Whilst the final week-end was underway in Scotland, the top amateurs were competing in the Q-Tour event 5, in the hope to gain or re-gain a professional status.
Michael Holt won his second UK/Europe Q Tour event title of the season and climbed to the top of the overall rankings after he defeated Daniel Womersley 5-1 in the Event Five final at the Castle Snooker Club in Brighton.
With just two events remaining in the series, Holt – who triumphed at Event Two in Stockholm in September – is in pole position to win the rankings race and earn promotion back to the professional circuit.
Former Shoot Out winner Holt began his challenge on the south coast of England with 3-1 victories against Patrick Whelan and Joshua Cooper; recovering from the loss of the opening frame in both matches. In the last 16, Holt hit a break of 140 in the first frame of a 3-1 win over Neal Jones.
Returning for the eight-player finals day, the 45-year-old registered a trio of half-centuries as he saw off former European under-21 finalist Hayden Staniland 4-1.
In the last four, Holt ousted fellow ex-professional Barry Pinches 4-3. Holt led three times earlier in the match but was pegged back by Pinches on each occasion, although the Nottingham cueist secured the frame which mattered the most.
Womersley made his way through the other side of the draw to reach his maiden Q Tour event final.
A winner on the English Amateur Snooker Tour, the 31-year-old defeated Matthew Day and Aaron Busuttil in the last 64 and 32, respectively, before crafting a break of 121 in the deciding frame of a 3-2 win against Sydney Wilson in the last 16. Womersley then pipped Luke Pinches 4-3 in the last eight and denied Chris Totten 4-0 in the semi-finals.
In what would be a superb performance in the final, Holt enjoyed an ideal start to the title match as he constructed breaks of 54 and 118 in building a 2-0 lead.
A response came from Womersley in frame three with an effort of 89 to get off the mark but Holt hit a 75 as he re-established a two-frame cushion heading into the mid-session interval.
On resumption, Holt continued his assault on the title, and with runs of 73 and 115 he capped off an impressive display and doubled his trophy count on this season’s Tour.
Holt’s latest success sees him overtake Liam Davies at the summit of the standings with a 1,900-point advantage. The final two regular events of the UK/Europe Q Tour season are set to take place in January (Sofia, Bulgaria) and February (Leeds, England).
In total, 17 players made century breaks across the three days in Brighton. The highest was a 143 compiled by Whelan.
MARK ALLEN CROWNED CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS FOR SECOND TIME AFTER BEATING JUDD TRUMP
MARK ALLEN lifted the Cazoo Champion of Champions trophy as he swept aside Judd Trump 10-3 in Sunday’s final.
The Pistol upset the odds to take the prestigious title for the second time in his career after winning in 2020, and with it the £150,000 first prize.
World Number 4 Allen put himself in control by storming into a 7-2 lead in the afternoon session, which left him needing only three frames in the evening to clinch the best of 19 final. Trump pulled back the first frame of the session, before Allen eased to victory.
This was World Number 2 Trump’s third consecutive Champion of Champions final – he won it in 2021 – and fifth final already this year, but the Ace in the Pack was out of sorts against his Northern Irish opponent, who made it 14-11 in head-to-head clashes.
Trump’s only consolation at Bolton’s Toughsheet Community Stadium was a runners-up cheque for £60,000, as he was pipped to the title for the second year running. Last year he was beaten 10-6 by Ronnie O’Sullivan despite hitting a 147 break.
Allen joined O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson as a multiple winner of Matchroom’s Champion of Champions. He dedicated his win to a close friend, Joe Shortt, who sadly passed away this year.
“That was for Joe,” said Allen. He added: “Judd has been outstanding this season and I am fed up texting him after every tournament to say ‘well done’ so it is nice to get one back on him.
“I’ve been working so hard to get my game back, so to come here and find some form, I really enjoyed it.”
The battle of the left-handers saw Allen settle first in the afternoon session, taking the opening frame with breaks of 30 and 59 as Trump failed to pot a ball. Trump responded with some sensational snooker as he levelled the match with a clearance break of 123.
