Yesterday evening, Neil Robertson won the CLS Group 4 – Report by WST
Neil Robertson’s form continued to trend in the right direction, after claiming victory with a 3-2 defeat of Kyren Wilson in Group 4 final at the Championship League Snooker Invitational in Leicester.
Wilson, who had reached the play-offs by defeating Robertson earlier in the group, beat John Higgins 3-1 in the semi-final. Robertson earned his place in the final thanks to a 3-0 win over Barry Hawkins.
The Thunder from Down Under fired in a break of 54 in the decider against Wilson to secure victory and his place in the Winners’ Group.
After experiencing a dry spell of form across the year, group victory comes at the perfect time for Robertson heading into the business end of the season.
“I think with some of the matches I’ve played this week, I’ve been unplayable at times. The long balls have been absolutely fantastic and I’ve changed my approach a little as to how I’m playing them,” said Robertson.
“I’m going back to how I used to play many years ago. I’ve been backing myself to hit the centre of the white and my long potting has never been better, with my scoring fantastic as well.
“Barry (Hawkins) only had maybe five shots in the semi-final, while Kyren (Wilson) and I threw the kitchen sink at each other. The last frame was unbelievable, he just tried to do a bit too much with the safety shot and I could make a good 50 break.
“When you get to the final and you’ve already played a couple of groups, you want to advance to the Winners’ Group so it’s nice to head back to Cambridge and get a bit of practice in before the Welsh Open.”
Group 5 gets underway from 11am on Friday, with Joe Perry, Fan Zhengyi and David Gilbert joining the competition. Fans are able to view the action on Matchroom.live in the United Kingdom.
Neil seems to be back, close to his best. His confidence certainly is back. 😂
It was obvious that Mark Selby was struggling badly at times during the last month. Now, he has opened up about the difficulties his family is facing (report by WST).
SELBY REVEALS WIFE VIKKI’S CANCER SCARE
Mark Selby admits he was “completely blown apart” when wife Vikki was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, though thankfully she is now recovering.
In an interview with the Metro, four-time World Champion Selby reveals that the couple found out in January 2023 that Vikki had cancer. She had a course of radiotherapy, and the results of recent tests have given them optimism.
“She had a mammogram and ultrasound a few weeks ago and that all looked good,” said 40-year-old Selby. “They gave her an MRI as well and we’re waiting on the results of that. Fingers crossed that comes back ok and then it’s another year until we get a scan again.
“‘She’s been stronger than me throughout it, for sure. When it was first announced I was completely blown apart. Obviously with how my mental health was before anyway, that multiplied it. She’s been the one supporting me! It should be the other way round, but people say that, it always seems to be the person going through it that’s the strongest.
“Vikki was going through radiotherapy while I was playing at the Crucible so in a way it did take my focus off the tournament. I was playing and thinking, ‘If I get beat, so what?’ I said to Vikki that I wanted to be with her going through the radiotherapy but she was saying, ‘Look it’s only 20 minutes every day.’ I wanted to be there to support her, going through it, but she wanted me to play.”
It has been an awful time for the family as Vikki’s best friend Nina Webb passed away from the same disease last month at the age of just 44. Inevitably these circumstances have tested Selby’s own mental health, which he bravely spoke about two years ago.
The world number five said this week: “I’m always going to get lapses. When I was working with the doctor, who’s helped me no end, he said it will never go away, you will get moments when it comes back, it’s just about dealing with them. I know how to deal with them better now. I used to switch myself off, lock myself away and not do anything. I thought that was the right thing, but I actually needed to do the opposite.
“Playing does help because it gives me a purpose, I’m doing it for Vikki and [daughter] Sofia, to put food on the table, so I’ve got a drive to keep going for them.”
I’m wishing Vikki and the whole family the best possible outcome and a long future together. I have met Vikki several times, she’s a kind but very strong lady. She’s the pilar of the family.
Sometimes when a player underperforms, fans are quick to accuse them of laziness, or worse, of cheating. We do not know what they live through privately, we should remember that. And, because they are kind of “public figures” doesn’t give us a right to know everything private happening to them. We should always respect their privacy and refrain from judging.
