Matthew Stevens became the third Welshman in as many days to qualify for the second stage of the BetVictor Championship League as he topped Group 25 on Wednesday.
Building on the success of Ryan Day and Mark Williams earlier in the week, Stevens kept the Welsh flag flying in Leicester as he earned a spot in the next phase of the season’s opening ranking event.
The former UK and Masters champion, now playing his 31st season as a pro, opened with a 3-0 win over Haydon Pinhey then drew 2-2 with Farakh Ajaib. In his decisive last match, Stevens fired breaks of 97, 59 and 91 in a 3-1 win over Robbie Williams.
Ashley Carty finished top of Group 31, beating Mostafa Dorgham 3-0 with a top break of 67 and Simon Blackwell 3-1. The Yorkshire cueman then rounded off his day in style as he saw off Elliot Slessor 3-0 with a top run of 81.
Farakh Ajaib is a baffling player. One moment he looks like top 16 material, the next he makes really silly mistakes. Very weird. Matthew Stevens played well but hasn’t made his peace with rest … yet. Maybe when he turns 90?
I saw very little of the other group but I’m happy for Ashley Carty who, after his “Crucible” breakthrough appeared to regress a bit (well a lot actually). He’s better than his ranking says and it showed yesterday.
Ryan Day and Neil Robertson both progressed to the second group stage of the BetVictor Championship League ranking event as the 2024/25 season got underway in Leicester.
The opening tournament of the season runs until July 3rd. In the initial phase, 128 players are split into 32 groups of four, with those 32 group winners going through to the next round.
Drawn into Group 11, Day won his opening match against fellow Welshman and tour rookie Liam Davies, knocking in a top break of 61 in a 3-0 victory. He then drew 2-2 with Hammad Miah before ensuring top spot in the group with a fine display against Marco Fu, compiling runs of 125, 72 and 85 to win 3-0.
Australia’s Robertson needs a strong start to the season to climb back into the top 16 having dropped to 28th, and the early signs were good as he topped Group 21. After an opening 2-2 draw with Zach Richardson, former World Champion Robertson improved in a 3-0 defeat of Ka Wai Cheung then came from 1-0 down to beat Jamie Clarke 3-1 with top breaks of 70 and 93.
The action continues on Tuesday with Mark Williams among the quartet in Group 4, while Chris Wakelin is the highest ranked cueman in Group 17.
The early signs weren’t that good for Neil actually: a draw against Zak Richardson, an amateur who eventually finished last of the group, wasn’t a great start. But Neil improved rapidly and by the end of the day, was playing really well. I was impressed with Ka Wai Cheung. The rookie finished joined second in the group, on par with the vastly experienced Jamie Clarke, with one win, one draw and one loss. He’s still very raw of course, he has a lot to learn tactically and strategically. But he’s potted some awesome balls and, when things didn’t go his way, his attitude was good. No panic, no recklessness.
I saw less of the other group. That Liam Davies is very, very talented is no “breaking news”. We have known that since he was a small kid. Ryan Day is a tremendous player when able to relax, and Hammad Miah is a very, very tough opponent when he puts his mind to it. This was a tough group. All the same, finishing last is a worrying result for Marco Fu. But, maybe, he was just back from Hong Kong and jet-lagged? 2
Note that I replaced the original WST link with the snooker.org one because the latter will remain valid over time, unlike the original one. ↩︎
It’s a genuine question … I don’t know when Marco arrived in the UK. ↩︎
Pakistan’s Haris Tahir and India’s Kreishh Gurbaxani prevailed on the final day of Asia/Oceania Q School to earn two year cards for the World Snooker Tour.
Tahir was up against China’s Lan Yuhao in his final match and he showed no signs of nerves early on, firing in a break of 67 to move 1-0 ahead. Lan dug deep and crafted a run of 69 on his way to moving 2-1 ahead. However, Tahir claimed the last three on the bounce to clinch a momentous 4-2 victory.
“I am totally speechless. This means so much to me, my mother and my brother back home. The pressure was so high, but I am glad I handled it well towards the end. I will prepare myself to go to the UK, work hard and do my best.”
Haris Tahir
Asia/Oceania Q School Event Two Winner
The second match saw Gurbaxani fall 2-0 behind to Pakistan’s Muhammad Naseem Akhtar. The third saw Akhtar require three snookers, but he got them to give himself a chance of moving to the verge of victory. However, Gurbaxani won a safety battle on the final brown to reduce his deficit to 2-1.