Allen stole a tight third frame, and then came from behind to take the fourth by one point and lead at the interval.
Trump was the one making more errors of the two and Allen won the next to open up a 4-1 lead. The Antrim man was clinical and a fine break of 137 increased his lead further. It was his fifth century in this year’s Champion of Champions to put him halfway to the victory mark.
Allen turned the screw against out-of-sorts Trump in a scrappy seventh frame, moving into a 6-1 lead, and went further ahead with a 65 break in the next. The final frame of the afternoon session gave Trump a glimmer of hope as he claimed it to trail 7-2 at the break.
Trump gave the capacity crowd an immediate lift when he potted a long red with his opening shot of the first frame of the evening, and later compiled a 77 break to pull one back. Allen is known for his steely temperament, however, and he took the next two frames to move to 9-3 and within one of victory.
That victory was sealed soon after as Allen put together a break of 75 to complete a dominant display.
Trump, 34, has been the dominant player on the circuit so far this season by winning four titles, including successive ranking tournament triumphs at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open. However, it was Allen’s night.
Mary Talbot-Deegan has ended a 29-year wait for her maiden world ranking title after she dramatically defeated Jamie Hunter 4-3 to win the Eden Women’s Masters at Frames Sports Bar, London.
The breakthrough victory represents the biggest success of Talbot-Deegan’s career to date as she joins an elite band of Reanne Evans, Ng On Yee and Mink Nutcharut to have won the prestigious event since it was introduced to the calendar in 2013.
The 43-year-old returned to the World Women’s Snooker Tour in September 2021 following a break of 19 years from competition and becomes the fourth different ranking event winner of the 2023/24 season so far.
Talbot-Deegan also becomes the first ever player to have won WWS titles at Main, Under-21, Seniors and Challenge Cup level throughout her career and completes a career-best 2023 which also saw her lift the World Women’s Seniors title for the first time in Thailand earlier this year.
Having topped her round robin group stage with victories against Laura Killington, Gillian Hayes and debutant Shabnam Younus-Jewell, Talbot-Deegan overcame Sophie Nix, Tessa Davidson and Sarah Dunn to reach her first-ever ranking event final, eclipsing her run to the last four of the US Open in 2022.
Awaiting her in the title match would be two-time ranking event winner and world number five Jamie Hunter, who progressed with victories against Laura Killington, Jasmine Bolsover and most notably current professional Rebecca Kenna 4-2 in the semi-finals. The win against Kenna ensures that the pair will swap places in the world rankings with Hunter set to climb to a career-high fourth.
In a match that would feature high-quality safety play throughout, it was Talbot-Deegan who claimed the early advantage at 2-1 and a significant lead in the third frame, only for Hunter to hit back with a clearance of 39 to restore parity at 2-2.
Hunter added the fifth and looked set to complete a green to black clearance in frame six to secure her third ranking crown, but a missed pink was to prove a crucial turning point as Talbot-Deegan duly potted the final two balls to force a deciding-frame.
Both players would have chances, but it was Talbot-Deegan who maintained her composure to pot the final pink and seal a milestone victory almost 30 years from her debut at the 1994 World Championship.
The success would complete a perfect weekend for the English player as she also compiled the highest break of the weekend with her run of 84 during her semi-final win against Sarah Dunn, while her performance in the main competition will also see her climb to a new career-high world ranking of number six following the event.
“It feels amazing, I am buzzing,” said Talbot-Deegan following the final. “I always believed that I could win a title, I didn’t think this soon, but I’m on top of the world at the minute. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and am really enjoying it.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me including Frames Sports Bar and its owner Tony Thompson, my family, friends and Mandy [Fisher] and Matt [Huart] from WWS who have been really supportive. And all the girls on Tour who have been so supportive, that’s what I love.
“It means everything, to do it here and to hold myself together. I’ve never done it before, won a major tournament so I proved that I can do it, I didn’t bottle it and I’m really proud of myself.”