I have just learned that one of my snooker friends, John Mc Bride, is terminally ill. He’s suffering from pancreatic cancer. He has got months to live, at best. He too has a family, a wife, Cathy, and two young sons. One of their friends has set up a fundraising to help the family facing the medical costs.
Finally, the 2024 WSF Championship continues today, with the round of 64. You can follow the event here. There is also one table streamed on the WPBSA Youtube channel.
Also, starting today, is the 2024 CLS Group 5. I’m not sure why the above article states that you can watch it on Matchroom.live “in the UK”. I can watch it in Greece as well … with a subscription of course.
Whilst the qualifiers for the 2024 Welsh Open are under way, WPBSa has published some important information regarding the qualifying routes leading to tour cards for next season.
The World Snooker Federation (WSF) Championships take place at the Grand Blue Fafa Resort in Golem, Albania between 29 January and 11 February 2024.
The winners of both the WSF Junior Championship and WSF Championship will earn two-year tour cards for the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2024/25 season.
Please find important information about the events below:
WSF JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
The tournament, won last year by Stan Moody, takes place between 29 January and 2 February.
The provisional format for both competitions is as follows:
All group matches will be the best of 5 frames.
The top two players in each group will progress to the knockout rounds
All knockout rounds up to and including the semi-finals will be the best of 7 frames.
The final will be the best of 9 frames.
VENUE
Both events will take place at Grand Blue Fafa Resort in Golem, Albania. The full address for the venue can be found below:
Grand Blue Fafa Resort Rruga Kompleksit 1000 Golem Albania
CONTACT
Should you have any questions or concerns then you can contact us directly via our website or social media platforms.
In total 211 players have entered the main event which is quite impressive. All the names you would expect to find there, and more, are in, including Tony Knowles 😮. Maybe less expected is Luo Hong Hao. I wonder if he will be able to make it this time.
There are some women in the main draw too, most notably On Yee and So Man Yan from Hong Kong. It probably helps that there is a Women Snooker event, the 2024 Albanian Women’s Open, happening at the same dates, at the same venue.
Qualification Criteria Set For Q Tour Global Play-Off
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) is pleased to confirm how the field of 24 players for this season’s newly relaunched Global Q Tour Play-Off will be completed.
The prestigious event will be held alongside the EBSA European Championships in Bosnia & Herzegovina from 13-15 March 2024 and for the first time will see three places on the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2024/25 season contested
It can now be confirmed that 18 players from the Q Tour UK/Europe Rankings will qualify for the playoff, an increase of two from the minimum of 16 previously announced at the start of the season.
They will be joined by two players from each of the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Americas series’ who will complete the 24-player line-up in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With events still to be played across the globe, there is still plenty to play for. Here is a round-up of the current state of play:
Success in the three of the six Q Tour UK/Europe events already held this season means that Michael Holt has an unassailable lead at the top of the rankings and has already secured his World Snooker Tour card for the 2024/25 season.
There is still plenty to play for, however, with 18 places at the Global Play-Off available for those ranked 2nd to 19th.
Previous event winners Liam Davies, Umut Dikme and Antoni Kowalski are automatically guaranteed qualification, but for players further down the list, it will no doubt be a nervy weekend in Leeds as just 1,000 points separate the players ranked between 11th and 28th in the current ranking list.
Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh dominated the first two events of the Middle East series, winning back-to-back events in January with final victories over Habib Humood (4-0) and Mohamed Shehab (4-3) to secure his place at the Global Play-Off regardless of what happened in the third event.
A first round exit for Sarkhosh in event three meant there would be a new winner in Abu Dhabi and it was Shehab, who had led 3-0 at one stage in the final of event two before being defeated by the Iranian, who made amends by beating Yazan Alhaddad in the final and securing the second available spot in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Canadian Vito Puopolo currently sits in poll position in the Americas ranking list following a victory in the first event in Toronto.
Puopolo, who played at the Crucible Theatre in last year’s World Seniors Championship, beat Matt Fifield, Charlie Brown and Alan Whitfield to set up a final with fellow countryman Jason Williams.
He had dropped just a single frame en route to the final and Puopolo was once again dominant in the title match, storming into a 4-0 lead and ultimately overcoming Williams 5-1 to secure the event one crown.
