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.
Joe Perry made a tremendous 145 total clearance during a 4-3 victory over Michael White as he edged into the third round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
…
Perry, a pro since 1991, equalled his best ever break and also set a new target for the £5,000 high break with his superb 145 total clearance in frame three. The Cambridgeshire cueman also made a 99 in the second frame and a 66 in the decider to beat Welshman White and set up a tie with Hossein Vafaei or Anton Kazakov.
World number 27 Perry, who won the BetVictor Welsh Open in 2022, has struggled for form so far this season but hopes today’s performance could be a turning point.
“It was a really good game and I’m happy with how I played,” Perry told Eurosport. “It was great to be out there in a big venue with a good crowd, you can sometimes falter under the lights but in general it brings the best out of me and makes me try harder. I have had two good runs to the semi-finals here in the past and hopefully I can go deep again this week.”
Ricky Walden also won 4-3, beating Dominic Dale in a marathon battle which lasted three hours and eight minutes. Breaks of 83, 68 and 93 helped Walden go 3-1 up before Dale recovered to 3-3. The decider came down to a long safety battle on the colours, and Walden had a slice of good fortune as he missed the blue to a baulk corner but fluked a snooker. He later converted a tricky pot on the blue to earn a meeting with Stuart Bingham.
“I really had to dig deep, Dominic is such a class player,” said Walden. “I rode my luck in the end. I was feeling a lot of pressure because I feel something is bubbling in my game, but you have to stay in tournaments to show that. I feel I am playing well and I’m prepared to play the big shots when I need to. I believe I can build some momentum and catapult back up the rankings.”
BetVictor European Masters champion Barry Hawkins saw off Jiang Jun 4-1 with a top break of 81, while Bingham top scored with 118 in a 4-1 defeat of Xu Si.
Judd Trump, unquestionably the best player in the world on current form, took another step towards a third consecutive ranking title as he thrashed Julien Leclercq 4-0 to reach the last 32 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.
…
Only four players in snooker history – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ding Junhui – have previously won three ranking titles in a row, but Trump looks hard to stop as he aims to join that elite group. The 24-year-old has already lifted the BetVictor English Open and Wuhan Open this month and tonight took his streak to 15 consecutive matches. He needs five more to capture another trophy.
The Bristol cueman needed just 45 minutes to beat Belgium’s Leclercq, knocking in breaks of 108, 108 and 55. His next opponent will be Ian Burns. who beat Ken Doherty 4-2.
“I hadn’t seen a lot of Julien before so I didn’t know what to expect, but I got off to a good start and kicked on from there,” said world number three Trump. “I still don’t feel completely sharp, I’m not quite as confident as I was in the previous two tournaments, but every day in practice I’m getting a bit sharper and if I can reach the quarter-finals I could be back in form.
“When you’ve won a lot of matches you start looking over your shoulder because you know it can’t go on for ever. It’s important not to get negative, you have to keep trying to win win rather than trying not to lose. I’ve had those kind of spells before and it happened to Mark Allen last season when he was on a good run. You can get a bit negative and go into your shell. This time, even if I lose I will go out playing the way I want to play.”
Local favourite Robbie McGuigan suffered a cruel 4-3 defeat against Anthony McGill, who had needed three snookers at 3-1 down. Wild card McGuigan, age 19, top scored with 66 to lead 3-1, and he was on the verge of victory at 39 points ahead on the colours in frame five. But canny McGill laid a series of tough snookers on the yellow to get the penalty points he needed, and eventually snatched the frame on a respotted black. That proved the turning point as the Scot controlled the next two frames and earned a third round tie with Noppon Saengkham or Barry Pinches.
“I don’t think I have ever won a match like that, where I needed three snookers,” said two-time ranking event winner McGill. “Robbie still looked composed after that. It’s one of those painful defeats for him, but there’s no doubt he will get on the tour. I was very impressed by him. It will be one of those matches he looks back on – I have had loads of them. He will learn, he’s a fantastic player.
“He punched the air when he was 39 ahead on the yellow. I said to him at the end, I don’t mind the fist pump, but maybe do it after the handshake. It didn’t fire me up at all, I’m not like that. In fact I was thinking that he deserved the match.”
McGill is trying a graphite cue for the first time this week and added: “I haven’t made my mind up about it yet. It’s good enough to use but I am still trying to get used to it. I practised with it last week and decided to take a chance and use it at a tournament. I’m not in a good run of form anyway so if I’d had my wooden cue I probably would have lost by now.”