SIDE-TOURNAMENTS
The Under-21 competition was won by Scotland’s Sophie Nix as the 15-year-old edged out England’s Zoe Killington in a deciding frame to earn her first ever junior title.
The top ranked duo each progressed to the final following narrow semi-final wins against Ellise Scott and Laura Killington respectively, before Nix won the title to improve upon her final runs at last season’s Scottish Open and British Open events.
In the Seniors tournament there was a repeat winner as Tessa Davidson downed Sarah Dunn 2-0 to complete the successful defence of the Masters title that she won for the first time 12 months ago. Victories against Gillian Hayes, Annamaria Wilkins and Dunn were enough to earn her seventh Seniors title from the past two years and consolidate her position at the head of the ranking list.
The Six-Red Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the knockout stages welcomed a first-time champion as Mariia Shevchenko defeated Sarah Milne to claim a popular win. Competing in her first tournament since the 2022 World Championship, Shevchenko toppled Gillian Hayes, Annamaria Wilkins, Emma Powers-Richardson and finally Milne to secure the title.
Finally, there was further success for Mary Talbot-Deegan at the very start of the event, after she edged out Tessa Davidson in the heldover final of the UK Seniors Championship from September to complete a title double in Coulsdon.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank event sponsors Eden Resources, our host venue Frames Sports Bar and Parris Cues – who donated a number of cue care gift bags for players – for their wonderful support of the event once again in 2023.
The WWS Tour continues in January with the staging of the Belgian Women’s Open at The Trickshot, Bruges. The event runs from 19-21 January 2024 and entry remains open via WPBSA SnookerScores.
Mink Nutcharut narrowly failed to become the first woman this century to win two consecutive matches in a ranking event as she lost 6-5 against Michael White in the second qualifying round of the MrQ UK Championship.
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Thailand’s Nutcharut led 5-2 but missed chances to win the match and was eventually beaten in a tense deciding frame by two-time ranking event winner White.
Nutcharut beat Adam Duffy 6-3 in the first round on Saturday and victory today would have made her the first woman to win back-to-back ranking event matches since Kelly Fisher in 1999. She compiled breaks of 50 and 60 in taking a 5-2 lead and held a 36-0 advantage in the eighth, but Welshman White battled back to take that frame and that proved a turning point as he recovered to 5-5.
A 45-minute decider came down to the last few balls and Nutcharut trailed 50-39 when she potted a long blue, but then missed a tricky pink to a centre pocket. White got the better of a safety exchange and converted the pink to set up a third round meeting with Si Jiahui. He needs two more wins to reach the final stages in York.
Julien Leclercq needed a half-time pep talk from his girlfriend as he hit back from 4-0 down to beat Peng Yisong 6-5. Breaks of 62 and 54 helped the Belgian 20-year-old to take six of the last seven frames.
The Shoot Out runner-up said: “At 4-0 I called my girlfriend Chloe and told her was going to lose and I wanted to go home. She told me this is my job and I have to stay motivated. She said I would win the match for her. After that my mindset was better. I was too negative to start with, but after the interval I started to get angry and that helped me play my game.
“My target this season is to get into the top 64. Hopefully I can have another great moment, like I had at the Shoot Out. If I can qualify for the final stages of this event that would be fantastic.”
Xu Si made the first 147 of his career during a 6-1 win over Ma Hailong, which puts him halfway to a huge £147,000 bonus available for any player making two maximum breaks during this season’s Triple Crown events.
Marco Fu got the better of an excellent match with Ben Mertens by a 6-4 scoreline. Hong Kong’s Fu, who showed signs of a return to form in reaching the last 32 of the recent International Championship, knocked in breaks of 90, 51, 104, 116, 78 and 72. He now meets Ricky Walden.
Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko fired runs of 80, 62 and 72 as he beat Liam Pullen 6-1. Chinese amateur Gao Yang beat Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6-3, while former German Masters champion Martin Gould whitewashed Stuart Carrington 6-0.
