The final day saw five gold medal matches contested across five disability classification groups, alongside five bronze medal playoff matches at the Centara Hotel. The event represented the first time that disability snooker has been featured at an international multisport Games since the 1988 Paralympic Games.
The tournament was hosted by World Abilitysport, in partnership with World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) and the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand (BSAT).
Group 1
The first gold medal of the day was won by Gary Swift of Great Britain, who recovered from the loss of the opening frame against Kurt Deklerck of Belgium to take gold with a 3-1 win.
From Sheffield, 52-year-old is currently ranked number two in the WDBS Group 1/2 rankings and is a former ranking event winner on the circuit. Victory in Thailand, however, represents the biggest achievement of his snooker career to date and since his Tour debut in September 2022.
The bronze medal was claimed by Numpol Thongpusawan, who won an all-Thailand clash with Chatchai Khamklon 3-0 to become one of four medallists for the host nation during the event.
Group 2
Top ranked Tony Southern of Great Britain made it a title double for the country in the wheelchair category as he defeated Niwat Kongta 3-1 to earn what he would describe as the biggest win of his cuesports career.
In a dramatic final, it was Southern who claimed the opener with relative comfort, before adding a crucial second on the black, to avoid a respotted black and extend his lead to 2-0. Kongta responded by taking the third to keep his hopes alive, but it was Southern who would slot home brown and blue in frame four to seal an emotional victory.
There was some consolation for the home nation in the bronze medal playoff after Surasit Loisaratrakul defeated Wei-Te Cheng of Chinese Taipei 3-1 to clinch the final medal.
Group 3
One of two gold medals to be won by host nation Thailand was that in Group 3, as Thanapol Seekao toppled two-time UK Disability Snooker Championship winner Adam Wilk 3-1 in the final.
Poland’s Wilk had not previously dropped a frame during the week, but had no answer to his impressive opponent who was making his debut appearance in a WDBS recognised event at the Games.
Bronze was claimed by Hong Kong’s Andy Lam, after the former WDBS Hull Open champion defeated Thailand’s Kaisorn Thongla 3-1 to secure his place on the podium.
Group 4
The penultimate group saw two-time WDBS event winner Carl Gibson win an all-British final with former WDBS Champion of Champions David Church 3-1 to earn a landmark victory.
In a final that lasted little over an hour, Hull’s Gibson top scored with a break of 31 in what would prove to be the final frame of the match, before his opponent warmly embraced him as he conceded the match.
There was also to be a British final in the bronze medal match as Steve Cartwright edged out Nigel Brasier 3-1 in a hard-fought encounter to finish on the rostrum.
Group 5
The final gold medal of the day was to be won by Thailand’s Saongkiat Raebankoo, who ended the challenge of Belgium’s Gerdy Dupont with a 3-1 success in the title match.
Perhaps appropriately it was to be the player who opened the tournament on table 1 back on Tuesday morning, who would finish the tournament as he secured a second gold of the day for his home country.
Having lost the opener on a respotted black, the Thai player dominated the following three frames for the loss of just 13 points as he scored victory in his first WDBS recognised event.
The bronze medal was won by Great Britain’s David Bolton, who needed just 42 minutes as he toppled compatriot David Moore in the playoff match.
Acknowledgements
The WDBS team would like to thank all of the many parties who made this historic tournament possible, including World Abilitysport, the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand, Rasson Billiards, Thailand Pool Tables, the Centara Hotel all of the referees, local organising committee and volunteers, as well as the players and their supporters.
Since 2015 WDBS has strived to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to play snooker and billiards around the globe and the unqualified success of this major international event has only served to reinforce the believe that our sport can one day be restored to the Paralympic Games.
Congratulations to ALL involved!
All those disabled athletes are winners. They are winners because they have already overcome so many obstacles, physical and psychological hurdles, prejudices, physical discomfort and pain. Many of them are far from well off , finding the money to get there hasn’t been easy but from their reactions on social media it was worth it. Thailand set up a wonderful event. They felt valued.
Shaun Murphy made the first maximum ever at the Shoot Out yesterday. Given the format, this is a very remarkable achievement. Here it is, shared by ES on their YouTube channel
As well as the reactions afterwards
On snooker.org we had a discussion about wether it would count as an “official” maximum or not.