That proved to be pivotal, as from there he powered to a further three on the bounce to secure a 4-2 win and a place among the professional ranks.
I’m both happy and disappointed with the 2024 Q-Schools results. Disappointed because some of the players I really wanted to see back on tour didn’t make it. Happy because the laureates are young but not children. It is not true that if you are good enough you are old enough. Being a professional, especially if it means moving to the UK and live there as an expat – which is what most “non British/Irish” players HAVE to do because of the UK centric organisation of the sport – involves much more than skills at the snooker table.
Browsing through social media yesterday I stumbled upon a quote by Nigel Bond expressing his pleasure at seeing Kreishh Gurbaxani qualifying. The young Indian spent a lot of time in the UK over the last twelve months, working with Nigel, in order to give himself the best possible chance to succeed at becoming a professional. Nigel is one of the nicest person you could wish to meet, he totally loves his sport, is extremely knowledgeable and is the best mentor any young player could wish for…
Congratulations Haris, Kreishh … and Nigel
This – for me – marks the end of the 2023/24 season.
The 2024 UK/Europe Q-School event 2 concluded this afternoon and here is the report by WST about the four laureates:
Farakh Ajaib, Antoni Kowalski, Mitchell Mann and Chris Totten came through the final round of Q School event two in Leicester to earn two-year cards on the World Snooker Tour.
Former professional Ajaib booked his return to the circuit with a 4-1 victory against talented Ukrainian Iulian Boiko.
The ex butcher from Accrington first became a snooker professional in 2020, when he came through Q School. However, he was relegated in 2023.
Ajaib’s initial stint on the tour was highlighted by a run to the last 16 of the European Masters in 2022. He was denied a famous win over Judd Trump in a deciding frame. The Ace in the Pack needed snookers at 4-4, but got them and and clinched the frame to beat Ajaib 5-4.
A string of near misses for 18-year-old Boiko continues, he was beaten in the final round of both Q School events last year and bowed out in the last 32 of event one this time.
After losing the first frame this morning, 33-year-old Ajaib notched up four on the bounce to score a momentous victory.
Ajaib said: “I’m delighted. I didn’t think I’d get on, but in the end I played quite well. I’ve not put much time in. I just thought I would come here, see how it goes and play the right shots. It is tough playing at Q School. I don’t want to be here ever again.”
Poland’s Kowalski earned his professional status for the first time after a 4-1 defeat of Englishman Simon Blackwell.
Despite prevailing in routine fashion this morning, Kowalski earned his passage to the World Snooker Tour the hard way. The 20-year-old came through a thrilling last 16 clash with James Cahill yesterday evening, winning 4-3 on the final black.
Kowalski also came close to securing his card through his performances on the Q Tour last season. After winning event four, he qualified for the Global Playoffs, but narrowly missed out after a semi-final defeat to Yu Kiu Chang.
Today’s victory sees him follow in the footsteps of Polish compatriots Adam Stefanow and Kacper Filipiak, who have both been professionals in recent years. Breaks of 58, 66 and 64 helped Kowalski to the 4-1 win in just over two hours. Afterwards he was thrilled to have made it to snooker’s biggest stage.
“I am chuffed to bits. I am so delighted to be a professional, finally. I have struggled in the last four years. Despite playing at what I think is a professional level, I couldn’t quite make it. Finally something clicked,” said an ecstatic Kowalski.
“I love playing against players who are better than me. You gain so much experience from it. Hopefully I will meet Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump in the TV stages of a tournament and hopefully I will beat them.”
Mann clinched his return to the professional ranks with a 4-2 win over Joshua Thomond.
The Englishman is an experienced campaigner on the World Snooker Tour, having competed at the Crucible and reached a ranking event semi-final. He made the last four at the 2017 Paul Hunter Classic, where he lost out to eventual winner Michael White.
Mann dropped off the tour in 2023 and was unsuccessful at last year’s Q School. In the aftermath he gave up the sport, but the 32-year-old decided to return to have another crack at Q School this year. Contributions of 65, 76 and 51 helped him to secure an emotional victory and vindicate that decision.