David Grace got the better of a 57-minute deciding frame to edge out amateur Ryan Davies 6-5. Dylan Emery top scored with 122 in a 6-2 win over Robbie McGuigan, while China’s Jiang Jun came from 4-1 down to beat Jackson Page 6-4 with a top break of 109. Dominic Dale recovered a 5-4 deficit to beat Stan Moody 6-5.
I’m now certain to get another comment by Csilla about how disappointing the women on tour are 😉. I was disappointed as well, of course, I am. The thing though is that she has to learn how to mentally cope with the situation she faced yesterday, being well ahead as the underdog and facing a determined comeback from her opponent. She’s not been in that situation in the women’s tour. She’s a top player there, she knows she can win, she’s confident. She now has the game to compete on the main tour, maybe not against the very top, but against most of the middle ranked pros. She now needs to develop the mentality that goes with it.
Ben and Marco served the fans an excellent match. Really it’s a shame they had to clash as such an early stage of the tournament. I’m disappointed that Ben lost but I’m happy to see Marco playing well again. I couldn’t have both … alas! Glen Sullivan-Bisset was the referee on that match and this is what he posted on twitter in answer to an appreciative comment I made: “It was my great pleasure to referee this match“
Bulcsu Revezs, the 18 years old from Hungary, also played a good match, although the vastly experienced Hammad Miah had too much for him in the end but he made this fantastic break in frame
Mink Nutcharut scored her best win as a professional as she beat Adam Duffy 6-3 in the first qualifying round of the MrQ UK Championship.
Thailand’s Nutcharut goes through to face Michael White in the second round of the qualifiers in Leicester and she needs three more wins to reach the final stages in York, which begin on November 25th.
Nutcharut, age 24, turned pro in 2022 after winning the World Women’s Championship for the first time. In her debut season she partnered Neil Robertson to victory at the World Mixed Doubles, and beat Mitchell Mann in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open. Today she out-played world number 97 Duffy to earn her first win in a Triple Crown event.
After losing the opening frame, she built a 3-1 lead with a top break of 60. Duffy pulled one back before Nutcharut took the next two for 5-2. In frame eight, she missed the final black which would have clinched a 6-2 success. But she kept her composure at the end of the next frame, potting pink and black to seal the result.
“I am very happy and excited,” said Nutcharut. “In the last frame the pressure was on and my heart was beating fast. The last black would usually be easy but the pressure made if difficult. I have ben practising with a lot of good players in Sheffield so I felt confident. I don’t know if I can win another match, I will just enjoy it,”
Marco Fu, who was runner-up in this tournament in 2008, edged out Michael Holt 6-5 in a high quality tussle. Holt made breaks of 91, 117, 70, 56 and 125 but still finished on the wrong side of the scoreline to Hong Kong’s Fu, who compiled runs of 77, 82 and a 71 in the decider. He now meets Ben Mertens.
China’s Xing Zihao top scored with 104 in a 6-2 defeat of Jimmy White.
Evening sessions
Sky’s The Limit For Sykes
Up-and-coming amateur Oliver Sykes won a match in a pro tournament for the first time with an superb 6-1 victory over experienced Alife Burden in the first qualifying round of the MrQ UK Championship.
Currently ranked number one on the English Junior Tour, 17-year-old Sykes is tipped as a star of the future, and he showed his potential today as he beat Burden with top breaks of 54, 56 and 57. He goes through to face Jamie Clarke in the second round and needs three more wins to reach the final stages in York.
“To beat a player as good as Alfie in a big tournament is incredible,” said Sykes, from Hampshire. “I stayed composed throughout the whole match and enjoyed the experience. Getting on to the tour is my main ambition and there are a lot of big amateur tournaments like the WSF Championships coming up. I’m giving 100 per cent to every event.”
Three other amateurs scored impressive wins as Robbie McGuigan saw off Fergal O’Brien 6-2 with a top break of 103, Ryan Davies beat Anton Kazakov 6-1 and Duane Jones knocked out Muhammad Asif 6-1.
