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…)
TIERED FORMAT FOR HOME NATIONS AND GERMAN MASTERS IN 2024/25
Next season’s Home Nations events, as well as the German Masters, will have a tiered format, which means that all of the world’s top 32 will start in the last-64 round at the final venue.
The round structure for the 2024 English Open, Northern Ireland Open and Scottish Open as well as the 2025 German Masters and Welsh Open will be:
Qualifying rounds Round one Players seeded 65-96 v players seeded 97-128
Round two Those 32 winners v players seeded 33-64
Final venue Last 64 32 qualifiers v players seeded 1-32
This change gives the lower ranked players the opportunity to earn prize money through the earlier rounds and beyond, while ensuring that television audiences and ticket-holders can see the leading players at the final venue. To support this change, we will be increasing prize money for all of these events to over £500,000.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “The 2024/25 season will undoubtedly be the biggest season in the history of the sport. We have announced events with prize money in excess of £16 million and there will be further announcements regarding prize money and new events that will take us close to our target of £20 million; a target we had set for the 2026/27 season and that we expect to hit well in advance of time. This could see not only two or three players hitting over £1 million prize money from a single season that we will witness this year, but four, five or six players joining that group.”
(The “green highlighting” above is my doing.)
This is excellent news , in my view at least. That will come to no surprise to regular readers of this blog. This new approach will mean that at most 32 players will come out of those events penniless, instead of 64 currently. It will also mean that the lowest ranked players will play their first match against opponents ranked outside the top 64. They will be guaranteed a more winnable first match. This is particularly important for the young players and the rookies. Adapting to the professional tour isn’t easy and being hammered all the time is not helping in any way. It destroys both confidence and self-esteem. Being guaranteed matches of progressive difficulty should help.
I have had disagreements about this subject with some of the older (former) pros who came through the old tiered system. Yes, there was too much protection because the players entering at level “n”, should they lose, were guaranteed the same points the “n-1” level winners. I expect that, in this system, even IF the players entering at a “higher” level get some money if they lose their first match, it won’t count towards their ranking, just as it is the case now for the seeds losing their opening match at the Crucible.
Barry Pinches – who I respect and like – was particularly vocal against the tiered system, arguing that it meant that the lower ranked players had to win more matches to win a tournament than the higher seeds. This is true, but I’m not sure it’s a bad thing… in particular for the younger ones. They need to “grow” as professionals and for that they need to play as much as they can. The current system often left them for weeks with nothing at all to play in, brooding over yet another first round defeat against an opponent far too strong and experienced for them.
The next good move would be to have those qualifiers played at, or next to, the main event venue, the week before the main event. That would guarantee that the in-form players are in the “main” draw, as opposed to having there the players who were “in-form” two months earlier in the season. The wildcards, in any, should enter those events at the bottom, play in those qualifiers in front of their friends and family with a reasonable hope to be able to show what they can do.
Mark Allen has withdrawn from this weekend’s World Mixed Doubles due to personal circumstances, and has been replaced by Mark Selby.
As the next highest player in the world rankings, Selby joins the field and will play alongside Rebecca Kenna.
The tournament at Manchester Central features four teams, each with one man and one woman player. The event gets underway on Saturday at 1pm. The teams are:
Neil Robertson and Mink Nutcharut Luca Brecel and Reanne Evans Judd Trump and Baipat Siripaporn Mark Selby and Rebecca Kenna
Selby and Kenna played together at the inaugural staging of this event last season, reaching the final before losing to Robertson and Nutcharut.
Stephen Hendry decides not to play World Snooker Championship qualifying
Phil Haigh
Stephen Hendry says he will not be playing in World Snooker Championship qualifying this season, meaning he will end the campaign winless on the professional circuit.
The seven-time world champion returned to the main tour in the 2020/21 season, accepting a two-year tour card, which was given again at the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
There were some notable wins in the first two years of the return, beating Jimmy White in qualifying for the 2021 World Championship, then picking up victories over the likes of Michael White and Chris Wakelin the following season.
However, the two most recent campaigns have been fruitless, with no wins from four matches last season and none from five outings in the current campaign.
There will be no more matches this season for the 55-year-old, after he posted a comment on Fergal O’Brien’s Instagram ahead of World Championship qualifying.
He explained on the WST Snooker Club podcast: ‘I’ve not entered the World qualifying this year.
‘There’s a couple of reason, it starts the day after the Tour Championship finishes. I’ll have been working for TV all week and obviously not had much chance to practice, which I haven’t really done.
‘I’m not going to bother this year. There’s a lot of things to do in between the Tour Championship and World Championship, so I thought I’d give it a miss this year.’
As announced earlier this month by the WPBSA: ‘Any current professional players who do not enter the tournament will be replaced from the 2023 Q School Order of Merit.’
Hendry’s current two-year invitational tour card will come to an end when this season is over and it is yet to be seen whether he will be offered another one or choose to accept it if he is.
Really, Stephen Hendry shouldn’t get another invitational tour card. He’s not done anything with the opportunities he’s been offered. When he first came back on the tour, he said that his goal was to play at the Crucible again, if only once, but now he’s telling us that it never was a “comeback”. The very simple truth is that he’s not good enough and hasn’t the motivation to work hard on his game which he would need to do to stand any hope of getting results. He’s doing a lot of great things on social media and in commentary to promote and support his sport and he’s excellent at that. All credits to him for that but IF WST is to give wildcards to older legends or retired player it should go to one of hard-working long time servants of the game who will actually use it and try their best to make the most of it.
Bai Yulu has won the 2024 Women Snooker World Championship
She beat Mink Nucharut by 6-5 in a tense high quality final. This means that she will be offered a main Tour card for the 2024/25 season. Mink will get one as well as she’s guaranteed to finish the season as Women’s Snooker number 1. In many ways this is the best possible outcome from allegedly the best ever Women Snooker World Championship.
Congratulations Bai Yulu!
Bai Yulu 2024 Women Snooker World Champion AND 2024 Junior Women Snooker World Champion!
Home favourite Bai Yulu beat Mink Nutcharut 6-5 on the final pink to win a dramatic final at the World Women’s Snooker Championship in Dongguan Changping, China.
Victory earns 20-year-old Bai a place on the World Snooker Tour for the first time and she will join the main circuit for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. Talented Bai reached the final last year before losing to Baipat Siripaporn, and has now clinched her maiden world title.
Women’s world number one Nutcharut, who lifted this trophy in 2022, had not dropped a single frame in the tournament until the final. Bai took an early 3-1 lead, helped by a break of 122 which was the highest of the tournament and highest ever in the World Women’s Championship final. Thailand’s Nutcharut hit back to take three in a row with a top run of 62 to lead 4-3, before Bai knocked in 97 and 75 to edge 5-4 ahead. Nutcharut then took frame ten on the colours to set up the decider.
Both players had chances and it came down to the colours – Nutcharut leading 46-43 when she failed to gain position on the brown. Bai potted brown and blue to lead 52-46 during a safety battle on the pink. Trapped in a snooker, Nutcharut hit the pink but left her opponent a chance, and Bai slotted it into a baulk corner to clinch the Mandy Fisher Trophy.
It has been an impressive rise to the top from Bai, who had never competed on the women’s tour before last year’s World Championship. She went on to win her first women’s ranking event at the British Open in May last year, beating Reanne Evans in the final.
Bail also won the world under-21 title earlier in the week, beating Narucha Phoemphul in the final.
Eve of the 2024 World Open in Yushan … Ronnie honoured
As always in China, the players are made to feel very welcome with an opening ceremony and a red carpet walk, but this time, Ronnie was particularly honoured as he was inducted in the World Billiards Museum Hall of Fame
Here is a short video of that event shared by Roger Leighton on Youtube
And there were some pictures shared on weibo, of the red carpet walk, the induction ceremony and the opening ceremony
WST is excited to announce a pioneering five-year partnership with global sports giant Castore. The relationship will see Castore become the Official Technical Partner of the World Snooker Tour until 2029.
Castore, whose current partners include McLaren F1, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Athletic Bilbao, Rangers FC and many more were placed second on the Sunday Times list of the UK’s fastest growing companies in 2023.
As official technical partner, Castore will work with WST and in consultation with the players to develop performance garments to be worn at selected events over the five-year period. The two events to feature Castore technical wear this season will be the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker 4-6th March and the World Mixed Doubles taking place at Manchester Central 30-31st March.
A main objective of the partnership will be to develop the innovation and technical performance elements of the sport, whilst respecting its unique heritage.
The partnership will also see the launch of a brand-new online store, with a range of exclusive products to be developed in the coming seasons.
WST and Castore are committed to continuing the evolution of the sport as its popularity and global appeal continues to grow, through providing industry leading technical wear and retail experience for its players and fans.
More details on events in the 2024/25 season which will feature Castore technical wear will be announced over the summer.
Peter Wright – Chief Commercial Officer – World Snooker Tour
“We are really pleased to be able to announce such an innovative and exciting new chapter for the sport in collaboration with Castore. Their rapid rise as a business is inspiring and ties in with our current resurgence and long-term ambitions for the game. We can’t wait to work with the players to develop technical wear which will allow them to continue to excel in their performances and attract a new audience to the sport. We have also listened to fans comments about our retail offering, and we know working with Castore will elevate this to a whole new level”
Sam Lucas – Chief Sports Marketing Officer – Castore
“We are thrilled to announce our latest partnership with World Snooker Tour. The collaboration marks Castore’s first venture intothe world of Snookeras we continue our multi-sport expansion, and the relationshipcomes atan exciting time for the highly respected sport. We look forward to joining forces with World Snooker Tourand being a part of an exciting future ahead for Snooker fans.”
Tom Rowell – Chief Marketing and Communications Officer – World Snooker Tour
“Snooker has a clear and distinct style which is globally recognised, the aim with this partnership is to evolve without losing our heritage. The idea is to adapt the attire for the events that already have a more relaxed dress code, we are sure this will enable players to carry on with the continual improvement in the standard of play and high scoring which fans love”
Shaun Murphy, world number six and Player Director of the WPBSA Governance Board
“I have spoken for many years, on behalf of the players, about the necessity for us as a sport to examine our dress code and consider how it affects our performance in the arena, without forgetting our heritage and the importance of keeping traditions for certain historic events.
“This new partnership with Castore is a fantastic development as it will allow us to create new garments which look modern and help maximise performance. I look forward to working in consultation with the Castore team and the players on this process.”
Judd Trump, world number two
“It’s something I’ve been trying to get into the game for nearly ten years now, so it is nice it is finally coming in. Snooker is really heading in the right direction now.
“I think it is good for the fans, there has never been that merchandise that there is in other sports, it makes it exciting
“I certainly feel in the events we do have a more relaxed dress code it certainly helps, just having the freedom. It is exciting for snooker to be heading in this direction”
Mark Allen, world number three
“I think it is important to try and move with the times, if they keep the majors the same and traditional and experiment with the rest that is a good way forward.
“I think it is important the players will get a chance to practice in it and give feedback. It is good WST are trying new things and hopefully a sign of things to come”
Hopefully there will be a few more “joyful” colours and designs on offer too. I like the old waistcoats and Gary Wilson’s ones. If really this is part of an attempt to attract the youth … don’t be so serious!
Neil Robertson and Mink Nutcharut will defend their World Mixed Doubles title when the unique tournament comes to Manchester Central next month.
…
Showcasing snooker as one of the few major sports where men and women can compete together on an equal footing, the two-day event runs on the weekend of March 30th and 31st. It features four teams, each with one man and one woman.
The draw for the event has been made and the teams are:
Defending champions Neil Robertson and Mink Nutcharut
World number two Judd Trump and current World Women’s Champion Baipat Siripaporn
World Champion Luca Brecel and 12-time World Women’s Champion Reanne Evans
World number three Mark Allen and women’s world number four Rebecca Kenna
The event was staged for the first time last season, with Robertson and Nutcharut beating Kenna and Mark Selby in the final. The format sees all teams facing each other once in the group stage, before the top two go through to the final.
The event will have extensive live television coverage from ITV and a range of broadcasters worldwide.
WST’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Rowell said: “This event is a fabulous innovation, it brings variety to our tour and helps give our four women professional players the chance to shine on the big stage.
“Last season’s inaugural Mixed Doubles was a great success. Perhaps the highlight was Mink Nutcharut’s 74 clearance at a crucial moment in the group stage. That video alone has 9 million views on our Facebook page, helping us as a fully inclusive sport to reach out to new fans and inspire the younger generation to get involved with snooker.
“We have an exceptional venue this time, Manchester Central which is in the heart of one of the UK’s biggest cities, and we are expecting the arena to be packed in every session. This is a great opportunity for fans to see the biggest names playing in an exciting format, and also for families to come along and introduce children to snooker.”
WST Adds New China Event To 2024-25 Calendar With Inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix
The World Snooker Tour’s successful return to China will be strengthened during the 2024/25 season with the new Xi’an Grand Prix world ranking event.
Staged under a new multi-year agreement with the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association and Shaanxi Sports Industry Group Limited, the tournament will be the first ever WST event in the historic city of Xi’an in China’s Shaanxi Province.
Running from August 19-25 in its inaugural year, the Xi’an Grand Prix will have total prize money of £850,000 and a top prize of £177,000, with the prize money to increase in subsequent years to £875,000 and then £900,000.
Xi’an, which has a population of 13 million, is the capital of the Shaanxi Province in central China. It is renowned as the furthest eastern point of the Silk Road trade route which dates back over 2,000 years. Xi’an was also the capital of a series of ancient dynasties and is home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors. These days, Xi’an is celebrated as the cultural, financial and educational centre of the region.
“This is fantastic news for our players and fans as we continue our global development and particularly our presence in China. During the 2023/24 season we have been able to stage events in mainland China for the first time since 2019 and this return has been a great success, with three world ranking events as well as one invitation tournament, and a fabulous reception from our friends and partners in the cities we have visited.”
Steve Dawson
WST Chairman
Dawson added: “We are thrilled and excited to announce a new event and to be heading for the first time to the fascinating location of Xi’an, with its remarkable history and culture. The local fans will have the chance to see their heroes play live. And for the players this is another opportunity to experience a new location, while competing and earning a high level of prize money.
“Our particular thanks go to the CBSA for their long term dedication to growing our sport throughout China, and to Shaanxi Sports Industry Group Limited. We look forward to working with them closely on the first Xi’an Grand Prix and to a successful long term partnership.”
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “The WPBSA is delighted to see this new event added to the World Snooker Tour. This is a stunning destination and a significant major ranking event which will benefit our full playing membership. On behalf of our players and officials, I must express our thanks to all our partners, both at WST and in China.”
Provisional dates for further events in China during the 2024/25 season are:
Shanghai Masters: July (dates TBC) Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers: July 25-28 Xi’an Grand Prix: August 19-25 Wuhan Open qualifiers: August 26–28 International Championship qualifiers: October 1–4 Wuhan Open: October 7-13 International Championship: November 3-10 World Open qualifiers: December 16–19 World Open: March 3-9
Stuart Bingham sealed a spot in March’s Winners’ Group after a 3-0 final victory over Gary Wilson at the 2024 BetVictor Championship League Invitational at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, live on Matchroom.Live in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the United States, Viaplay in Scandinavia and theBaltics as well as other broadcasters worldwide.
Bingham came into Wednesday in desperate need of points to reach the play-offs, having only managed one win in Tuesday’s opening sessions. Victories over Robert Milkins, Chris Wakelin and Noppon Saengkham boosted him to third place in the group, and he went on to beat Kyren Wilson 3-0 in the semi-finals.
After taking the opening frame against Gary Wilson in the final, former World Champion Bingham made excellent clearances of 61 and 62 in the next two frames to wrap up a 3-0 success.
“I didn’t practise loads over Christmas, but enough that I felt I was coming here with a bit of form. I’ve won every game today so I’m over the moon,” said Basildon’s Bingham.
“I felt really good in the balls and I’m feeling really calm at one pace around the table. A couple times I missed the ball today when I tried to quicken up and get on with it, and then missed it! Trying to stay calm did the trick today!”
Bingham’s victory sealed the first spot in Winners’ Group, which will see each winner from Groups 1-7 return on March 1st-2nd.
Gary Wilson, Kyren Wilson, Ryan Day and Chris Wakelin will join Mark Selby, Ali Carter and Matthew Selt back here at the Morningside Arena tomorrow as Group 2’s action begins.
The famous Tempodrom in the heart of Berlin once again hosts the BetVictor German Masters in 2024, and the draw and format have now been confirmed, following the completion of the qualifying round.
The tournament will run from January 29 to February 4 …
There’s a new format this season, as matches involving the top eight seeds have been held over to the final stages in Berlin. They are:
Defending champion Ali Carter v Michael White – Monday January 29th, 3pm Shaun Murphy v Xu Si – Monday January 29th, 3pm Mark Allen v Manasawin Phetmalaikul – Monday January 29th, 8pm Judd Trump v Germany’s top player Lukas Kleckers – Monday January 29th, 8pm Ronnie O’Sullivan v Julien Leclercq – Monday January 29th, 3pm Mark Selby v Marco Fu – Monday January 29th, 3pm Neil Robertson v Sanderson Lam – Monday January 29th, 8pm Luca Brecel v Ishpreet Singh Chadha – Monday January 29th, 8pm
Home favourite Kleckers will play at the Tempodrom for the first time
Other star names in the field include Mark Williams, John Higgins, Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins.
Fergal O’Brian has confirmed that this season will be his last as a pro
Over the Christmas break, Fergal was interviewed by RTE and confirmed that this season will be his last as a professional (source twitter). I have met Fergal on many occasions, on tour and at exhibition tournaments organised by Jason Francis. He’s a lovely man, a family man, and a lot of fun to be around off the table. He’s also a very, very good player … although his style is not my favourite 😉. In recent years, he’s been going more and more commentary work and he’s excellent at it. I’m wishing Fergal the very best for the future and I do hope that we will still see him with a cue in his hand in the World Seniors Tour.
Ryan Watterson is the new WPBSA Media Officer
The news was shared on social media
Ryan is the grand-son of Mike Watterson, the man who “discovered” the Crucible … actually his wife did. The whole family is deeply into snooker.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 