Mann said: “It is absolutely amazing. If I rewind the clock to 12 months ago, I’d quit the game and got a job. I fell out of love with it and didn’t want to play. Getting a job changed my mind. I realised how good you have it playing on tour. It has all worked out nicely.”
Totten became the final player to graduate Q School with a 4-2 victory against Lewis Ullah. The Scot missed out in the final round of Event One in a decider against Allan Taylor, but held his nerve to secure a second run on the World Snooker Tour having first qualified in 2017.
Congratulations to the four laureates!
I’m really disappointed and sorry for Iulian Boiko. I do hope that getting so close and yet so far so many times over the last years will not affect him in the longer term. He’s still very young, he has plenty of time ahead of him but psychologically it must be difficult and, certainly, the situation in his home country must affect him as well deeply. He has friends and family living in Ukraine and it must be a cause of worry every day. It’s a lot to cope with. He’s third in the Q-School order of merit, he will probably have plenty of opportunities to play in professional events in the season to come. But still all this must be hard on the young man.
The second Asia-Oceania Q-School will conclude tomorrow. I had hoped that Luo Hong Hao would be able to return to the main tour, but he was beaten today… Four players remain on course, one Chinese, Lan Yuhao, one Indian, Kreishh Gurbaxani , and two Pakistanese, Haris Tahir and Muhammad Naseem Akhtar . None of them has been professional before. All four are young. Two will get on the main tour. There were a lot of Chinese players in the draw this time, and you would expect the Thai players to have a home advantage, therefore this line-up surprises me a bit but well done, and good luck, to the four of them, they are there on merit.
The UK/Europe Q-School Event 1 and concluded this afternoon and the Asia-Oceania Q-School Event 1 will conclude tomorrow. After nearly a week of hard-fought competition, four players gained, or re-gained, a two years professional Tour card, and four others are one match away from joining them. The links will bring you to the detailed results on snooker.org.
Artemijs Zizins (17 years old, turning 18 on June, 6) – Latvia), Allan Taylor (39 years old – England), Haydon Pinhey (27 years old – England) and Wang Yuchen (26 years old – Hong Kong) qualified via the UK/Europe event. Gao Yang (19 years old – China), Lim Kok Leong (29 years old – Malaysia), Sunny Akani (28 years old – Thailand) and Ali Gharahgozlou (? – Iran) came through the Asia Oceania Q-School so far and will play the “telling” match tomorrow.
It’s an interesting group of laureates. From the eight only Allan Taylor was on tour last season. Haydon Pinhey, Lim Kok Leong and Ali Gharahgozlou have never been professionals before. As compared to previous editions, it’s a rather “young” group. as well. I couldn’t find Ali’s age, but from the other seven only Allan Taylor is over 30. Personally, I find this outcome quite satisfying: seven different nationalities and a majority of young players, but not children.
Personally, I am particularly happy to see Sunny Akani (hopefully) and Wang Yuchen getting back on tour.
Of course there were disappointments and heartbreaks. Iulian Boiko didn’t make it … he was beaten by Artemijs Zizins in round 3. I hope that, with Ken Doherty at his side he will be able to overcome the disappointment and stay positive. He’s had a lot to cope with over the last two years, on and off the table and he is still very young.
I would have loved to see Luo Hong Hao, the “virtuoso”, back on tour. He lost to Gao Yang in round 4. He’s only 24 and an interesting personality. He’s an artist and comes across as a free spirit. I like that.
Florian Nüßle was beaten in a decider in round 5 … He’s had his share of good runs ending in disappointment this season: he lost, in a decider in the SF of the 2024 European Championship, to Robbie Mc Guigan the eventual winner. He lost in the SF of the Q-Tour Global Play-off, to Duane Jones, the eventual winner. It’s just not quite happening for him.
I was disappointed that, other than On Yee, there was no woman in the draw. I have quite ambivalent feelings about the Women’s Tour being a qualifying route for the main tour. It does promote the women in snooker and has given them visibility but the level isn’t high enough. The women playing in that tour are not exposed to the kind of level required from professionals. As a result, those who qualified through that route didn’t perform well on the main tour … and that, in turn, gave ammunitions to those who see women as “inferior” and claim that none of them will ever succeed at professional snooker. Social media are full of such guys … alas.
We start it all again with “events 2” in a couple of days.
