We now have quite a gap in the professional snooker calendar as the next event, the 2026 World Open, only starts on the 16th of March, i.e nearly two weeks from now. Such a big gaps was quite common in the 90th but now they are a rarity other than during the “spring/summer break” after the World Championship.
But there is plenty of snooker being played at amateur level, and some of these amateur events have already yielded results.
Jamie Clarke has secured a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card via the 2025/26 WPBSA Q Tour Europe ranking list.
The Welshman, who previously competed on the WST between 2018 and 2025, arrived at the Landywood Snooker Club in pole position to earn a return to the professional ranks and has confirmed his place with a run to Sunday’s quarter-final stage.
Clarke, a winner of Q Tour titles in both Leeds and Sofia, initially required reaching the final to guarantee his tour card, but an early exit for Peter Lines at the hands of Antony Parsons meant a last eight place would be enough for the 31-year-old.
Victories over Rory McLeod (4-0) and Jamie Wilson (4-1) saw Clarke through to the last 16 stage on Saturday afternoon.
There, he faced Belgium’s Sybren Sokolowski and the Welshman held his nerve under pressure to complete a 4-0 victory and earn a tour card for the next two seasons.
Following his victory over Sokolowski, Clarke said: “I’m relieved to be honest! I’ve found the Q Tour a really pleasant experience this year, but I’m pleased to get the job done sooner rather than later.
“Playing in the World Championship, UK Championship and all the big tournaments is brilliant but you’re already on a bit of prize money and ranking points so you can be a bit more relaxed. As strange as it sounds, at tournaments such as Q Tour or Q School it feels like ‘all or nothing’ and so in a way the pressure is even higher.”
Looking ahead to the next two seasons and beyond, Clarke added: “I’ve got two years on the Tour now and I’ve got a new outlook on the sport. I have my own academy now in Llanelli where I help out some of the youngsters, as well as having my own practice facility now, so I think think I will have a totally different approach this time around. I’ll just enjoy it, try my best and see how it goes.”
Jamie has always been well liked by the fans and I’m sure many will rejoice to see him back on tour.
The Englishman won the first Q Tour title of his career to secure his place at the Global Play-Offs on the same weekend that fellow former professional Jamie Clarke earned a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card by finishing at the summit of the series ranking list.
The leading narrative heading into the seventh and final Q Tour Europe event of the 2025/26 season was the race to finish in top spot on the ranking list to earn an automatic two-year WST tour card.
Clarke led the race prior to the event in Walsall and knew that a run to the title match would guarantee himself a return to the professional ranks after being relegated from the Tour at the end of last season.
Ultimately, an early exit for leading chaser Peter Lines meant that a 4-0 quarter-final victory for Clarke over Belgium’s Sybren Sokolowski, with contributions of 131 and 104, earned the Welshman the series title and tour card.
Hugill, whose best run this season prior to this weekend was semi-finals in both Vienna and Mons, was already out of the running for top spot before the event but made his way to the final day with wins over Yaron Bodor (4-1), Harvey Chandler (4-2) and Oliver Sykes (4-2).
Sunday began strongly for the 31-year-old as he whitewashed Luke Pinches before setting up a title match meeting with Davies by downing Thailand’s Nattanapong Chaikul, the victor over Clarke in the last eight, by a 4-2 scoreline.
It was the former professional who took the opening two frames of the final with breaks of 64 and 97, but Davies hit back to restore parity at 2-2 with help from a visit of 77 in the third.
Hugill remained undeterred, however, and took two tightly contested frames to get over the line as a 4-2 victor and lift his maiden Q Tour crown.
Reflecting on the victory, Hugill said: “I’m relieved – I was desperate to win one of these this season so I’m happy to have done it. I knew if I won my first game then I was guaranteed to be in the Play-Offs, so that was a bit nervy, but after that I went from strength to strength.”
Looking ahead to the Q Tour Global Play-Offs later this month, he added: “I’m really looking forward to the Play-Offs in Spain, it’s a nice part of the world to be in March!”
“It would be great to get back on the Tour – I’ve been away for two years away now but I know that I am more than good enough to be on the Tour and I think it’s time I was back on there.”
The WPBSA Q Tour Global Play-Offs will take place on 15-17 March in Gandia, Spain. Further information including the draw and schedule will be available in due course.