Puopolo and Williams currently sit in the qualifying places for the Global Play-Off but with events still to come in the USA and Brazil, it remains all to play for.
It remains tight at the top of the Q Tour Asia-Pacific ranking list with the top two places being held by players who picked up maximum points in one of the two events held so far, and zero points in the other.
Event one took place in New Zealand in September and October and it was Rob Redgrove who defeated Adam Shaw in a final frame decider to secure the event one title and an early lead in the race to Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Former main tour professional Vinnie Calabrese was the champion of the second event, held in Sydney. Calabrese stormed through an impressive field of 111 players to lift the title – beating Steve Mifsud 6-3 in the final.
Redgrove and Calabrese currently occupy the top two places in the ranking list, but with the third event still to be played later this week, nobody in this region is yet guaranteed qualification for the Global Play-Off.
The 2024 German Masters qualifiers are currently underway in Sheffield. I’ll probably only post about that at the end of this week, unless something really out of the ordinary happens.
Meanwhile here are some interesting snooker news published by WST and WPBSA in recent days.
Gary Wilson’s victory at the BetVictor Scottish Open saw him come from a lowly 61st place on the one-year ranking list to jump to tenth and earn a place at next month’s World Grand Prix in Leicester.
Wilson went into the tournament in Edinburgh knowing he had to at least reach the semi-finals to climb into the top 32, and he went two steps further by winning his second ranking title and £80,000.
The field of 32 players is now confirmed for the World Grand Prix to run from January 15 to 21 at the Morningside Arena, the first event in the 2024 Players Series. The first round draw is below and the format will be announced soon …
Judd Trump v Jamie Jones Lyu Hoatian v Chris Wakelin Mark Selby v Yuan Sijun Ali Carter v Wu Yize Barry Hawkins v Cao Yupeng John Higgins v Shaun Murphy Hossein Vafaei v Matthew Selt Mark Williams v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Zhang Anda v Dominic Dale Mark Allen v Jack Lisowski Noppon Saengkham v Xiao Guodong Ding Junhui v Ricky Walden Tom Ford v Jordan Brown Gary Wilson v David Gilbert Zhou Yuelong v Stephen Maguire Ronnie O’Sullivan v Pang Junxu
Saengkham’s run to the final earned him £35,000, boosting him from 20th to 11th. After the World Grand Prix, there will be just two ranking events before the line-up of 16 players is confirmed for the Players Championship in Telford in February.
Big names to miss out on Leicester include Kyren Wilson and Luca Brecel, who both needed just one more win in Edinburgh, but fell at the last 16 and last 32 stage respectively.
Wilson moves up to third place in the BetVictor Series rankings, albeit still £114,000 behind runaway leader Judd Trump. There are just two counting events to go: the BetVictor German Masters and BetVictor Welsh Open, so Trump could wrap up the £150,000 bonus if no one gets within £80,000 of him by the end of the tournament in Berlin.
On the official two-year list, Wilson jumps from 20th to 17th while Saengkham is up from 26th to 22nd. Ronnie O’Sullivan will go into 2024 as the world number one with a lead of £113,500 over Trump. This list will now be used for seeding for the 2024 BetVictor Welsh Open and the 2024 World Open.
It’s early days in the Race to the Crucible, with six ranking events still to go, but Wilson has boosted his hopes of a place at the Theatre of Dreams, climbing to 13th, while Saengkham is among the chasing pack in 20th. Robert Milkins is in 16th spot, with Barry Hawkins just behind him, while former champion Neil Robertson is in 30th place, £116,000 behind Milkins.
Neil Robertson is currently in Australia, having a good time and playing exhibitions. I’m not sure that home sickness alone can explain his current dip of form and it’s hard to believe that he will very probably need to qualify for the Crucible but that’s how it is.
Global Q Tour Playoff to Be Held in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has announced that the newly expanded WPBSA Q Tour Global Playoff will be held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 13-15 March 2024.
To be played at the Hotel Hills alongside the European Championships organised by the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA), the relaunched Playoff will see three players earn a two-year World Snooker Tour card from the start of the 2024/25 season.
THE FIELD
The event will be contested by 24 players who will need to win three matches to secure a professional tour card.