Meanwhile quite a number of top pros have been involved in exhibitions since the World Championship. I don’t remember we ever had so many going on at this time of the year. Maybe the changes in the players contract give the top players a bit more freedom than in the past.
About “exhibitions” and the so called “breakaway tour” there was an interesting interview with Kyren Wilson, our new World Champion. It is reported in the Finnish press: (automatic translation – highlights by me)
The snooker world champion’s gesture to a Finnish woman melted the hearts of the Helsinki audience – “The audience was amazing”
Kyren Wilson, who won the world championship at the beginning of May, organized a show at the invitational tournament in Helsinki’s Kulttuuritalo.
The biggest invitational tournament in Finnish snooker history started on Saturday in Helsinki’s Kulttuuritalo.
The 1,400-seat arena was packed to the brim when the Englishman Kyren Wilson, who was recently crowned as the snooker world champion, met the Welshman Ryan Day, who advanced to the 2nd round of the World Championship .
Seeing the snooker stars was a rare experience for many in the stands, which became a memorable one for one lucky person. Such a moment was seen in the stoppage of the match between Wilson and Day, when Wilson had decided the 4–3 victory.
When there were only a few balls left on the table, Wilson asked the Finnish woman sitting in the front row to stand next to the table and a moment later asked her to pocket the last black ball (video as the main image of the article).
Although the woman did not succeed in bagging, the audience rewarded Wilson’s gesture and the woman’s attempt with thunderous applause.
The audience was amazing, Wilson praised.
A new start from Finland
The 32-year-old Wilson won his first career world title at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, England on May 6.
Kyren Wilson won his first World Cup title by defeating Jak Jones of Wales 18-14 in the final Photo: George Wood/Getty Images
After that, Wilson had never played competitive snooker before the Helsinki tournament. The lack of play was visible at the beginning of the match on Saturday, but after three sets, Wilson bagged hitting streaks of 131, 118 and 85 points. Day’s best breaks were 95 and 77.
Wilson described the previous weeks as crazy.
The World Cup drug doesn’t seem to end, but something new comes every day. I was asked to present the World Cup trophy at the stadium of my favorite team, Chelsea, and I received an incredible reception at my home club and in the local pub.
Kyren Wilson presented the World Cup trophy at Stamford Bridge on May 19. Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
– A party was also organized for me at a local theme park, where 1200 people arrived. This has been one rollercoaster – in a great way, Wilson said.
Amidst the responsibilities brought by the World Cup victory, snooker took a back seat for a while. Mestari said that he focused his energy on his family, which includes his wife and two children.
It has been a pleasure to take my children to school and to soccer tournaments. Do normal things sometimes.
Hot question about the future
Before and during the World Snooker tournament, there was a heated discussion in the sports circles about the current state of the professional tour.
According to rumors heard by Yle Urheilu from several sources, several top players in the sport have received an offer to play on a closed tour covering twenty players, whose prize pool for one season would be one hundred million euros.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, who will arrive in Finland in June, has harshly criticized the professional tour. Photo: Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images
For comparison: in the season that ended, the professional tour of 128 players managed by the umbrella organization World Snooker had less than 20 million euros in distribution.
I received an offer, but things have changed dramatically in a short time. As world champion, I want to be a good ambassador for snooker. I enjoy being announced on stage as world champion. I’m looking forward to the games on the familiar world tour next season as well, Wilson said.
Wilson dodged a direct question if he believes a closed tour ( Breakaway tour ) will happen.
I really don’t know the answer to this question. My life changed completely a couple of weeks ago. As crazy as it sounds, since then snooker has been the last thing on my mind before arriving in Helsinki.
A wish for Bottas
As for Finland and special wishes, Wilson had a direct answer ready: I want to have a beer with Valtteri Bottas .
After a 4-2 win over Ashley Hugill to reach round three of Q School, Paul Deaville admitted he will have a tough decision to make if he qualifies for the pro tour.
During a successful junior career, highlighted by victory in the 2023 English Amateur Championship and 2024 English Under-21 Championship, 19-year-old Deaville has always maintained an emphasis on education. He is currently in the first year of a three-year university course in Business Sports Management, and has not yet decided whether he would quit the course if he has the chance to turn pro.
“I am juggling my education with snooker to give myself something to fall back on,” said Deaville, who faces Anthony Wall next. “If I get on tour then I don’t know what I’d do. My goal eventually is to be a snooker player. If that doesn’t happen at Q School, I’ve got my second year of university ahead so that takes pressure off. I have practised hard for this, I needed to do that just to give myself a chance. There are still nerves. There are only eight spots here and a lot of good players. The pressure here is different to anything else.”
Riley Powell, a promising 15-year-old from the snooker hot-bed of South Wales, impressed in a 4-3 victory over experienced Peter Lines. From 3-2 down, Powell recovered to take the last two frames and set up a tie with Alex Clenshaw.
“It feels amazing, beating such an experienced player in such good conditions,” said Powell. “At 3-3 I felt calm and just played my game. I might be a bit too young to get on tour because I don’t have that much experience. If it comes, it comes. If not I still have a few more years to try to make it.”
Former ranking event finalist Gerard Greene scored a 4-1 win over Steven Hallworth. Jenson Kendrick came from 3-1 down to beat Edward Jones 4-3, taking the deciding frame by clearing from brown to black. Former Ruhr Open champion Rory McLeod edged out Manuel Ederer 4-3 thanks to a run of 52 in the decider, while former Crucible semi-finalist Andy Hicks saw off Sean Maddocks 4-1.
DEAVILLE PLEASED WITH PROGRESS
Maybe it’s just me but it feels like there is a change in style in those last WST reports, more focus on the player(s) less on the “snooker numbers, scores and breaks”. I like that, as I like Paul Deaville’s attitude.
The player nicknamed “Cruella” by some comes across as an intelligent and mature young man, with a solid head on his young shoulders. It’s a shame that he may have to choose between his studies and his career as a snooker professional. The money list system will leave him with no choice: either he plays in about everything or he will not be able to stay on tour. This is typically a case where a rating system would bring huge benefits, allowing players like Paul to really pick and choose and still maintain or even improve their rating provided they do well in the events they are able to enter. And they wouldn’t come into yje pro tour on zero points either as a proper – and properly run – rating system could encompass both the amateur and pro game.
I watched a bit of Riley Powell in round 1 and the kid impressed me. That said, I’m not sure I want him to turn pro this year. IMO he’s too young and tour is very brutal. We had a number of examples in the past of young talents who were destroyed by the brutality of the system. I’d rather not have more of this and have him to wait for another year or two before turning pro. The “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough” is nonsense as being a pro implies many things, and responsibilities, in addition to what you can do on the table.
On the other hand, I’m very pleased for Jenson Kendrick who after two miserable years on tour showed what he capable of – and made of – at the 2024 World qualifiers. I think that he is capable of building on that and be successful on tour. I hope he get through the Q-School(s). I also hope that Iulian Boiko new approach will prove succesful and that he can get back on tour. He’s just booked his place in round 4…
Most names in that comp are unfamiliar to us, European fans, but Luo Hong Hao and Sunny Akani are both competing in Thailand and I’d love to see them back on tour and on our screens!
Yes, I’m from that generation … the ones who were teenagers at the end of the sixties, who grew up with Bob Dylan, with big hopes for changes that didn’t really come the way we hoped for. But I digress before I even started…
But, yes, this post is about “changing” times…
I have the feeling that this 2024 World Championship signals the start of a new era for the sport. In the eleven editions before this one, only once, in 2015, did we have a final that didn’t feature a member of the class of 92 or Mark Selby, and only once, in 2016, did we have a final between two players aged under-35. This year, neither Selby nor any of the Class of 92 reached the one table setup. Ronnie and John Higgins were the “last standing” of that group and they bowed out in the QFs. This time, both finalists are in their early thirties, and, surely, nobody expected Jak Jones to make it that far. The season to come will be interesting. Will we see a clear “change of guard”? I do expect this to happen and it would be good for the future of the sport … and even if I dearly wish for Ronnie to get to 8 World Championships, I’m not harbouring too much hope. He will be 49 in December …
Those are the stats on Ronnie’s career and we, his fans, can’t complain… he’s given us plenty, and will probably give us some more. I will always support him, and I’m grateful for the countless great moments he’s created on the green baize.
There has been a change of mind by Barry Hearn as well regarding the Crucible. Only a couple of years ago he was adamant the the snooker was “there to stay”. No more so as this BBC article clearly shows:
Sheffield to ‘move heaven and earth’ for World Championship
Snooker’s World Championship could leave the theatre that has been its home since 1977
Sam Drury – BBC Sport journalist
7 May 2024
Barry Hearn believes “Sheffield City Council will move heaven and earth” to keep the World Snooker Championship in the city.