Stan Moody top scored with 103 in a 6-3 win over Filips Kalnins, while China’s Jiang Jun made a 139 as he beat Rebecca Kenna 6-0. Ryan Thomerson made a 108 as he edged out Reanne Evans 6-5, taking a 48-minute deciding frame on the colours.
In a match which finished just after 1am, Sean O’Sullivan beat Baipat Siripaporn 6-5.
Yesterday’s results clearly show why the tired system is a much better one for the young players and female players that the brutal random draw. Several of the best amateurs won their match. Mink won her match and two of the three other women on tour – Reanne and Baipat – forced their opponents to play the full distance to beat them. This experience is much more positive – for the women AND for the young amateurs in general – than a procession of heavy defeats against players ranked much higher than them. Yesterday results show that the women on tour are at or no far away from the level of the male young players. Yes, they are older – although Mink and Baipat are only in their early 20th – but playing on the women’s tour is not the ideal development path once they reach a certain level. Results like those they got yesterday may hopefully encourage them, and other aspiring girls, to play more in the available pro-am events even if the field is almost entirely male AND send the message to the male amateurs that the women are on push-overs and their place is not “behind the bar”.
The Marco Fu v Michael Holt match was a high quality affair and absolutely not the kind of match you expect in the first round of a tiered qualifying event.
Mark Allen set up a final showdown with Judd Trump as he overcame John Higgins 6-2 in the semi-final of the Cazoo Champion of Champions.
Seeking his first title since January’s World Grand Prix, Allen pulled away from 2-2 to take the last four frames in Bolton. It promises to be an exciting best-of-19 final on Sunday against World Number 2 Trump, with the winner scooping this year’s prize of £150,000.
Northern Ireland’s Allen, who won this title in 2020, said: “I’m excited to be playing Judd, he’s the best in the world at the moment but I have a good record against him.
“I am going to enjoy it, I didn’t come her to finish second, and I will have to play really well to beat Judd, but I know I can beat him – and so does he.
“If you had told me three or four weeks ago I’d be in this position I would have laughed because I was in a bad place, but I have been working hard on the right things and my confidence has come back.”
Allen made breaks of 73 and 91 before the interval tonight, while Higgins knocked in 65 and 68. But world number four Allen then dominated, firing runs of 102 and 77 as he swept to victory.
No comment from me here, as I watched the 2023 UK qualifiers …
The 2023 Women Snooker Eden Masters has reached the knockout stage
Polish teenager Antoni Kowalski secured the biggest title of his career to date as he defeated Rory McLeod 5-3 in the final to win the fourth Q Tour UK/Europe event of the season.
The latest stop on snooker’s secondary circuit, a bumper field of 139 players representing 24 different countries entered the tournament held at the Landywood Snooker Club near Walsall in England.
Competing in only his third Q Tour event during his maiden season on the circuit, Kowalski had previously reached the last four on debut at September’s Event Two in Stockholm.
Due to his performances at Q School earlier this year, Kowalski began his campaign in the last 64 where he ousted Alfie Davies – the other losing semi-finalist from Event Two – 3-2 with a 72 break in the deciding frame. He then compiled three half-century breaks during a 3-1 victory against English under-21 champion Ryan Davies in the last 32 and saw off former Crucible qualifier Simon Bedford 3-0 in the last 16.
Returning for Finals Day, the 19-year-old dispatched two further former professionals; Craig Steadman 4-2 in the quarter-finals and Steven Hallworth 4-1 in the last four – the latter performance saw him rack up four efforts of 50 or above.
Progressing through the other side of the draw was the vastly experienced McLeod.
Despite having not been past the last 16 in any of the opening three events of the term, the 52-year-old Jamaican enjoyed a dominant run to the final, dropping just a single frame en route. McLeod registered four clean sweep wins, including a 4-0 success against Harvey Chandler in the semi-finals.