But there is much more happening in Gandia, Spain, before those playoffs. Indeed there is an under-16 event, an under-18 event, an under-21 event, and the main championship to follow. You can follow it all here. Some matches are shown live on Youtube.
As you can see Michal Szubarczyk is playing in both the under-16 and under-18 events and, so far has won all his matches without losing a single frame…
Hawkins Beats Lisowski To Land Fifth Ranking Title
Barry Hawkins reached the milestone of five ranking titles with a 9-5 victory over Jack Lisowski in the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno.
A pro since 1996, Hawkins has had a disappointing strike rate at the business end of ranking events over the years, losing eight of his 12 previous finals as well as 22 defeats in semi-finals. But this time the 46-year-old Londoner was clinical from the start, winning six frames in a row from 1-1 then fending off a late flurry from his opponent to clinch the result.
He becomes the 23rd player to reach the landmark of five ranking crowns, moving level with Zhao Xintong, Stephen Lee and Ray Reardon on the all-time list. The former World Championship finalist earns a first title since 2023, lifting the Ray Reardon Trophy for the first time and banking £100,000.
Hawkins cements his place among the elite top 16, moving up from 14th to ninth, and also jumps from 15th to eighth on the Sportsbet.io One Year Rankings, almost certainly earning him a place in the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship in Manchester which starts in four weeks.
A week ago Hawkins arrived on the North Wales coast with minimal expectations, suffering from lower back pain after pulling a muscle during a gym session. He struggled through his opening match, a narrow 4-3 success against David Lilley, and then grew in confidence as the pain subsided and his renowned all-round game blossomed. The Englishman took scalps including Mark Williams, Neil Robertson and Wu Yize to reach the final before an excellent display to beat Lisowski, making two centuries and four more breaks over 50.
In beating John Higgins 6-5 in a thrilling semi-final last night, Lisowski won the £150,000 BetVictor Home Nations Series bonus, and was clearly elated after the match. Having climbed that mountain, the 34-year-old seemed low on energy today, and let the tie slip away from him in the first session. The Gloucestershire cueman missed the chance to double his tally of ranking titles having captured his first with a dramatic 9-8 success against Judd Trump at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in October, and has now lost seven of his eight finals. He climbs four places in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings from 22nd to 18th.
Trailing 7-1 after the first session, Lisowski swiftly cut the gap tonight with breaks of 112 and 102 to close to 7-3. Frame 11 lasted 47 minutes and Lisowski led 22-18 when a sizzling long red set him up for a run of 37 to draw within three frames. Early in the 12th, Hawkins enjoyed a fluked red when attempting safety and went on to make 68 to regain his momentum at 8-4.
After the interval, Hawkins missed a tricky red to centre and Lisowski’s run of 53 kept his hopes alive at 8-5. But in the 14th, Hawkins made 32 before running out of position, then got back in with a thundering long red and added 33 to cue the celebrations.
“It means the world, I came close last season to a couple of big titles, I feel I deserved this one because I have been knocking on the door for a while,” said Hawkins, who lost 9-7 in the final of this event against Higgins in 2018. “I am so relieved because playing Jack is scary, he pots balls from everywhere and when he gets going he’s a hard man to stop. At 7-1 it’s for you to lose, things start going through your head like it could be the biggest collapse of all time. People were getting excited but I know it’s never over until it’s over. I was feeling it out there. He came out all guns blazing tonight, I knew that might happen and I had to stay calm.
“It’s massive to climb the rankings, I knew I needed to have a run in something to qualify for Manchester but I didn’t expect to win this one. To be in that event with only 12 players, you know you are doing something right, to be involved in it will be amazing. I want to thank the crowd here, they have supported us so well all week and that brings the best out of the top players.
“My dad is going through a lot at the moment so hopefully this will give him a boost.”
Lisowski said: “I was gone in the first session, I was very poor. I was trying my best but maybe there was a bit of a hangover from last night because I went through a lot. Barry was by far the better player today. He’s a great guy and I’m happy for him. I couldn’t sleep last night. The semi-final was like a final for me, I was so relieved to win and the way I won, to beat John. But that takes nothing away from Barry today, there are no excuses and I gave it my best. “
Not much to add really. Jack was indeed very poor in the first session. His quotes about possible fatigue after the late evening semi-finals’ win are not “excuses”. This is the reality: players are human. And it’s not just the fatigue … after an important match, there is tension and adrenaline in the body. Even if they are tired they might struggle to fall asleep before their body, and mind, find some calm. He’s not the first, and won’t be the last to experience that “hangover” feeling. He made a match of it in the evening, but the deficit was too big.