I went to the first editions of the Shoot Out – that was more than ten years ago – and at the time there were discussions regarding the centuries made at the event. Phil Yates and Clive Everton were involved, and the opinion that prevailed at the time was that they shouldn’t “count”. There were two main reasons behind this opinion: the variant rules and the fact that such a century could possibly start with a “ball in hand”. It worth noting that when this debate took place, none of the centuries made at the event had actually been initiated by a “ball in hand” situation. WST position at the time was that shoot-out centuries would not count. I’m not sure if that’s still the case, and I’m sure this 147 WILL count … if only because it’s Murphy and he’s close to the authorities 😉. Seriously, it should count, it started completely normally and it was an extraordinary achievement.
The Shoot Out in underway in Swansea. I will report on that after the event concludes.
Meanwhile something appeared on twitter that got me wondering. This:
The Shoot Out is a ranking event. It is underway. Yet, Neil Robertson and Luca Brecel were supposed to play an exhibition in Finland today, and Mark Selby will now replace Brecel?
Did they get permission for this? If not, are they not in breach of their contract? If permission was given, how come when a ranking event they could have entered is underway ?
I know that this is by no means a big event, with big money like Macau was but still … If the players contract says that they can’t play in anything that clashes with a WST event, this is technically a breach of contract, no matter how you look at it. Worse still, I will argue that the Macau event was scheduled during the NI Open, and that the players involved opted not to enter the event that was sandwiched between two more lucrative ones in China. Macau or not, they were not scheduled/expected to play that week in a WST event. It made actually no difference. This time, the three mentioned opted not to play in the Shoot Out. They might have opted out anyway of course, exhibition or not. They probably would have actually. But that’s not the point.
The point is that, unless WST was unaware of this exhibition, or authorised it, this is double standards. They choose to enforce the contract when it suits them, notably when they feel challenged, be it by players or promoters, and close their eyes when not. That indefensible in law.
I haven’t changed my mind about the whole situation. To me players being self-employed should be free to play in whatever they want and it’s up to WST to make their events good enough to keep them on board. That’s how economic competition and capitalism – that Hearn so likes and applies – work. Their contract should not restrict them. But if it does – as is currently the case – then it has to be enforced in a consistent way and it may backfire because actually exhibitions are important to promote the sport. Hearn knows that because that exactly how he promoted it in the days …
Having said all that, I do hope that the exhibition in Finland does happened and is a huge success.
The 2023 Ability Sports Games are underway in Thailand and snooker is represented in them. Matt Huart traveled with the WDBS players and WPBSA has published this report:
The opening day of the landmark snooker competition at the 2023 World Abilitysport Games has been successfully completed in Thailand as athletes from across the world battle to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Held at the Centara Korat in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, snooker has been included in the World Abilitysport Games for the first time and will see up to 34 players from five different classification groups battle to take home the gold, silver and bronze medals within their respective competitions.
The Games were launched as part of a spectacular opening ceremony earlier this week at His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007 Stadium, during which several players participated within the march alongside several other sports and athletes from around the globe.
THE GAMES
The on-table action got underway on Tuesday morning with matches from all competitions contested throughout the day on six tabled supplied by Rasson Billiards and installed by Thailand Pool Tables.
Each classification group began with a round-robin group stage, which will see four players progress to semi-finals and subsequently gold/silver and bronze medal matches. A varied field of established WDBS players and newcomers to the WDBS circuit contested 45 matches on the opening day, with the group stages set to conclude on Wednesday.
GROUPS 1-2
Featuring four players, Group 1 encompasses wheelchair users with poor trunk control and impairment of one or both arms. All four players will progress to the knockout rounds, with group stage positioning set to determine the semi-final draw.
It has so far been a winning start for two-time WDBS Belgian Open Kurt Deklerck, who won both of his opening matches to top the group after day one. He leads former Stockport Open champion Gary Swift and Thailand’s Numpol Thongpusawan – who have one win apiece so far – ahead of the second Thai player in the group Chatchai Khamklon, who lost both his matches today.
In Group 2, which features wheelchair users with better control of trunk and arms, a single group stage of seven players will see the top four players secure last four berths for the tournament.