Stephen Maguire fired breaks of 132 and 85 as he came from 2-1 down to beat James Cahill 4-2, while Jak Jones wrapped up a 4-2 victory over Mark Davis with a career-best 143 total clearance.
The Judd Trump v Julien Leclercq is the only match I watched in full. For the first two frame Judd looked unplayable. The other two frames were actually close. In frame three Julien missed a black off the spot, probably concentrating on position. That probably cost him the frame. In the last frame he was ahead, fouled the white whilst removing the extended rest from a difficult spot near the cushion, after playing a pink. It cost him six important points. Julien owned to the foul that neither the ref, nor Judd had seen. Judd acknowledged his sportsmanship, which was nice to see.
Ross Muir came on twitter later, asking if everyone had suffered from ocular migraine and found an efficient way to cure it or minimise its impact. So, apparently, the issue is back and it’s extremely painful. Unfortunately for Ross, I’m afraid that there isn’t really any cure and it’s extremely “disabling” when it kicks in.
Snooker Superstars To Align On Day One In Edinburgh
A raft of the sport’s biggest names are set to compete on day one of the BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh, with home hero John Higgins, World Champion Luca Brecel, world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan, defending champion Gary Wilson, Mark Allen, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and many more scheduled for Monday December 11th.
…
The match schedule on the opening day is:
10.00 am session M1 Gary Wilson v Elliot Slessor M14 Mark Selby v Sean O’Sullivan M17 Ding Junhui v David Grace M6 Jimmy Robertson v Amaan Iqbal
1.00 pm session M10 Ronnie O’Sullivan v Liam Graham M3 Mark Williams v Sam Craigie M11 Barry Hawkins v Pang Junxu M13 Ali Carter v Zehuang Long
Not before 2pm M18 Luca Brecel v Iulian Boiko M15 Shaun Murphy v Liu Hongyu M2 Hossein Vafaei v Daniel Wells M12 Jack Borwick v Ishpreet Singh Chadha
7.00 pm session M9 Judd Trump v Sydney Wilson M4 Kyren Wilson v Mostafa Dorgham M7 Robert Milkins v Mark Davis (Rd2 match)
Not before 8.00 pm M16 John Higgins v Oliver Brown M5 Mark Allen v Jamie Jones M8 Jack Lisowski v Mohamed Ibrahim (Rd2 match)
The full draw and format for Edinburgh will be announced after the completion of the qualifying round, which finishes on November 2nd.
The way things are going this season, I’m not holding my breath over Ronnie’s participation.
And this by Mark Allen on twitter
Note that Mark doesn’t say that his comments were untrue . 1 I’m also 99% sure that Mark was hard pressured to come out with these tweets. It’s very unlike him to back off like this. I don’t like this at all. If WST disagrees with some players comments, they have a right to respond and they should use it. Gagging the players simply isn’t right.
It’s the top players who bring the money, not the lowest ranked ones. They all started at the bottom. Ronnie won 76 of the 78 matches he played in Blackpool in his first year as a pro. Nobody did him a favour, he earned it. Now that many “big names” are nearing the end of their career, they should be allowed to cash on their image, status, reputation and success. They earned it. They will get no “retirement” money, they are self-employed. There should be NO restrictions whatsoever regarding what they are allowed play in and when. It’s up to WST to make their own events attractive enough to keep them on board. That’s my opinion and I stand by it.
I’m not entirely convinced that there was anything untrue either in what Hector Nunns published that got him in trouble BTW. ↩︎
WST can confirm that the Macau event previously scheduled for 27-29 October will now take place on the 22-24 December with players having received WST permission to enter.
As has been the case throughout, and contrary to reports, WST has dealt with all parties in a respectful and productive manner to reach an outcome which is satisfactory to all parties. As previously stated, due to contractual obligations, the original dates promoted would have been unacceptable and potentially lead to disciplinary action for those players choosing to compete in this event rather than the Northern Ireland Open. As such we are pleased a mutually agreeable solution has been reached to avoid further action.
WST will always work with players to satisfy their needs and we give permission on multiple occasions during the season for these types of events, but on this occasion, we could not do so and raised our concerns with the players and promoter in an appropriate manner which has now led to the postponement.
The players who have withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Open will remain unentered for this event.
