO YOUR EMAIL CONFIRMING YOUR ENTRY AND HOW MUCH TO PAY
THE EVENT
All players understand they are entering up to 8 ‘One Day’ events, each of which will produce a winner.
Event 1 Saturday 5th August
Event 2 Sunday 6th August
Event 3 Saturday 12th August
Event 4 Sunday 13th August
Event 5 Saturday 19th August
Event 6 Sunday 20th August
Event 7 Saturday 9th September
Event 8 Sunday 10th September
The Winner of week 1 will appear in week 1 of the 900 – and so on.
Week 1 is 18th – 20th September, Week 2 is 25th – 27th Sept etc etc
All players must also be free on Wednesday 22nd November should they win their week and make the Grand Final.
If any player is not free on those dates, they should not enter the event, if they do and subsequently make themselves not available, they will lose their entry fee.
So for example if you know you could not play 18.19.20th Sept (week 1) you should not enter the qualifier 1 on the 5th August.
Both days will be a random draw. Playing Schedule at the tournament directors’ discretion. Start time will be 10am
The event entry will be closed at the discretion of the tournament director without notice should we deem the field is growing to a point where completing the event in one day is not possible.
Any player who pays an entry fee after the closing date will be refunded in full or offered the chance to transfer.
ENTRY FEE
Entry fees are £60 per event BUT there is a one off fee of £25 to cover your playing shirt – which you will collect on your first days play.
Should you win a qualifier, but have paid for additional weeks you will be refunded as once you win a week you cannot play in another qualifier.
PLEASE FILL IN THE ENTRY FORM AND SEND TO
jason@snookerlegends.co.uk
PRIZE MONEY
There is no prize money payable at these events, the prize is your place in the TV event. Players who do not win but do consistently well may be considered for standby and top up places. A ranking list will be run for those not winning weeks with 1 point per match won.
RULES
The 900 is a new concept of the game very much around the Snooker Shootout Rules you will all know.
A frame is 15 minutes in length, which is 900 seconds.
A 20 second shot clock is in operation throughout with no time outs, any foul is ball in hand and a ball must touch the cushion on any shot that is not a pot.
If you ‘time out’ your opponent gets ball in hand. If you choose to have the cue ball cleaned you take the risk you will time out.
The game is played with a spotted cue ball.
Each match will have a Referee and time keeper.
The Referee has the authority to pause the clock should they feel their error has been detrimental to the match or player time.
Players should be available to play on a roll on roll off basis with table selection made at the discretion of the Tournament Director who may choose to stream the match table.
PLAYERS OBLIGATIONS
All players are required to adhere to the rules of the competition, but also conduct themselves professionally on and off the table during the event.
All players will confirm that they (and their immediate relatives) undertake on their behalf not to bet on the outcome of the any matches in the events should any betting opportunities arrive, or provide inside information to persons in order for them to make money through betting or manipulate any aspect of a match.
Integrity is vital to the growth and success of this event and all betting patterns will be monitored externally.
All players who enter are happy that their name is put forward to our sporting integrity partner for approval.
The partner and promoter reserve the right to refuse entry to this event without needing to give any explanation should they feel that your participation is not in the best interests of the event or any parties. Should we do this we will refund your entry fee.
Where post betting analysis shows abnormal betting patterns, the player will fully co-operate with JASON FRANCIS LTD, SportyStuffTV or any of SportyStuffTV’s shareholders in any investigation.
Any player found guilty of breaching these integrity undertakings, including but not limited to breaches including player collusion, match-fixing or placing bets on their own and other players’ outcomes will be reported to the appointed integrity unit. LLP Solicitors Ltd
Guilty players will receive a lifetime ban from any and all events where Snooker Legends or its officers are involved plus any fine imposed by the party. Players will be invited into a hearing to appeal their case if they choose.
DRESS CODE
All players will be required to Purchase an official playing shirt. These should be matched with dark trousers and smart dress shoes. No Jeans or trainers.
LOGO
You can wear you own logo on the right side of your playing shirt and right sleeve. Please note if you are a left-handed player it would be reversed with us placing our logo on the left hand breast.
In total you get 2 logos to exploit.
Logo exemptions will be advised by August 5th but no other amateur snooker event or league, outside of your national governing body is allowed to be promoted and all logos must be approved in advance with Snooker Legends reserving the right to refuse any logo not in the interests of the company or event.
WPBSA coaches are free to wear their logo and promote that coaching scheme, no other licensed or snooker coaching method is allowed to be advertised or promoted and any attempt to do this may involve your removal from the event.
Logos must be applied for no later than 48 hours before first days play and must be no larger than 3 inches by 2 inches. You should provide your logo with double sided tape as stitching onto the material is not ideal.
No betting sponsor logos or legal firms will be allowed to be worn or promoted.
PROMOTION
All players agree to promote the event via their social media and also agree to provide a video which can be used at any point on any channel or media as required if we request it.
RIGHTS
All participants in the Events and or Programmes, including but not limited to referees, commentators, talent, presenters, guest participants, production staff, players and any other contributors and participants agree to waive any assigned or personal rights regarding their involvement in the Event or Programme and all other related media rights to JASON FRANCIS LTD and/or SportyStuffTV prior to their inclusion in any filmed audio-visual footage contained within the Programmes.
CONDUCT
Should a play appear under the influence of alcohol, or any illegal substance on the day of the event, they will be removed from the event and lose their entry fee.
Should any player swear or act in any way not befitting to the conduct required in our sport they may be removed from the event and lose their entry fee and any prize money already won.
Guests are allowed at the venue but not in the playing rooms.
HOTELS
The two closest hotels are the Premier Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels, both on Richfield Avenue.
VENUE ADDRESS
The Crucible Sports and Social Club, 6 Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshires, RG1 8EQ. Parking is available on a first come first served basis.
PLEASE FILL OUT AND RETURN YOUR ENTRY FORM, DO NOT PAY AN ENTRY FEE UNTIL WE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF YOUR ENTRIES.
Judd Trump battled back from two frames down in Table One’s final match of the day, with a 2-2 draw against Xu Si being enough to reach Winners’ Week at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena, Leicester …
….
Masters champion Trump opened with 3-0 wins over Reanne Evans and Jimmy White, but still needed to avoid defeat in his last match against China’s Si. And when Trump lost the first two frames, his place in Winners’ Week was in doubt. But in the third he made his 904th career century, then Trump battled his way through the fourth frame to secure a 2-2 draw and top the group.
In the Group 18 decider, Joe Perry’s break of 128 – the highest of the day – helped the Gentleman over the line against Jamie Clarke. Perry had earlier beaten Andy Lee 3-0 and drawn 2-2 with Stuart Carrington, while Clarke had opened with two wins. But Perry rounded off the day with a 3-0 success and he’ll be back in Leicester next week.
Shaun Murphy returns to Championship League Snooker on Wednesday, 12 July, taking on Tian Pengfei, Andrew Pagett and Lukas Kleckers in Group 4 …
…
Group 12 sees Barry Hawkins, Zhang Anda, Sanderson Lam and Jamie O’Neill look to secure a place in Winners’ Week.
Neither Judd Trump, nor Xu Si were at their best but both played well enough considering this is the first event of the season.
Jimmy was extremely poor, maybe because he was unable to focus properly on the task at hand. From what transpired on social media, he was due to play exhibitions in Asia in a few days time , but the schedule was changed and, as a result, his first exhibition is to be played today. That’s far from ideal and surely that meant that he had to change his plans and rush all sorts of things… It’s a shame really.
I didn’t watch Reanne, not because I didn’t want to but because I too had to deal with last minutes changes of plan. That Reanne beat Jimmy, the way Jimmy played yesterday, isn’t particularly surprising but I wasn’t expecting her to be able to avoid defeat against Xu Si. She got a draw in that match.
Reanne got death threats on twitter. I’m not entirely sure why. When this happens it’s usually coming from people who lost a bet or lunatics. Women in snooker get more than their share.
I saw very little of the other group, but from what I saw, Perry was his usual reliable/experienced self.
Of course this event “counts” towards the 2023 Champion of Champion
WST have published what they called the “schedule”
There are currently 14 players meeting qualification criteria, two more spots to be allocated and 7 more events counting towards the selection. I suppose that the different “groups” above are indicative of the relative “priority/importance ” of the various events. At least this year the “World Championship Runner-up”, Mark Selby, has already secured his spot by actually winning an event. That weird inclusion in the “Champion of Champions” was created to get Ding in it. This time, as it stands, Ding is in it by right, but by no means guaranteed given that the event he won is in the lowest priority category.
China’s 19-year-old Liu, embarking on his debut season as a professional, opened his campaign with a superb 3-1 victory against seasoned campaigner Ricky Walden, making a top break of 75. Liu then beat David Lilley 3-0 and Peng Yisong 3-1 to make it three wins out of three and top his group.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 