Following the opening day it is Wei-Te Cheng of Chinese Taipei who tops the group with a perfect record of three wins from three, ahead of top ranked WDBS wheelchair user Tony Southern of Great Britain with three wins.
The remaining two qualifying positions are set to be contested between Great Britain’s Darren Taylor, as well as Thai duo Niwat Kongta and Surasit Loisaratrakul, who each have two wins to date.
GROUP 3
Aimed at ambulant players where one or more upper limbs is absent or severely impaired, Group 3 comprises an impressive nine players, who have been split into two groups with the top pair from each set to move forward into the semi-finals.
The star of day one would prove to be home hero Thanapol Seekao, who impressed onlookers by claiming all eight frames played to top Group A and guarantee his place in the knockout draw.
He is currently followed by former WDBS Hull Open winner Andy Lam of Hong Kong on two wins, ahead of Kal Mattu and Kit Kennedy of Great Britain, as well as Bohumil Vanek of the Czech Republic.
In the second section, two-time WDBS champion Adam Wilk of Poland currently leads the way with a 100% record, ahead of current WDBS Group 3 Champion of Champions Joe Hardstaff and Thai pair Kaisorn Thongla and Sutat Yamee.
GROUP 4
Group 4 comprises ambulant players where one or more lower limbs is absent or severely impaired and sees six players compete across a single group over three days in Nakhon Ratchasima.
A section dominated by players from Great Britain, it is currently led by Carl Gibson who has yet to drop a frame with three matches won, ahead of compatriots David Church and Nigel Brasier on two wins apiece and Steve Cartwright and Andy Johnson with a single win at this stage.
GROUP 5
Featuring ambulant players where one or more upper or lower limbs are slightly impaired, Group 5 has seen eight players compete across two groups, with Thailand’s Songkiat Raebankoo and Belgium’s Gerdy Dupont currently in pole position with two wins from two in their respective sections.
In Group A, Great Britain’s David Moore and Robert Marriott look set to battle it out for the second qualification position, while Dave Bolton and Dean Simmons also have one win apiece in Group B with a head to head meeting set for Wednesday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The action will continue on Wednesday 6 December with the conclusion of the group stage matches, to be followed by the best of five frames semi-finals from all groups later in the evening.
The latest scores, standings and match schedule can be accessed via WPBSA SnookerScores, with live streamed matches from table one and further news, images and content available via the WDBS Facebook and X social media channels.
Those players deserve our unreserved admiration. What they manage to do is extraordinary. I used to travel to a lot of WDBS events and I was in awe all the time. Many of those disabled players have little money and are lonely. One of them once told me that WDBS is the only family he has. I can only advice you to attend their events if you can.
Make sure to look at Matt Huart’s pictures. He’s doing a fantastic job with his camera. I may have played a small part in that by passing him the photo virus and he got hooked. Matt once told me that taking the pictures has become the most enjoyable part of his job and it shows in the quality he produces! BTW Matt was also a terrible traveler … now he’s a globe trotter!
Matt’s pictures show that the host nation, Thailand, has done a sterling job in welcoming the participants: the opening ceremony looked absolutely fantastic. For many of those disabled sportspersons this will be a once in a lifetime experience. It should be an unforgettable one, full of beautiful memories, no matter their results.
Ronnie turns 48 today … where have all those years gone??? I’m older than his mother, he’s not much older than my son … What happened there??? For once he will not be in York, bringing cakes to the media gang. Hopefully he has the best of celebrations with his loved ones. 🥂🎂🫖💝
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN RAISED THE BAR AND SHOWED HE IS ‘SNOOKER’S GREATEST ASSET’ WITH TRIUMPH AT UK CHAMPIONSHIP
BY DAVE HENDON
Eurosport’s Dave Hendon breaks down how Ronnie O’Sullivan showed the world that he is “snooker’s greatest asset”. The world No. 1 made history by becoming the youngest and oldest winner of the UK Championship after he clinched a record-extending eighth title on Sunday. O’Sullivan’s classy performance was too much for Ding Junhui and he lifted the title 30 years after he first won it aged 17.
How many more times can the bar be raised?
Even by Ronnie O’Sullivan’s extraordinary standards, his dash for the winning line to land a record-extending eighth UK Championship title last night was something special.