All is well then…
Actually, this is probably the best outcome for both the sport and the group of players involved… maybe not so much for Mr Barry Hearn whose outburst now sounds, well, frankly over the top and even a bit ridiculous.
‘Players can give their side, and it almost sounds like they are being bullied,’ Hearn told The Mirror. ‘Every player has the choice whether to play in an event or not, there is no bullying whatsoever. But these players are under contract.
‘You don’t have to enter or play the Northern Ireland Open. But you are not allowed to play in something else.
‘That is 100 per cent legally enforceable. So all of these players going to Macau are just selling their souls and themselves down the river for an extra few quid.
‘I am disappointed in how selfish they have been, and how small-minded. I expect these five will be referred for disciplinary action by WST. And then we’ll see whether they get fined, banned or thrown out.’
…
Expelling the reigning World Champion, amongst other top players, over a badly timed exhibition … that sounded rather heavy-handed and not particularly beneficial for the sport and it’s image IMO. But hey! This was Barry Hearn being Barry Hearn!
The World Snooker Tour is delighted to announce MrQ as the Lead Partner of the UK Championship. As one of the biggest and most historic events on snooker’s global calendar, The MrQ UK Championship will ensure we mark the start of this season’s Triple Crown Series in style.
The popular UK-based online casino launched in 2018 and established a modern, easy to use platform to provide a fun and transparent customer experience.
Having already put their own spin on the PDC’s UK Open earlier this year, MrQ will bring the UK Championship to life in their own unique way and provide a best-in-class fan experience through a range of innovative and exciting new fan activations.
With 12,000 people expected to descend on the York Barbican from November 25th to December 3rd, fans can expect to see MrQ ever present across the tournament.
Fans will first experience MrQ during the qualifying rounds that will run from November 18th to 23rd in Leicester, culminating in ‘Judgement Day’ when 16 winners will go through to join the top 16 seeded players in York. Fans from all over the world will be able to follow the Judgement Day production, on Facebook and YouTube, as well as WST’s streaming partners including discovery+.
The UK Championship has been ever present on the WST calendar since 1977. Mark Allen won the title for the first-time last year, beating China’s Ding Junhui in the final. In recent years the trophy has also been lifted by the likes of Ding, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, John Higgins, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy.
WST’s Chief Commercial Officer Peter Wright said: “It’s crucial that the World Snooker Tour works with likeminded and ambitious brands who have the same desire as we do to develop the sport and create the best possible fan experiences. That’s why we are delighted to align one of our most prestigious tournaments with MrQ, a UK based organisation that shares its name with part of our sport.
“York is a fabulous venue and the atmosphere inside the arena is electric when the best players on the planet compete for the famous trophy. We’re looking forward to working with James Booth and the wider team at MrQ to deliver a fun and engaging partnership.”
MrQ’s Head of Acquisition James Booth added: “We’re delighted to bring MrQ to the table of such a prestigious event and build a relationship with WST’s global snooker audience. There is a clear and obvious synergy between snooker and the MrQ brand, so we’re super excited to see the partnership come to life”.
As ever, The MrQ UK Championship will be televised by BBC, Eurosport, discovery+, CCTV5, Matchroom Live and many other broadcasters across the globe.
It’s not a bookie … it’s an online casino. That makes no difference in my eyes. Both type of “businesses” essentially exploit people’s naïvety, appetite for easy money and often addictions, to make huge profits … and ruin many lives.
Recently in comments, Grump was about golf and LIV, and players responsibilities. This is not any better. And let’s not forget the plans to bring snooker to Saudi Arabia as well, a country known for its sports-washing practices and total contempt for basic human rights. WST has no moral compass whatsoever. As such, I find it pretty hypocrite that they expect the players to be 100% devoted to the main tour and turn away good earning opportunities. Who here is “selling their souls” for money, big time? Seriously.
The WST is disappointed to hear that a number of players under contract with the WST have elected not to play in a WST event, preferring instead to play in a non-sanctioned event in Macau thereby being in breach of the terms of their player contract.
Following recent speculation and the publication of an article containing many inaccuracies, the WST would like to make its position clear regarding non-sanctioned exhibition events.
It is important to stress that WST players do not have to enter all WST events, they have the freedom to choose, which has always been the case. This level of freedom is unlike any other sport where players have voluntarily opted to enter contracts with their club/organisation. However, with this level of freedom we do make clear in our player contracts that a player must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event. It is without doubt that playing in a non-sanctioned event instead of playing in a WST event is detrimental to that WST event.