As for Barry … he’s a very likeable character and I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be happy for him … except probably a few who had a bet on Jack to win 😎.
Barry Hawkins and Jack Lisowski will face each other today in the final of the 2026 Welsh Open in Llandudno. Here is how we got there after yesterday’s semi-finals.
Barry Hawkins remained on course for a fifth ranking title as he survived a Wu Yize charge to win 6-4 and reach the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno.
Wu stormed back from 4-1 down to 4-4 and looked sure to go ahead but a missed black on a break of 59 proved the key moment of the contest, as Hawkins regained the initiative and took the last two frames. The 46-year-old Londoner is into a 13th ranking final and has the chance to win a first title since the 2023 European Masters. In Sunday’s best-of-17 final he will meet John Higgins or Jack Lisowski for the Ray Reardon Trophy and a top prize of £100,000.
Before this week it had been a season of few highlights for world number 14 Hawkins as he had failed to reach a semi-final. And his chances looked slim when he arrived in North Wales as a back injury left him on the brink of pulling out. He battled through the pain in an opening 4-3 win over David Lilley, and went on to knock out Mark Williams and Neil Robertson in a superb run. He is into the Welsh Open final for the second time, having lost the first 9-7 to Higgins in 2018.
Guaranteed £45,000, Hawkins has already moved from 15th to 13th on the Sportsbet.io One Year rankings, and victory tomorrow would almost certainly earn him a place in the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship in Manchester in four weeks time.
Former Crucible finalist Hawkins dominated a scrappy opening frame and he led 53-0 in the next when he went in-off attempting safety, and China’s 22-year-old Wu punished him with a fine 73 clearance. In frame three, Wu trailed 42-18 when he missed a tough black to a baulk corner, letting Hawkins in for a run of 42 to regain the lead. The Englishman went on to make breaks of 72 and 66 to stretch his lead to 4-1.
Early in frame six, Hawkins miscued in trying to pot a red with the rest, and Wu’s run of 83 gave him a foothold. Just 18 minutes later the tie was in the balance as Wu fired breaks of 74 and 122 for 4-4. Frame nine was reracked after a long stalemate, then Wu converted a long red and looked in full control until his surprising miss on a routine black on 59. Hawkins ran out of position on 37, but later converted a long pot on the yellow and cleared for 5-4. The next was a fragmented affair but Wu failed to pot a ball and runs of 24 and 25 helped Hawkins crawl over the winning line.
“Wu threw everything at me from 4-1,” said Hawkins, who was runner-up in the UK Championship and German Masters last season. “I played well up to 4-1, then when I miscued with the rest, that sparked him into life. I was just sitting in my seat, he was potting unbelievable balls and didn’t look like missing. He looks amazing when he starts doing that, the way he hits the ball.
“To get the chance at 4-4 when he missed the black from nowhere, that was a relief, and winning that frame settled me down. I felt good today, it would be nice to knock a few centuries in, hopefully I can do that in the final. It would be brilliant to win, that’s what we are all trying to do from the start of the season. If you get the chance you have to try to grab it with both hands. I have been trying hard and knocking on the door for a while, I came so close last year.”
Wu, who won his first ranking title at the International Championship earlier this season, said: “It doesn’t feel great because I had a clear chance to go 5–4 up. In the frames I won, I played very well and scored heavily, my scoring was really strong. It was just in the ninth frame, there was a black ball where I lost my concentration for a moment and made a mistake, which gave my opponent the chance to come back to the table.
“Maybe it was down to some small details and certain key shots. Sometimes I didn’t fully think things through before getting down on the shot, so that’s something I’ll need to adjust and improve going forward. Overall I performed pretty well this week. Today there are some regrets, of course, but that’s sport – when you make mistakes, you have to pay the price.“
Jack Lisowski made one of the best breaks of his career in the deciding frame to beat John Higgins 6-5 and reach the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open – a result which also earned him a huge £150,000 bonus.
The bonus goes to the player earning the most money across the four BetVictor Home Nations Series events and Mark Allen had been in pole position since winning the BetVictor English Open last September. Lisowski had to reach the final this week in Llandudno to overtake Allen and he did so tonight in the most dramatic fashion, capping off a tremendous contest with a match-winning visit reminiscent of Alex Higgins’ famous semi-final break at the 1982 World Championship.
It’s the biggest pay-day of Lisowski’s career, eclipsing the £100,000 he banked by capturing his first ranking crown at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in October. And he has another crucial fixture to look forward to on Sunday as he faces Barry Hawkins over 17 frames for the Ray Reardon Trophy and the chance to double his tally of titles in a breakthrough season.
BetVictor Series Bonus Winners 2020 Judd Trump 2021 Judd Trump 2022 John Higgins 2023 Robert Milkins 2024 Judd Trump 2025 Neil Robertson 2026 Jack Lisowski
Gloucestershire’s 34-year-old Lisowski is into his eighth ranking final and victory tomorrow would have significant spin offs as it could potentially earn him places at the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship in Manchester and the World Championship at the Crucible.
Higgins – who misses another chance to become the oldest ever ranking event winner – dominated the opening frame, then Lisowski got the better of a 30-minute second, resolving a battle on the colours with an excellent long pot on the blue. A break of 73 saw Higgins regain the lead and in the fourth he trailed 45-32 when he trapped his opponent in a snooker on the final yellow, and from the chance that followed he cleared for 3-1.
After the interval, Lisowski moved up a gear with rapid breaks of 95, 79 and 138, winning three frames in just 30 minutes to lead 4-3. Back came Higgins with a run of 82 and he led 21-0 in the next when he ran out of position and missed a risky long blue, and Lisowski capitalised with 58 which proved enough for 5-4. A run of 49 helped give Higgins the tenth for 5-5.
In the decider, Lisowski converted a red to a centre pocket to earn a scoring chance, then executed a series of difficult pots to keep the break going, the cue ball roving around the table. Eventually he found position and went on to make a fabulous 78 before receiving the BetVictor Series trophy.
“It feels amazing, what a match and what a frame,” said world number 22 Lisowski. “That’s probably as much pressure as I am ever going to experience, and to make a break like that – it’s the most satisfying frame I have ever played. I am proud of myself and looking forward to tomorrow now. I just kept potting and going for my shots. I have been so tense all day, thinking about the bonus. Now that is all released.
“I whacked my tip at the interval and tried to make it harder. I had no rhythm and the balls were going messy. I knew I had to attack, that’s the only way I can play, then they all started going in. It was an incredible game to be a part of, I really enjoyed it. It’s very special for me because John Higgins was my idol, I’ll never forget this match.
“It’s going to be hard to reset for tomorrow. I’ll have to calm down and get to sleep, otherwise I won’t be the same player. It would mean everything to win another title. I have been very poor in the last few tournaments, I lost some confidence and then the intensity wasn’t there in practice. I have learned that and it could be a big lesson for me.“
Again, with only one match by session to report on, WST’s pieces are exhaustive enough. I haven’t much to add regarding the matches themselves.
Barry Hawkins’ maturity and experience made the difference in the first match, as both players acknowledged. I’m certain that Wu will learn from this and that we will see a lot more of him for many years to come. Meanwhile. I’m happy for Barry. He’s a very very good player, one that would certainly have won more titles in any other era: he had to cope with that “infernal trio” – Ronnie, John Higgins and Willo – through his entire career so far. He’s also a kind and lovely man who is, maybe, too humble for his own good at times.
I’m delighted that Jack managed to beat John Higgins. Based on talent only, Jack has “underperformed” in his career so far. There were a number of reasons for that. He suffered serious health issues as we all know. Also, somehow, he was always in Judd Trump’s shadow as they “grew up” in the sports together. John Higgins may not be 100% the player he once was, he is still a very top player, and still has the nous and the will to win that makes him so hard to beat.
I like both finalists, and will be happy for the winner and sorry for the loser, no matter who wins today.
Also, I’m glad that this stupid bonus story is over and we won’t be told about it at every occasion … until next year. I’m glad it went to Jack … it had to go to someone anyway.