This will include a minimum of 16 players from the Q Tour UK/Europe Series, with Liam Davies, Michael Holt, Umut Dikme and Antoni Kowalski already guaranteed to qualify as event winners so far this season – unless one of them were to claim the automatic tour card for finishing in top spot.
They will be joined by up to eight players from regional Q Tour events held around the world. To date, Q Tours in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle East Regions have already been announced, with outstanding performers based upon regional ranking lists set to qualify for the Global Playoff.
THE FORMAT
The three-day event will comprise three sections of eight players, to play quarter-finals, semi-finals and ultimately final qualification matches. These will be played under and expanded long format of best of 9, 11 and ultimately 19 frame matches respectively, to provide the ultimate test for aspiring professionals.
The Playoff will also carry a prize fund of almost £20,000 for the first time, with each of the 24 players guaranteed to earn prize money from the event.
“THE VERY BEST CONDITIONS”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “We are delighted to announce that this prestigious new Playoff will be held alongside the EBSA European Championships in Sarajevo next spring.
“The announcement of Q Tour Global last July has received a fantastic response from amateur players around the world and already this season we have seen record entry numbers as players aim to earn their place on the professional tour.
“Open to players of all nationalities, gender and ability, the WPBSA Q Tour is a truly inclusive and open tour, with more players able to compete internationally than ever before with the introduction of Q Tour Series’ in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions this season.
“I would like to thank our friends at the EBSA who I know will strive to deliver the very best conditions for the players in what are hugely important matches and I look forward to seeing who will emerge victorious from what promises to be a wonderful event.”
Maxime Cassis, EBSA President said: “On behalf of the EBSA I am delighted to be able to cooperate with the WPBSA to host this major event which will see three amateur players turn professional for the start of the 2024/25 season.
“Combined with the two players to be claimed by the winners of our European Championship and European Under-21 Championship tournament, this means that there will now be five players who will join the World Snooker Tour following this historic event in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
There are some interesting infos in this announcement.
I have always been puzzled by how closely WPBSA worked with the English amateur snooker bodies but not so much other national and international bodies. This joint even is a step in the right direction.
The new format for the play-off, with proper, longer matches is a welcome move, as is the increased prize money.
I want to hope that these changes are paving the way to a true secondary tour and to a more truly international tour. By the latter, I also mean, a tour where the majority of events will be played outside the UK, and outside Englangd in particular and that goes for qualifiers – if any – as well. You know my stance: there should be no qualifiers for any flat-draw event.
Commission agrees £691,000 regulatory settlement with MrQ
20th September 2023 | By Zak Thomas-Akoo
20th September 2023
The GB Gambling Commission agreed a £690,947 (€798,643/ $853,793) regulatory settlement with MrQ operator Lindar Media for anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility breaches.
The Commission began its regulatory review of MrQ after it made a compliance assessment in September 2022.
The review found failings in the online bingo and igaming operator’s processes for stopping money laundering and protecting people from being harmed by gambling.
It also found that Lindar Media had breached several of its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). These ranged from AML to social responsibility failings.
The Commission said that, based on these failures and considering the operator’s actions since the assessment, it had agreed a £690,947 regulatory settlement with Lindar Media. This money will be directed to social responsible causes.
Findings of the compliance assessment
The GC outlined the specific failings it had found in Lindar Media’s compliance assessment. These included weaknesses in its implementation of AML policies, procedures and controls.
The regulator also discovered shortcomings in its responsible gambling policies, procedures, controls and practices. It highlighted failures that extended to its reporting as to when key events took place.
Other deficiencies included Lindar’s head of regulatory compliance taking additional management posts without Commission approval.
The operator also did not advertise its products in a socially responsible way. Finally, it failed to make its required research, prevention and treatment contributions to an organisation supporting those harmed by gambling.
“You win some, you lose some”
Responding to the regulatory settlement, Lindar Media said that the breaches happened during a time of growth for the business and that safer gambling policies had been improved since the time of the failures.
“My focus since 2022 has been centred around maturing the day-to-day operations through the development of the senior leadership team,” said Lindar Media chief executive Savvas Fellas.