Given the exhibition event in Macau directly clashes with the final stages of the Northern Ireland Open, a player’s participation in it would constitute a breach of their player contract given that to compete in Macau, the player would not be available to compete in the Northern Ireland Open thereby devaluing the Northern Ireland Open.
Unfortunately, despite engaging in email correspondence and phone calls intended to best explain our position and enable the players to make informed decisions, five players (four of whom are ranked within the top 16) have decided not to compete in the Northern Ireland Open and have withdrawn their entry in order to play in Macau. These players are Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter, none of whom will therefore appear in Belfast.
As a result, if these players decide to participate in the exhibition in Macau, the WST will have no alternative but to refer them to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee for breach of their player contract, and this has been clearly communicated to the players.
Taking necessary action in these circumstances protects WST events on behalf of the fans who attend and follow our events through television and social media, our sponsors/commercial partners, broadcasters/streaming partners and most importantly, the other 125 members of the WST.
WST has always been and will continue to be supportive of a player’s earning opportunities outside of the WST provided that these do not distract, devalue, or conflict with the WST or a WST event. Players and promoters have ample opportunity to play in and host non-sanctioned events during gaps in the WST calendar. The WST does not therefore support any clash with a WST event and would consider a player’s decision to prioritise a non-sanctioned event clashing with a WST event to be a breach of their player contract, as this would undoubtedly result in sizeable financial implications to the WST including loss of broadcast income, and sponsorship and ticket sales revenue let alone losses due to any reputational damage.
We reiterate that we are running the sport for all 130 players on the WST, and this will always be our guiding principle.
I’m not sure where to start with this statement.
Despite being now guaranteed a minimal 20000 pounds in earnings, the players are essentially self-employed. For the ones possibly nearing the end of their career, with no guaranteed retirement money, it is a logical, rational, decision to try to maximise their incomes whilst they still can. Three of the players involved are over 40, therefore, clearly in that situation. Surely WST can see that.
In the paragraph I have put on a green background, WST argues that the players opting for Macau devaluate the 2023 Northern Ireland Open. It is true that if the top players are not at an event, it is harder to promote it, however, I don’t see how, by playing in Macau, they would directly harm the event more than by just not entering it, which would be their right. The fans intending to attend the NI Open are unlikely to book a plane to Macau to watch that exhibition instead. The players in question do indeed send a signal that the WST events are not attractive enough to them but … I think that WST should have a very good look at themselves and the way they run the sport here, in particular there should be more focus on the quality of the venues, the facilities they provide to players and fans: hospitality, resting rooms, practice rooms, general comfort and cleanness, quality of the food on offer, etc… They also need to have a good look at their calendar. Other than the money on offer here, there is the fact that the NI Open is sandwiched between two important, lucrative ranking events in China. Going back and forth through continents and time zones is tiring and costly. Those players, who will not need to qualify for the Scottish Open, and will play held-over matches at the International Championship may find it more efficient, and less demanding on their bodies and mind to just stay in China. I can’t blame them, as a lot of upsets this week are clearly fatigue related. If they are offered some earning opportunities on top of that, why should they not take them?
I’m not saying that WST task is easy, it isn’t, but this whole situation is not all black and white. They have a responsibility in this situation. That’s a fact, whether they want to accept it or not. Yes, they do run the sport for all players, but those top players are the ones bringing the dosh on board, alienating them will NOT help in the long term at all.
Snooker is clearly in a crisis and I’m not sure that a heavy handed approach is the way to resolve it. More flexibility is needed, and departing from the rigid money based ranking system would definitely make it easier. One size doesn’t fit all. The needs of the young up and coming players are not the same as the needs of those with 25 years + in the professional job, and family responsibilities.
John Higgins rattled in two centuries and three more breaks over 50 as he beat Manasawin Phetmalaikul 6-1 in the qualifying round for the International Championship.
Four time Crucible king Higgins can look forward to a trip to Tianjin in China in November for the £825,000 world ranking event. Runs of 50, 51, 115, 137 and 57 helped the Scot to an emphatic win over Thailand’s Phetmalaikul.
Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui edged out Julien Leclercq 6-5 in a dramatic finish. Shoot Out runner-up Leclercq made a 122 to level at 5-5 then led 56-0 in the decider, only for China’s Si to snatch it with a 68 clearance.
Shaun Murphy top scored with 88 in a 6-1 win over Andres Petrov while Joe O’Connor compiled runs of 131, 81 and 90 in a 6-1 defeat of Baipat Siripaporn.
Marco Fu enjoyed a 6-4 success against Robert Milkins, making breaks of 87 and 68 in the last two frames. John Astley potted blue and pink in the deciding frame to beat Jamie Clarke 6-5.
The Si Jiahui v Julien Leclercq match was a very good one on all accounts. Basically, experience made the difference here. Julien needs to learn when to rein his huge attacking instinct a bit – only just a bit – at critical moments.
Joe O’Connor easily dominated Baipat who really, really struggles with power shots and needs implements more often than not. She’s petite and frail. Joe however showed great sporting spirit. He applauded his opponent’s good shots and there were many. Some might see this as condescending, but it never felt that way to me. It was genuine. Joe maybe understands Baipat’s difficulties better than most as he isn’t particularly tall himself. Baipat in turn also showed her appreciation for her opponent’s performance. It was nice to see.
I didn’t see that match but it’s a good win for Marco Fu, and very a very encouraging one considering the eyes issues he’s been facing in recent years.
Chris Wakelin, who beat Dean Young by 6-0 is truly a “changed man” since winning the Shoot-out. He finished the match with breaks of 130, 96, 141 and 86. Not too shabby!
Dominic Dale beat Oliver Brown by 6-3 and Ali Carter beat Allan Taylor by 6-2.
The last match to finish was Neil Robertson 6-4 win over his fellow country man Ryan Thomerson. The late finish is likely the reason why it’s not reported on. That match was surprisingly close. In the final frame, Neil missed the 14th red in a maximum attempt.
WST baffling decision process …
Yesterday, Iulian Boiko shared this on facebook
I can only agree with Iulian here.
Once again WORLD Snooker showing that they are so, so UK centric and even mainly England centric actually.
These are the results and scores after day 1 at the 2023 CBSA National Team Championship
National Team Championship
August 6-10, Xinghe Arena, Xi’an, Shaanxi
Group A
Team
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
W
L
Tiebreaker
A1
Mianyang
5-0
1
A2
Hainan ZSD
4-1
1
A3
Chongqing
2-3
1
A4
Dalian
3-2
1
A5
Zhengzhou
0-5
1-4
2
Group B
Team
B1
B2
B3
B4
B5
W
L
Tiebreaker
B1
Suzhou
4-1
1
B2
Wuhan
1-4
1
B3
Beijing
1-4
1
B4
Guangdong
4-1
1
B5
Hong Kong
1-4
4-1
1
1
Group C
Team
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
W
L
Tiebreaker
C1
Xi’an
2-3
1
C2
Wuxi
4-1
1
C3
Luoyang
2-3
1
C4
Shanghai
3-2
1
C5
CQ Pengshui
3-2
1-4
1
1
Group D
Team
D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
W
L
Tiebreaker
D1
Dongguan Youth
5-0
1
D2
Inner Mongolia
3-2
1
D3
Guizhou
1-4
1
D4
Henan
4-1
1
D5
Sichuan
0-5
2-3
2
Group E
Team
E1
E2
E3
E4
E5
W
L
Tiebreaker
E1
Shaanxi
5-0
1
E2
Urumqi
1-4
1
E3
Xinjiang
5-0
1
E4
CBSA Academy
0-5
1
E5
Sichuan NSD
0-5
4-1
1
1
Group F
Team
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
W
L
Tiebreaker
F1
Dongguan
4-1
1
F2
Anshan
4-1
1
F3
Macau
3-2
1
F4
Gansu
2-3
1
F5
Zibo
1-4
1-4
2
Group G
Team
G1
G2
G3
G4
G5
W
L
Tiebreaker
G1
Xianyang
tbc
G2
Tibet
5-0
1
G3
Nanchang Xihu
3-2
1
G4
Shanxi
2-3
1
G5
Haining
tbc
0-5
1
Group H
Team
H1
H2
H3
H4
H5
W
L
Tiebreaker
H1
Jiujiang Tianxi
5-0
1
H2
Jilin City
4-1
1
H3
Lanzhou
5-0
1
H4
Ningbo
0-5
1
H5
Jiaxing
0-5
1-4
2
And those are the teams
Total Teams: 40
Team Members
Shaanxi
Fan Zhengyi
Mei Xiwen
Lei Peifan
Henan
Zhang Yang
Ma Feite
Liu Yiqi
Shanxi
Zhao Wei
Han Bin
Zhang Rui
Xinjiang
Ma Chunmao
Paruke Aierken
Yuan Jiming
Sichuan
Hao Jin
Wang Li
Au Chi Wai
Guangdong
Ma Hailong
Liu Wenwei
Lee Chen Man
Gansu
Du Jiantao
Hu Yihong
Zhang Yinhu
Inner Mongolia
Chen Xiaolong
Deng Fuyi
Cheng Sihong
Tibet
Fan Jinxing
Li Chengjie
Feng Yu
Guizhou
Zhang Xibing
Wu Xiang
Song Liang
Beijing
Xu Xinjian
Fu Jing
Tu Xuan
Shanghai
Ma Geng
Wang Jianxin
Liao Binjun
Chongqing
Han Fuyuan
Cao Jin
Zheng Dian
Ningbo
Wang Jinjing
Yang Guanjun
Gao Nuocheng
Dalian
Tuergongjiang
Ababaikeri
Xiaokaiti
Macau
Lee Git Ming
Leung Wai Hou
Lan Yuhao
Hong Kong
Marco Fu
Cheung Ka Wai
Wang Yuchen
Xi’an
Wang Zepeng
Zhang Anda
Jin Peng
Wuhan
Yu Chao
Wang Peng
Hu Bin
Zhengzhou
Liu Yunlong
Gao Yu
Wang Lige
Urumqi
Zhao Yafei
Rouzi Maimaiti
Tuerhong Reheman
Lanzhou
Fan Xin
Halimilati Mijiti
Li Yang
Dongguan
Liang Xiaolong
Liu Hongyu
Zhang Yitu
Dongguan Youth
Bai Yulu
Deng Haohui
Li Jianbing
Mianyang
Chen Ruifu
Jin Long
Yuan Sijun
Anshan
Liang Dong
Luo Guangsheng
Jin Di
Jilin City
Pu Qingsong
Chen Qiyu
Cui Ming
Luoyang
Huang Yanqi
Lei Zhenyu
Tian Ruyi
Suzhou
Cao Yupeng
Chen Feilong
Yao Pengcheng
Wuxi
Liu Chuang
Hu Hao
Li Yan
Xianyang
Xiao Guodong
Qiu Yalong
Yang Jiaxin
Zibo
Han Qing
Zhang Jun
Li Nan
Jiaxing
Xiang Xun
Wu Zhefan
Zhang Yajun
Chongqing Pengshui
Xu Yuan
Luo Junhao
Yin Xiaowei
Nanchang Xihu
Dong Zihao
Pan Yiming
Yao Dongcheng
Haining
Gao Yun
Huang Lijun
Qiao Tianhao
CBSA Academy
Liao Pengbo
Xu Yang
Sun Wenchao
Hainan ZSD
Zhang Jiajian
Xu Fuyuan
Ma Huiming
Jiujiang Tianxi
Jureti
Gong Chenzhi
Gao Yang
Sichaun NSD
Liu Yuan
Huang Yanyun
Jian Long
Team Shaanxi, represented by Fan Zhengyi, Lei Peifan and Mei Xiwen, is the defending Champion. They were in action in today’s evening session, on the main table. This evening session actually started with the official Opening Ceremony. All teams were introduced into the arena, guided by ladies in beautiful traditional dresses. As usual, there were speeches by officials and the presentation of the trophy, before the action started on the tables.
I was able to watch it on stream and took a few screenshots of the ceremony …
as well as from the opening match of the defending team
Fan Zhengyi was extremely tense and nervous at the start of the match and couldn’t pot a ball for the first ten minutes or so … but still managed to win the first frame somehow and played much better after that. Mei Xiwen is very sound tactically. Shaanxi won by 5-0.
The format of this event is quite interesting …
Each match at the group stage is played over 5 frames. It doesn’t matter if a team has already won the match, all five frames are played and count. Frames 1,2,4 and 5 are “normal” frames, frame 3 is played as a “double” with alternate shots. Each player is involved in two frames.
I would like this type of format being used by WPBSA/WST for the World Cup round robin phase.
A raft of the sport’s biggest names are set to compete on day one of the BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh, with home hero John Higgins, World Champion Luca Brecel, world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan, defending champion Gary Wilson, Mark Allen, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and many more scheduled for Monday December 11th.
The World Snooker Tour is delighted to announce 
Ronnie O'Sullivan 