Reigning Polish national champion Kowalski made a superb start to the title match as he rattled in runs of 70, 74 and 57 which helped put him 3-0 ahead before taking a close fourth frame on the final pink to go into the mid-session interval one frame away from glory.
However, determined former European Tour professional event winner McLeod shifted the momentum after the break as he opened his account with the aid of a 58 break in frame five and then threatened a huge comeback win as he also claimed the next two frames to move within one of his opponent.
With the pressure intensifying, though, Kowalski kept cool and completed the task in frame eight to secure the title and vital ranking points in his quest to reach the World Snooker Tour for the first time.
Zielona Góra cueist Kowalski becomes the fourth different winner from as many events on this season’s Q Tour UK/Europe series and he also represents the fourth different nationality to lift a trophy following previous event winners Liam Davies (Wales), Michael Holt (England) and Umut Dikme (Germany).
Event Five is set to take place at the Castle Snooker Club in Brighton between December 15-17.
Gratulacje Antoni !
That’s two events, out of four so far, won by young players from mainland Europe, and three out of four won by young players who have never been professionals. This is in stark contrast with the Q-School where older, former pros, are largely more successful than the youngsters. This suggests that if we had a secondary “development” tour we would probably see more talented young players, and more players from continental Europe, succeed on the main circuit as the transition from amateur to full professional would be more “gradual”. And I stand by all I have said before regarding the main Tour structure: get rid of qualifiers, invest more in continental Europe, structure the calendar better as to minimise expensive and tiring traveling and seriously consider a different ranking system, or better a ELO type rating system.
The 2023 International Championship starts tomorrow … I couldn’t find any image of an opening ceremony with players walking outside, greeted by fans, but I found some images shared by WST on weibo, showing some of the players at an “opening dinner” …
Regarding weibo, and to be fair to WST, they have an account on the platform, and that account does report regularly about how the Chinese young players do in the various events. I’m not sure who is the person behind this account but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is my friend Tai Chengzhe, who, before covid, was WST press Officer for China and is now back at the WST events. All the same, they seem to assume that the UK/European readers have little or no interest in those players. This isn’t true. Those of us who have the future of snooker at heart will want to follow the development of all young players, no matter their nationality.
The WPBSA and WST have confirmed the elite amateur players who will compete at the 2023 MrQ UK Championship having earned their places through recognised WPBSA pathways.
As in 2022, the first Triple Crown Series event of the season will feature a tiered format, which will see the top 16 seeded through to the final stages, to be held at the York Barbican from 25 November – 3 December 2023.
The remaining players will compete in the qualifying rounds in Leicester from 18-23 November, with 16 players set to progress to the last 32.
WPBSA Qualifiers
This season’s field will include up to 16* players to have earned their places through new pathway opportunities for elite performers through activities staged and coordinated by the WPBSA Group.
*This number is subject to the total number of professional entries received. Should all 129 current professionals enter, there will be 15 places awarded to the WPBSA.
Confirmed Players:
WPBSA Q Tour UK/Europe
Winners from the world’s premier secondary tour to the World Snooker Tour so far this season:
Liam Davies – WPBSA Q Tour – Event 1 winner
Michael Holt – WPBSA Q Tour – Event 2 winner
Umut Dikme – WPBSA Q Tour – Event 3 winner
WSF Championships 2023
Eligible semi-finalists from the world’s largest international amateur tournaments, champions/runner-ups having already earned two-year tour cards:
Should fewer than 129 professional players enter the event, Craig Steadman will be the first reserve player as the next highest ranked player on the Q Tour UK/Europe Rankings after Event 3.
Tournament information including the draw and format for the fourth event of 2023/24 WPBSA Q Tour UK/Europe is now available to view via WPBSA SnookerScores.
The event will take place at the Landywood Snooker Club, with a record 139 entries received. This means that 16 matches must be played on Thursday 9 November, with the remaining rounds to be played from 10-12 November.