“We’ve implemented scalable processes that provide consistency as we grow and built technology-driven models that underpin compliance and safer gambling promises to our players; all of which are aligned with our mission of offering progressive, value entertainment – with delight and transparency,” he added.
Money laundering and terrorist financing failures
Licence condition 12.1.1(1) says licence holders must assess their money laundering and terrorist financing (ML and TF) risk.
The Commission said MrQ failed to have an appropriate assessment for these risks. This was because it did not assess risk relating to customers, their means of payment, or additional inherent and emerging risks.
The ML and TF assessment also did not address key risk factors. These include customers associating with higher risk countries, along with a disproportionate spend relative to their wealth and business arrangements taking place in unusual circumstances.
Other risks not accounted for related to a customer being the beneficiary of a life insurance policy as well as when a customer is a foreign national applying for residence in return for transfers of capital.
The Commission also said Lindar breached licence condition 12.1.1(2) which outlines the operator’s responsibility for putting in place ML and TF controls.
Lindar failed to have appropriate measures in place. This included the company’s practice of automatically assigning a “low” level of ML risk to new customers.
The Commission said that, at this point, there would be not enough information to give them a rating. It assessed there was an over-reliance on financial triggers to identify and maintain ML risks.
The Commission also noted that financial thresholds for ML were too high, thereby allowing customers to deposit and lose more than £10,000. The regulator said this “did not appear to be sufficiently risk-based”.
MrQ’s social responsibility breaches
MrQ’s licence condition 15.2.1(4) makes clear licensees must notify the Commission within five working days after a key event takes place.
The operator did not inform the Commission promptly when its head of regulatory compliance left the position in June 2022. As such, the regulator found that the business was in breach of the licence condition between 20 June and September 2022.
The online bingo business also failed to comply with paragraphs 1a, 1b and 2 of the Social Responsibility Codes of Practice 3.4.1 (Customer Interaction).
These rules outline how licensees must interact with customers in a manner that minimise the risk of customers experiencing harms associated with gambling.
Lindar Media failed to identify customers at risk of experiencing gambling harms. Its financial and safer gambling triggers “were not always effective”, especially when dealing with customers depositing at a high velocity.
Disproportionate spend relative to personal circumstances was not considered until large amounts of money had been lost. When MrQ did consider personal circumstances, it did so using County Court judgements and bankruptcy data which was not always effective.
MrQ’s advertising failures
The Commission criticised the company for allowing its agents to use cartoon imagery to advertise the business. This is because of its appeal to children.
Surely such association is much more damaging to the sport’s image, and hence its future, than a handful of top players opting out of a rather minor event in favour of an unstreamed exhibition in China, earning some money whilst sparing themselves a tiring back and forth trip across several time zones…
Any player making two maximum breaks during this season’s Triple Crown Series will be rewarded with a massive £147,000 bonus.
This new initiative applies to the 2023 MrQ UK Championship, the 2024 Masters and the 2024 Cazoo World Championship. A player who makes two maximums (either a 147 or 155) in either the qualifying rounds or the final stages of those three tournaments will earn the huge bonus.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “There is nothing quite as exhilarating in snooker as a maximum break, those moments bring us to the edge of our seats. And we’re making that achievement all the more special this season during our Triple Crown events.
“We’d love to see at least one player make a 147 at the MrQ UK Championship which would give them two more tournaments to chase the bonus. Last season we saw maximums from Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby at the Crucible – imagine the thrill if there was an extra £147,000 on the line!
“The skill level in snooker now is higher than ever and we expect this new prize will give the players extra motivation to go for maximum breaks.”
The bonus would be awarded in addition to the high break prizes for the individual events.
Up to three players could win this bonus, for example if three different players each made two 147s then they would each win £147,000. Or if one player made six maximums then he would bank £441,000!
The counting events are:
MrQ UK Championship. November 18-23 (qualifying rounds) and November 25 to December 3 The Masters. January 7-14. Cazoo World Championship. April 8-17 (qualifying rounds) and April 20 to May 6.