The Crucible, which only holds 980 spectators, has held snooker’s biggest event every year since 1977, but the current contract expires in 2027.
Hearn, the president of Matchroom Sport and former chairman of World Snooker Tour (WST), insisted that keeping the tournament in Sheffield is “what we all want”.
“The priority is to stay in the Steel City of Sheffield because it’s been our home for a long, long time,” he told BBC 5 Live Breakfast.
“Great moments. But we have a duty to everybody to listen. We listen to the fans, listen to the local people, we also listen to the players.
“The effect on prize money. We look at the conditions, and say the game has moved on, and deserves better than the current conditions.”
How the Crucible looked during the 2024 World Championship final
While Hearn’s desire to stay in Sheffield is now clear, he anticipates that doing so would require a change of venue.
Matchroom took over the running of WST in 2010, with Hearn at the helm until he stepped down as chairman in April 2021 at the age of 72.
He remains an influential figure in the running of snooker and ideally wants a new facility to be built to house the World Championship.
“I think it’s a new-build within the city. It can’t be an expansion of the Crucible. There isn’t enough space. The building is too small,” Hearn said.
“But I think there are other buildings that could be converted… but I need a venue to stress the importance of the event, the quality of the event.
“You can’t stick it in a leisure centre, and say ‘this is our World Championships’, just for the sake of another 1,000 [or] 1,500 tickets a session.“
Moving away from the Crucible would also be popular with some of the players, who have criticised conditions at the theatre.
“If you walk around the Crucible it smells really bad,” said Iran’s Hossein Vafaei.
“The practice room? Do you see anything special about it? It feels like I’m practising in a garage and that’s not good.”
Saudi Arabia has worked closely with Matchroom Sport to bring a number of high-profile major boxing events to the country. It also staged a first WST tournament in March – the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
“Should the World Championships stay in little old England? It’s a global sport, should it go round the world?” Hearn added.
“Should it sell out and go to where the biggest money is, as have so many sports? Some that I’ve been involved in.
“That’s not wrong – that’s just the progression of how the world’s changed.
“It’s a balance – but you can’t ignore the money, that would be unrealistic and silly to say we’re ignoring the money.
“But at the same time we have a duty of care to the sport, to make sure the great traditions stay with us as well.”
‘Zero interest in a breakaway tour‘
Hearn, who managed six-time world champion Steve Davis, dismissed the notion of a recently mooted breakaway tour to challenge WST.
“There’s no breakaway tour,” he said. “I don’t know why people talk about this.
“The players have got a bit more freedom now, outside of contract, where there isn’t a World Snooker contract, to have an event themselves.
“There is absolutely zero interest in a breakaway tour from any player.“
Judd Trump is one of a number of high-profile players to have ruled out joining such a tour, which has been likened to golf’s LIV breakaway venture.
The 1997 world champion Ken Doherty is sceptical that a rival series would gain any traction.
“I don’t see how a LIV-style snooker tour can survive and if it does and players want to do that, if that is what they want their legacy to be, good luck to them,” Doherty said.
“There are people throwing money at the top players, but is that the legacy they want? Playing in an exhibition tour rather than something meaningful?
“It is not going to encourage people to get into the game by playing on an exhibition tour just to increase your bank balance.“
There is no breakaway tour, but the newly crowned World Champion, Kyren Wilson, has recently admitted on social media that if he was approached to play in high profile, highly paid, exhibitions he would consider it. And why not? They are self-employed, the players. Legacy doesn’t pay the bills, nor does it put food in the plates of family.
And then, of course, both Paul Collier and Rolf Kalb have announced their retirement. In the case of Paul, he will still work as tournament director, but not as a referee. I’m wishing them both the very best in whatever they do in the future.
And finally … to answer the question asked in comments, yes, Ronnie will do exhibitions in China.
This was posted on Weibo: “During the second half of May, Luoyang, Chengdu, Kunshan et Shanghai will organise four exhibition tournaments, and O’Sullivan will play in all four ! Ding Junhui will feature in Luoyang et Chengdu” (translated automatically and made a bit more readable by me…)
Ronnie O'Sullivan 