The crowd inside the Barbican Centre were in awe as O’Sullivan crunched in long pots, exercised perfect positional control and sank ball after ball to move from 7-7 with Ding Junhui to run out a 10-7 winner. The final three frames lasted 32 minutes.
In the blink of an eye, 30 years fell away. We were back at Preston Guild Hall watching the 17 year-old O’Sullivan announce his arrival on the big stage by stunning Stephen Hendry to become the youngest UK champion in 1993.
Now, on the eve of his 48th birthday, he is the oldest. When the audience in York rose to acclaim him, they did so recognising they had witnessed something close to magic, a mercurial burst of inspiration only possible from sport’s true greats.
It means a 40th ranking title, four more than Hendry in second place. O’Sullivan’s eighth UK Championship triumph is one of 22 ‘Triple Crown’ titles to his name. He extends his lead at the head of the rankings. In every possible measure, he is the greatest.
Standing next to him at the trophy celebration was Steve Dawson, the chairman of World Snooker Tour, whose organisation can take credit for an excellent event, well promoted, with record ticket sales and an enjoyable vibe throughout.
But Dawson must surely also realise that WST need to mend relations with O’Sullivan, who is the subject of disciplinary action pertaining to comments he made about exhibition engagements in China and player freedom.
Whoever is right or wrong in that debate, the facts are plain: O’Sullivan is snooker’s greatest asset. We need him playing as much as possible. Off table rows are distractions that we could all do without and it’s doubtful most ordinary fans care about those issues.
What they want is to watch Ronnie play snooker. WST should do everything to ensure he feels able to continue doing that in established tournaments which have meaning, rather than in exhibitions which have little.
O’Sullivan is hardly a blameless character but has more than earned the right to have his say about the sport, how it is run and what he wants to prioritise going forward.
He has become a huge draw in Asia, where promoters are willing to pay for his presence in exhibitions and tournaments. Anyone watching last night’s final will consider this money well spent.
If the weekly grind of tournament life is less to his liking these days, then this is hardly surprising, but it’s clear he still gets himself up for the big occasions. More importantly, he is still capable of thriving in such occasions.
As for O’Sullivan’s week in York, he was not at his brilliant best all through the event, but does not need to be when opponents freeze at the prospect of beating him.
Robert Milkins had three chances to do so in their decider. Zhou Yuelong had him on the ropes at 5-4 but made little impact on the last two frames. Hossein Vafaei had played the snooker of the week going into the semi-finals but wilted in the presence of The Rocket.
This is the aura of greatness which surrounds O’Sullivan. It gives him almost superhuman strength while sending the legs of rivals to jelly. Even when things are going badly wrong, the very fact of who he is, what he has done and what he is capable of makes the difference.
To Ding’s credit, he fought hard and put pressure on. At 7-7, the final was firmly in the balance. He did not do much – if anything – wrong in the closing three frames, which went by in a blur of brilliance.
Ding had to qualify for York but is now back where he belongs, as a member of the top 16 and qualified for the key events coming up in early 2024.
So what is next in the compelling drama that is Ronnie O’Sullivan’s career?
He hasn’t entered this week’s Shoot Out and will possibly skip the Scottish Open to recharge the batteries. He has been invited to a lucrative exhibition event in Macau over Christmas, then it’ll be back for the Masters in January he will face Ding in the first round.
Soon, the drumbeat towards the Crucible, where he will be attempting to win a record eighth world title, will begin.
His great friend and fellow Eurosport pundit, Jimmy White, believes he can get to 10 victories in each triple crown event. Such numbers seem fanciful on paper, but performances like those against Ding make you think again.
It seems every apparent last hurrah is succeeded by another. This remarkable, unique sporting figure just keeps amazing us.
How many more times can the bar be raised? Over to you, Ronnie.
As ever, David tries to express a balanced opinion and present both sides of the story in a fair way. Thank you Dave for that.
The real question for me is this one: why is WST so reliant on the “older” “big names”? Why is there such a culture of nostalgia in snooker? Why do most of their reports or announcements focus on the older players? Why do we still hear about the 85 final all the time? Or about Alex Higgins? Celebrating history is fine, good even, but promotion has to be about the present, the current players, and about the future, the up and coming ones. You will tell me that WST are about “recognisable” names when doing promotion. I get that but those “recognisable” figures will not be around forever and they were unknown rookies when they started. WST need to create “new” recognisable figures and that work has to start when those players are young and not well known yet.
You will tell me “right but how?”. Here are some ideas:
Scrap the qualifiers in flat draw events. Bring everyone at the venue, yes, even in China or Germany.
Have a stream of all tables. The cameras are already there.
Have more events with a tiered format and the type of coverage we get for the World and the UK. Not focusing on one table but hoovering through interesting phases on all tables.
Interview more players “live” and allow them to be themselves. Don’t pander the politically correct brigade. Alex Higgins, Jimmy White, Ronnie … they don’t fit in that mould and that’s why they are talked about and remembered. Times have changed? Maybe, but fundamentally human nature hasn’t.
Adopt a rating system instead of the stupid money list. It will bring a much needed flexibility. For instance, it would allow to organise a “rookies” cup at the start of each season – as Lewis suggested – without distorting the “rankings”. Do it with maximum exposure, in a nice venue, and free admission. Make it something festive and fun. Build the rookies profiles up. Yes. it would cost; it’s called investing in the future.
Ok guys… please come up with your “innovative proposals” … what would YOU want to see?
I’m not a fan of the Shoot-out being ranking in the current system, I wouldn’t object to it if we had a rating system though.It is what it is and I will try to enjoy it.
Now that the UK Championship is over, the draw1 and schedule for the Masters in January 2024 has been finalised.
Masters Match Schedule
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui will clash again in the first round of the Masters at Alexandra Palace in London next month, with the fixtures for snooker’s biggest invitation event now confirmed.
The tournament will run from January 7-14, 2024 …
World Champion Luca Brecel will face Jack Lisowski in the opening match at 1pm on Sunday January 7th. On Monday January 8th at 1pm, O’Sullivan will meet Ding in a repeat of the UK Championship final, which the Rocket won 10-7 to capture his 22nd Triple Crown title.
The full schedule is below, with seedings of the top eight in brackets.
Sunday January 7th 1pm: (2) Luca Brecel v Jack Lisowski 7pm: (7) Shaun Murphy v Zhang Anda
Monday January 8th 1pm: (3) Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ding Junhui 7pm: (8) Mark Williams v Ali Carter
Tuesday January 9th 1pm: (1) Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson 7pm: (6) Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins
Wednesday January 10th 1pm: (4) Mark Allen v John Higgins 7pm: (5) Mark Selby v Robert Milkins
Quarter-finals Thursday January 11th 1pm: QF3 O’Sullivan or Ding v Robertson or Hawkins 7pm: QF4 Brecel or Lisowski v Murphy or Zhang
Friday January 12th 1pm: QF1 Trump or Wilson v Williams or Carter 7pm: QF2 Allen or Higgins v Selby or Milkins
Semi-finals Saturday January 13th 1pm: Winner of QF3 v Winner of QF4 7pm: Winner of QF1 v Winner of QF2
Judd Trump will be defending the title having beaten Mark Williams in last season’s final. As always, the field is packed with snooker’s greatest stars, as only the world’s top 16 earn the chance to compete for the Paul Hunter Trophy and £250,000 top prize.
In recent years the Masters has gained a reputation for its extraordinary atmosphere, with up to 2,000 fans packing the fabulous Alexandra Palace arena. And aside from the action on the baize, there is so much to experience for fans at the venue including interactive games, the chance to play snooker and receive free coaching in CueZone and the opportunity to watch the pros practising.
The Masters is one of snooker’s most historic events, first held in 1975 so this is the 50th staging of the tournament. It will be televised by BBC, Eurosport, CCTV5 and a wide range of broadcasters across the globe.
The draw was made during the 2023 UK Championship semi-finals but could only be finalised after the final ↩︎
Ronnie beat Ding Junhui by 10-7 yesterday night in York to win a record extending 8th UK Championship, bringing his tally of ranking titles to 40. This comes 30 years after he had won his first one in Preston in 1993 and became the youngest UK champion, yesterday he became the oldest.
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan secured a record extending eighth MrQ UK Championship title with a 10-7 win over Ding Junhui in York.
O’Sullivan is already the youngest ever UK Champion and today’s victory sees him become the oldest. Just two days shy of his 48th birthday, O’Sullivan eclipses the previous record set by Doug Mountjoy, who was 46 years and 172 days old when he won the title in 1988.
The Rocket’s eighth crown comes 30 years on from the first. He was only 17 years of age when he defeated Stephen Hendry 10-6 to lift the famous trophy in the Preston Guild Hall in 1993. O’Sullivan went on to add further UK Championship wins in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018, as well as his triumph this year.
Most UK Championship Victories
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 8
Steve Davis – 6
Stephen Hendry – 5
Ding Junhui, John Higgins, Neil Robertson – 3
The Englishman has now amassed an incredible 22 Triple Crown titles and today sees him capture a ranking event trophy for the 40th time in his career. Those statistical feats further cement his status as the greatest of all-time, with his nearest challenger Hendry sitting on 18 Triple Crown victories and 36 ranking titles.
Today’s final was a meeting between snooker’s two biggest global superstars. Whilst O’Sullivan shot to fame with his 1993 win, Ding rose to prominence when he followed up his 2005 China Open win with a maiden UK title later that year. The Chinese sporting icon added further victories in 2009 and 2019 to take his UK Championship tally to three.
O’Sullivan scoops the £250,000 top prize and consolidates his position as world number one. The £100,000 earned by Ding secures his place in the top 16 of the world rankings and qualification for the Masters, where he will face O’Sullivan in the first round.
The afternoon session saw Ding set up a grandstand finish, after he fought back from 4-1 down to level at 4-4 heading into tonight. O’Sullivan stopped the rot as the evening session got underway, firing in a superb 84 break to regain the lead at 5-4.
The pendulum continued to swing, with Ding restoring parity in the tenth, before O’Sullivan took charge with contributions of 87 and 79 to establish a 7-5 lead at the mid-session interval.
With the finishing line beginning to appear on the horizon for his opponent, 14-time ranking event winner Ding summoned a charge to get himself back into contention. Runs of 52 and 104 helped him to take two on the bounce and once again square the match at 7-7.
Typically, when the pressure was at its greatest, O’Sullivan found a way to push himself towards victory. Breaks of 100 and 74 moved him within one frame at 9-7. He then sent a raucous crowd into raptures in the 17th, with a spellbinding 127 break which was greeted with a standing ovation as he secured glory in York once again.
“I love it. I love competing, I love performing, I love playing and I love that I went out there tonight and I used my head. Because at the end of the day I have this thing in my head that people want me to play perfect snooker. My friend said to me the other day that they don’t. He said they love your thoughts and love all of the ups and downs of it. I just wanted to go out there today and try hard to be professional and honest. If I won great and if I didn’t then at least do my best,” said a delighted O’Sullivan.
“It was an honour to play Ding. He’s such a classy player and such a classy guy. To share the table with him in that venue and in that final was an honour. I know there will have been so many people in China watching that final supporting Ding and supporting me as well. We’ve put on a good show.
“You get a different appreciation for it. I am really experienced now so I don’t panic as much and I don’t worry. I get times when I think I’m 7-5 up and haven’t really flew. That is because my base level B and C game is still pretty high. You just have to focus, so now I think I use my head more and win matches with my experience more.
“It’s just bonkers isn’t it? That we’re 48 and still winning tournaments. I just don’t get it. Sheffield will be a hard thing to do, because it is 17 days. Physically that will be a tall ask of me, John (Higgins), or Mark (Williams) to win. These tournaments that are a week we can still do it.”
Ding said: “It was a very good week. I knew it was going to be very tough tonight. I missed a couple of shots to win frames in the first session. I tried to get more points and fight to win a frame then get another and see what happens. To be 4-4 was not too bad but he played better tonight.
“I have really taken the crowd here to heart. Thanks for the support every game. I love playing here.”
Here are the scores:
And Ronnie’s reaction on social media
Some videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:
Century in frame 15 …
The final frame …
Trophies…
Interviews on the floor
Interview in the ES studio
And this concludes an incredible week…
With this win, Ronnie has secured his place in this season World Grand Prix and Players Championship certainly, and most probably (I didn’t do the maths) in the Tour Championship as well. Csilla can relax … he won’t be out of the top 16 at the start of next season. 😊