Looks great he? Well the snooker.org team had a good look at the stats. In the history of the game so far, a player having 2 maximum breaks in the course of those three events happened only once, in 2007/08 when Ronnie had one against Mark Selby in the 2007 UK Championship semi-finals, and another one in the last 16 of the 2008 World Championship against Mark Williams. In total there was never more than three maximums made during those three events combined in a season, and, other than Ronnie’s “double”, they were always made by three different players. So, this, in my eyes is just a publicity coup, as WST probably looked at the stats and know that the “risk” they are taking is very, very small … No player in their right mind will take the risk to go for a maximum in the second most important ranking tournament of the season, unless, maybe, if they are so far behind that they have forfeited any serious hope to win the match in progress.
This season eight “week winners” will compete for the biggest price in amateur snooker.
They are Michael Holt, Harvey Chandler, Lee Walker, Hayden Staniland, Josh Thomond, Dharminder Lilly, Andy Lavin and Nic Barrow. Good luck to them all!
Here is what happened on week 8
On Monday … Wayne Townsend bet Patrick Wallace in the final
On Tuesday … Fergal Quinn beat Hayden Staniland in the final
On Wednesday … Hayden Staniland was our winner
The event was well supported! By pool legend Jayson Shaw and … by the local pub!
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and UAE Cue Sports have announced the launch of a new Middle East Series of events as the latest addition to WPBSA Q Tour Global.
Following the launch of both the Asia-Pacific and Americas Series previously, the Middle East region represents another significant addition to the newly expanded WPBSA Q Tour Global, which will see 24 players contest three places on the professional World Snooker Tour for the next two seasons.
The playoff will feature a minimum of 16 players from the UK/Europe rankings, who will now be joined by up to eight international qualifiers – including one from the Middle East region – from across the globe.
MIDDLE EAST SERIES
The WPBSA Q Tour Middle East Series will include three recognised tournaments to be held at the Cue Sports Academy, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi and will operate its own ranking list with the top ranked player following the third event to qualify for the Global Playoff next spring.
The qualifying events will be:
Event 1 – 4-10 January 2024
Event 2 – 11-17 January 2024
Event 3 – 18-24 January 2024
Events will be open to players holding nationality for the following countries:
Provisional African countries eligible: Egypt, Libya, Morocco
Provisional European countries eligible: Israel, Turkey
All players cannot have played in Q Tour UK/Europe during this season.
“A KEY GROWTH AREA”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “I am delighted to welcome the Middle East region to the WPBSA Q Tour Global in what is unquestionably a groundbreaking moment for our sport.
“We have been aware for several years of the great talent that exists in this region, none more so than our former Shoot Out champion Hossein Vafaei on the World Snooker Tour. We firmly believe this project will grow throughout the Middle East with many countries already active in snooker. It is vital that all players have the ability through localised events to have the opportunity to enjoy a successful career in our sport at the highest level.
“I must thank our friend Mohamad Shehab Al Hashmi for his support of this important project. Mohamed Shehab is without doubt the most decorated athlete for cuesports in the Middle East and we look forward to welcoming UAE Cue Sports as a Q Tour host venue next January.”
Mohamed Shehab Al Hashmi said, UAE Cue Sports and 12-time Arab champion said: “It is a great honour for UAE Cue Sports to be able to host these prestigious tournaments, with the top ranked player to be able to represent our region at the Q Tour Global playoff next year.
“The Middle East region is home to so many talented snooker players and we are excited to be able to provide them with this incredible opportunity to be able to compete with the best players around the world and to earn their place on the professional tour.“
Full tournament information, including entry and results will be available via WPBSA SnookerScores in due course.
Since when is Israel a European country and not a Middle East country? I’m not sure. Every geography book will tell you it’s in the Middle East. This distinction, for me, is just a trick to allow Israel exclusion from the final list as many of the Islam dominated countries cited above will not want them in there. Often in the past, when IBSF has organised events in the region, Israeli athletes were refused the necessary visas. Also, some countries – like Iran – might forbid their own players to play Israeli players. That happened even on the main tour when Hossein Vafaei was set to play Eden Sharav. Whatever your opinion on the current conflict, you have to understand that this is not right. WPBSA must obtain the guaranties that this will not happen.
The 2023 International Championship Qualifiers start today and here is the last information WST shared about the event. These are the first qualifiers this season that will be played in front of the fans and not behind closed doors.