Q Tour UK/Europe will be made up of seven tournaments and is part of the relaunched WPBSA Q Tour Global, which will for the first time incorporate regional events held around the world, each offering access to an extended Q Tour Global Playoff at the end of the season.
The 2023 IBSF World Championships start tomorrow in Doha
The events to be played during the World Championships 2023 are as per the following calendar:
Referees and players’ meetings for the Men’s Championships will be at the venue on Saturday, the 4th of November at 1800 hours followed by the Welcome ceremony at 1900 hours.
The Men’s Snooker Championship will start on the 5th of November, with the final to be played on the 10th of November.
The Men’s Team Snooker Championship will start on the 8th of November, with the final to be played on the 12th of November.
The Men’s 6-Red Snooker Championship will start on the 11th of November, with the final to be played on the 15th of November.
Referees and players’ meetings for the Masters, Women Snooker, and English Billiards will be at the venue on Wednesday, the 15th of November at 1800 hours.
The Masters, Women Snooker and English Billiards (Long-Up) will start on the 16th of November, with the final to be played on the 20th of November.
The Masters Team, Women 6-Red Snooker and English Billiards (150-Up) will start on the 21st of November, with the final to be played on the 24th of November.
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Darryl Hill, who is in the draw, shared some pictures of the venue and it looks nice. Interestingly, they use Rasson tables.
You can expect a lot of matches to be streamed thanks to the legend that is Dariuz Goral
The world’s top events return to Yushan! Chinese Billiards World Championship and Snooker World Open reinstalled and upgraded
Also participating in the press conference were reporters and anchors from more than 100 news media across the country, and 7-time Snooker World Championship champion Ronnie O’Sullivan made an appearance at the same time.
The Chinese Billiards World Championship was born in 2015 and represents the highest level of Chinese billiards. In 2023, the World Chinese Billiards Championship will usher in an unprecedented upgrade, with a total prize money of 10.43 million yuan, including 3 million yuan for the men’s champion and 1 million yuan for the women’s champion. At the same time, the event continues to implement the widely praised generalized bonus system, with a guaranteed bonus of RMB 10,000 for the top 128 men’s main draw and the top 32 women’s main draw. Gan Jialing, general manager of Beijing Xingwei Sports Goods Co., Ltd., said: “The upgrade of the competition has set a precedent for Chinese billiards. The number of winners and prize money have reached a new high in global Chinese billiards events. It will definitely encourage more domestic and foreign athletes to participate and have a positive impact on the globalization of Chinese billiards. Promotion plays a positive role.”
Gan Jialing, General Manager of Beijing Xingwei Sports Goods Co., Ltd.
In 2016, the Snooker World Open with a long history came to Yushan for the first time. It has been held for 4 consecutive years and has become a battleground for global snooker stars . The total prize money of the 2024 Snooker World Open will be increased to 815,000 pounds, and the championship prize will be increased to 170,000 pounds . O’Sullivan said: “I will go all out to give a wonderful performance to all the fans who like snooker and me. At the same time, I am also looking forward to walking more in Yushan and experiencing the local customs and strong billiards here. atmosphere.”
World snooker professional player Ronnie O’Sullivan
The upgraded return of the Chinese Billiards World Championship and Snooker World Open marks that the development of billiards in China and the world is about to usher in new opportunities and enter a more glorious chapter. Wang Tao, chairman of the Chinese Billiards Association, said: “We look forward to using these two events as an engine to usher in broader development and a brighter future for billiards in Yushan, China and the world!” Steve, chairman of the World Snooker Tour Dawson also said: “The 2024 World Open will be an important moment for snooker, and we will bring the best players in the world to Yushan.”
In recent years, the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government have attached great importance to sports work and promoted the construction of Jiangxi into a strong sports province. Large-scale events have come to Jiangxi one after another, leading and promoting the vigorous development of national fitness, continuous improvement of competitive sports, accelerated development of the sports industry, more prosperous sports culture, and continuous deepening of “sports +” integration. Li Xiaoping, Party Secretary and Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Bureau, believes: “The Chinese Billiards World Championship and the Snooker World Open will be a complete success as brand events and write a new chapter for Jiangxi’s sports industry.”
