That’s it… the 2023 Scottish Open Qualifiers are over
All the results are on snooker.org.
Three young Chinese players have won their qualifying match yesterday: Yuan Sujun, He Guoquiang and Xing Zhiao. He and Xing are rookies. Xing beat Fergal O’Brien in a close match that went to a decider and that’s never an easy task. Guess what? There is NOTHING about them in the WST report … NOTHING!
Cahill Comes Through Moody Test
Despite letting slip a 3-0 lead, James Cahill edged out Stan Moody 4-3 to reach the final stages of the BetVictor Scottish Open.
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Cahill fired runs of 72 and 69 in winning the first three frames, before 17-year-old Moody battled back to 3-3 with a top break of 54. But Cahill’s 54 helped him win the decider and book a place in Edinburgh.
Former World Champion Graeme Dott suffered a 4-1 reverse against Thor Chuan Leong, while Julien Leclercq top scored with 76 in a 4-0 defeat of Baipat Siripaporn.
Martin Gould top scored with 85 in a 4-2 win over Reanne Evans, while Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher ended a run of six consecutive defeats by beating Wu Yize 4-0.
I won’t lie… I’m increasingly dispirited about the sport I used to love. It’s not about what I see at the table, it’s the way it’s run: the endless procession of qualifiers in uninspiring venues without a crowd, the badly structured calendar, the atrocious scoring system, the “selective” reporting, the UK centric ways about nearly everything, the clear malaise amongst top players who feel that their right to express themselves honestly is taken away…
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
Several “things” here.
I am with you on everything regarding the rampant UK-centrism. Everyone with at least a rudimentary sense of fairness has to be.
On the other hand, the issue of qualifiers is more iffy, with pro and con, and… well, I think the pampered brats can survive a single qualifying match at a venue and under circumstances that don’t quite match the standards of royal birthday festivities. It’s a sport, after all. If the tables are up to snuff, these few hours should be doable.
Lewis waxes somewhat optimistic about next year’s improved schedule. I fear, for that to happen, planning, coordinating, acquiring venues should start now, at the latest, so that these are actually available at the time they are needed to group events. I have not read anything about that. My optimism is a bit more subdued.
The most problematic is the allegedly curtailed freedom of speech. All this is, as far as I know, one Mark Allen under threat, and having to disavow earlier statements. Now, I couldn’t find the interview Allen gave to the Irish Mirror. The document apparently has been taken down. I suspect, it’s a lawyers thing. They looked at the text, found that the content is problematic, and then they urged removal to guard against liability. So, I haven’t read what Allen said. I would still urge everyone not to jump into the pool with Allen (a man with a storied history of getting in all kinds of disputes and use of “colorful” language) just to discover that Allen resolutely and heedlessly crossed the line between legitimate criticism and slander, thus got himself in hot water (again), and had to beat a hasty and humiliating retreat. I, for one, reserve judgment until someone is able to unearth the interview. Just to clarify: I also wouldn’t put it beyond the WST to unleash the lawyers merely in order to avoid having to face criticism.
Xing was actually a bit lucky, benefiting from a major fluke in the decider to enable his match-winning break. Having said that, Fergal O’Brien was lucky in the first frame, fluking a killer snooker. Xing’s doing a lot better than I expected – all aspects of his game are decent. O’Brien’s seems to have faded quite a lot, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play well occasionally. It was a very interesting generational clash.
Of course, it’s quite a difficult time of the season, with all these qualifiers and smaller events in the late-summer and autumn. Last year was worse, and next should be better, when the schedule becomes more established post-covid. But yes, we do need more clarity and intelligence in the way snooker is run at professional level.