How To Watch The International Championship Qualifiers
The qualifying round for the 2023 International Championship runs from September 18-23, with the likes of Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Mark Allen, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and Kyren Wilson in action.
The action takes place at Ponds Forge in Sheffield and fans can be there for just £10 per day – for details click here.
Or you can watch it live online, here’s the list of broadcasters:
Monday September 18 Tian Pengfei v Stephen Hendry Barry Hawkins v Andrew Pagett Matthew Selt v Jimmy White
Wednesday September 20 Hossein Vafaei v Reanne Evans
Thursday September 21 Mark Selby v Muhammad Asif Kyren Wilson v Adam Duffy Mark Allen v Ma Hailong Jack Lisowski v He Gouqiang Mark Williams v Rebecca Kenna
Friday September 22 Neil Robertson v Ryan Thomerson John Higgins v Manasawin Phetmalaikul Si Jiahui v Julien LeClercq Shaun Murphy v Andres Petrov
Michael Holt defeated Liam Davies 5-2 in the final at the Snookerhallen in Stockholm, Sweden to win the second UK/Europe Q Tour event of the 2023/24 season.
Former Shoot Out winner Holt is seeking a return to the professional ranks and his maiden Q Tour triumph sees him rise the rankings in pursuit of top spot come the end of the seven-event campaign which guarantees promotion to the World Snooker Tour.
As a seed player, Holt began his challenge on Saturday in the Swedish capital. After receiving a walkover in the last 64 he defeated Yu Kiu Chang (Hong Kong) 3-1 with breaks of 74 and 68, and then dispatched Event One runner Craig Steadman 3-0 – registering a run of exactly 100 in the opening frame.
Returning for the last eight the next day, Holt restricted his opponent Daniel Womersley to just 14 points throughout the entire match as he recorded a 4-0 success with efforts of 84 and 82.
In the semi-finals, the 45-year-old ended the run of Wales’ Alfie Davies 4-1, top scoring with a 58 break in frame four. Previously, Holt had never been past the last 32 of a Q Tour event, but he relinquished just two frames in four matches en route to his first final on the circuit.
Emerging from the other side of the draw was 17-year-old Davies who was looking to become the first player to win back-to-back Q Tour titles after securing Event One in North Shields last month.
Davies – who remains top of the overall rankings – survived a deciding frame against Daniel Holoyda (Poland) in the last 64 before whitewash wins over Oliver Sykes and the experienced former professional and Shoot Out winner Robin Hull in the last 32 and 16 respectively.
In an entertaining quarter-final, Davies ousted last season’s Q Tour Playoff finalist and current Austrian national champion Florian Nuessle 4-3. Nuessle crafted a break of 113 to force a deciding frame but Davies was not to be denied.
Awaiting Davies in the semi-finals was fellow teenager and reigning Polish national champion Antoni Kowalski who was making his Q Tour debut. Davies, though, became only the third player to reach consecutive event finals as he compiled breaks of 79, 50 and 65 in a 4-0 victory.
Holt started the final very well with a 91 break in the opening frame. He then doubled that lead, but Davies responded as he deposited the next two frames (61 break, frame three) to go all square into the mid-session interval.
However, momentum swung again after resumption as Holt strung together three successive frames – including a run of 70 in the sixth – to claim the title.
Event Three is set to take place at the TSG Heilbronn in Germany between October 20-22.
Amateur News – The 900 is back tonight!
In other, unrelated news… my post yesterday about Ronnie’s win in Shanghai was the 3000th one in this blog. Nice milestone … thanks Ronnie!
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and the Asia-Pacific Snooker and Billiards Federation (APSBF) are today delighted to announce the launch of the new Q Tour Asia-Pacific Series as part of the WPBSA Q Tour Global during the 2023/24 season.
The Asia-Pacific region becomes the first to join the newly expanded WPBSA Q Tour Global, which will culminate in a 24-player playoff, with three places on the professional World Snooker Tour to be won from the start of the 2024/25 season.
As in previous seasons, the playoff will feature a minimum of 16 players from the UK/Europe rankings, who will now be joined by up to eight international qualifiers – including one from the Asia-Pacific region – from across the globe.