Shangrao is a national II-type large city and one of the top ten prefecture-level cities in central China. It has a simple humanistic charm, beautiful landscapes, and a strong sports culture. Qiu Xiangjun, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Shangrao City, said: “Sports events have become Shangrao’s city card, a sports event for all people, and an important carrier and key platform to drive consumption and development. We will take advantage of the events, the media, and the momentum The partners will speed up the development of Yushan into a world-class billiards event venue.”
Starting from a piece of bluestone, Yushan strives to build the “Chinese Billiards Capital and the World’s Famous Billiards City” and has successfully hosted multiple Chinese Billiards World Championships and Snooker World Open. At the same time, the Yushan Sports Center, the International Billiards Academy, the World Billiards Museum and the International Convention and Exhibition Center were completed successively. The Xingpai Billiards Industrial Park was completed and put into operation. The billiards-based industrial ecology has begun to take shape in Yushan. Zheng Guoliang, Secretary of the Yushan County Party Committee, said: “Yushan will create cultural exchange activities at more levels and in a wider range of areas, and accelerate the development of a county-specific cultural development with Chinese style, Jiangxi style, Shangrao characteristics, and Yushan recognition.”
The process of building Yushan into a world-famous billiards city has condensed the efforts of all parties. Yushan and Xingpai, the world’s leading billiards company, have been working together for ten years, completely changing the face of this small town in eastern Gansu. Gan Lianfang, former member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, chief adviser to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, and chairman of Beijing Xingpai Group, said: “Xingpai will do its best to present international top-level event standards while constantly exploring and innovating to provide world billiards services. Contribute your efforts to the development, revitalization of Chinese billiards and the glory of Yushan billiards.”
At the end of the press conference, all leaders and guests pressed the starting device together, and the two major events officially started!
Yushan shines again because of billiards, and billiards becomes even more brilliant because of Yushan. In December 2023 and March 2024, let us meet in Yushan, and meet in Yushan, Shangrao, Jiangxi, China
The 6th Chinese Billiards World Championship and the 2024 Snooker World Open celebrate the billiards feast together! Published in Sichuan
Some amazing technology was presented at the event. In the following video you see and hear Ronnie. He’s speaking English of course. The first part of the video although demonstrate direct audio “translate” in Chinese, whilst Ronnie’s voice is actually used … I’m not sure how it’s done but it’s truly amazing!
His trip has been facilitated by Vic Snooker Academy. Thanks Victoria.
Ronnie has also taken some relaxing time on the golf course with Mr Gan …
The 2023 Champion of Champions Draw is out…
Judd Trump is probably in the easiest of the four groups… hum… and, of all the top seeds, Ronnie might well get the hardest first round opponent.
Halloween at the 900 … week 7
This was week 7 poster …
Quite a few “names” in that field … including the legendary coach, Barry Stark, 81 years old!
Yes they all look green? No wonder! They have just met the pundits and commentators…
But onto the action…
On Monday… Ryan Mears was the winner
On Tuesday… Haydon Pinhey was the winner
And on Wednesday … Nick Barrow booked his place into the Grand Final
He beat Andrew Norman in the third day’s final
The curse of Halloween duly struck as for the first time ever at the 900, the scoring system failed. Michaela was the ref on duty and she kept a cool head. Rather than trying to keep up with the scores, she called the scores difference, which is actually what matters in this format!
Here are the pictures shared by Jason Francis on social media
Nutcharut, age 24, turned pro in 2022 after winning the World Women’s Championship for the first time. In her debut season she partnered Neil Robertson to victory at the World Mixed Doubles, and beat Mitchell Mann in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open. Today she out-played world number 97 Duffy to earn her first win in a Triple Crown event.
Mark Allen set up a final showdown with Judd Trump as he overcame John Higgins 6-2 in the semi-final of the Cazoo Champion of Champions.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 