ASIA-PACIFIC SERIES
To encompass three recognised tournaments across the region, the Asia-Pacific Series will operate its own ranking list with the top ranked player following the third event to qualify for this season’s Q Tour Global Playoff next spring.
The qualifying events will be:
Bob Hawke AC Open Snooker (12-15 October 2023)
New Zealand Open Snooker
Dr Clem Jones AC Open Snooker
Events will be open to players born in, or resident in the Asia-Pacific region for a minimum of six months.
“PROVEN TRACK RECORD”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “I am excited to welcome the APSBF to the WPBSA Q Tour Global and to provide this additional opportunity for players in the Asia-Pacific region to qualify for the World Snooker Tour.
“Frank Dewens and his team have a proven track record of hosting high-quality tournaments, none more so than this year’s WSF Championships in Sydney which were well-supported by players from the region and beyond.
“I look forward to welcoming the successful player to our new Global Playoff, where they will compete among the best amateur snooker players in the world to join our professional circuit.”
Frank Dewens, APSBF President said: “We are extremely excited and honoured to be included in the WPBSA Q Tour Global. This will provide opportunities for the players within the APSBF to qualify for the World Snooker Tour.”
Entry for the Bob Hawke AC Open is open now via the ABSC website with a closing date of 29 September 2023.
WPBSA To Host Landmark New Player Support Programme
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and WPBSA Players have today announced the launch of the WPBSA Player Support Programme, to be held on September 15 and 16 at the prestigious Lilleshall National Sports Centre.
The groundbreaking new event promises to be a transformative experience for over 40 professional snooker players and will be hosted by the renowned sports broadcaster, Rob Walker, and is proudly presented in association with Taom Billiards.
Over 40 current professionals from all around the world are set to take part in the weekend, including rising stars Julien Leclercq and Ben Mertens from Belgium, China’s WSF world champion Ma Hailong as well as England’s Stan Moody and Liam Pullen, who both joined the Tour this summer.
They will also be joined by the four current women professionals on the circuit including reigning world champion Baipat Siripaporn and 12-time queen Reanne Evans and a host of players making a return to the tour including WPBSA Q Tour number one Martin O’Donnell and Q School graduates Alexander Ursenbacher, Andrew Pagett and Stuart Carrington.
During the two-day event, the next generation of snooker stars will receive comprehensive support and guidance from WPBSA Players on a wide range of critical subjects, including integrity, match-fixing prevention, mental health and wellbeing, media training, financial management and career transition.
Guest speakers will include well known figures from across sport and experts from the world of business who will take the stage to share their experiences and insights, offering invaluable advice to aspiring and established players alike.
“Best preparation possible”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman, said: “I am hugely excited by the launch of the WPBSA Player Support Programme as we aim to provide our next generation with meaningful and practical support at the start of their professional careers in our sport.
“I know from my own experience just how big a step up it is coming from the amateur game. Not only on the baize, but equally so off the table, where there is so much to learn. It is our vision that this new programme will provide players new to the tour with the best preparation possible for their respective journeys.
“And for players who might be returning to the tour, or have re-qualified via Q School, the message is the same and I am confident that everyone taking part will be able to take something valuable from the two days.
“I would like to thank our teams at the WPBSA and WPBSA Players, as well as recognise the support to be provided by Taom Billiards and the Professional Players Federation, which demonstrates the commitment of key stakeholders to the future of our sport.”
Brendan Batson, Chairman of the Professional Players Federation (PPF), expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative, saying: “It is vitally important that players know their sport’s rules on betting. Integrity education is essential for all professional players and will help protect them from the devastation that match-fixing scandals bring to reputations and careers. The PPF is delighted to support the first WPBSA Players Support Programme.”
Ken Doherty, Chairman of WPBSA Players, said: “Professional sport can be tough. Our commitment to supporting snooker professionals on issues such as personal and professional development, and welfare is unwavering. We believe that a healthy and well-supported player community is the cornerstone of a thriving sport. Together, we are cueing up a brighter future for our players, ensuring they have the support and resources needed to excel both on and off the baize.”
This event started yesterday and the first reactions from participant were very positive, going by what I was able to read on social media.
Here are some images, shared on social media by WPBSA:
