Iulian Boiko has regained his professional status by beating Oliver Sykes in the final of the 2025 EBSA under-21 Championship.

Congratulations Iulian Boiko!

Here is the report shared by WST:

Boiko Regains Tour Card

Ukrainian 19-year-old Iulian Boiko has secured a return to the World Snooker Tour, after defeating Oliver Sykes 5-4 to become EBSA European Under 21 Champion. 

Boiko, who first turned professional at the age of 14, dropped of the circuit in 2022. Since then he has reached the cusp of a return through Q School, but agonisingly lost in the final round on two occasions. 

Today’s encounter came down to the wire, but it was Boiko who held his nerve in a final frame decider to deny Sykes his maiden tour card. Boiko earns a minimum of two years in the professional ranks. 

Boiko said: “It was a crazy game. It is never easy to get on the tour. I felt calm and controlled at the beginning of the game. Oliver is a great player and he found his game. He was dominant in the frames he won. I don’t know where I got the energy from, but I’m glad I did and I’ll enjoy being on tour again.

“It is a different game on the tour. You have to be outstanding to stay in the top 64 after two years. Not many can do that. I’ll be working hard. I can’t celebrate for a long time as I know how difficult it is.”

It wasn’t a high quality match, both players were tense, both wanted it really badly. It had already been a huge effort to reach that final. Both young men gave it everything and there could be only one winner.

I’m glad that Iulian emerged the winner, and that’s absolutely nothing against Oliver. But Iulian had so many heartaches over the last years. I’m sure the disappointments at the table were hard to take, but certainly far from as hard and harrowing as the constant anguish about the situation in his country and about the family and friends who are caught in this terrible war. I’m sure they were on his mind when he lifted the trophy.

So once again, congratulations Iulian and good luck!

And I will admit to what I shouted when that last ball was potted … it was just …

Enfin!

Enfin!

Congratulations to Liam Highfield, Steven Hallworth and Florian Nüßle !

Here is the WPBSA report on the conclusion of the Playoffs, as shared by WST

Nuessle, Hallworth and Highfield Secure World Snooker Tour Cards

Florian Nuessle, Steven Hallworth and Liam Highfield have each earned two-year World Snooker Tour tour cards after successfully coming through the WPBSA Q Tour Global Play-Offs in Antalya, Türkiy

Nuessle makes history for Austria by becoming the first player from the nation to become a professional snooker player after defeating Estonia’s Andres Petrov 10-3 in the play-off final.

Meanwhile, Hallworth and Highfield secured emotional returns to the World Snooker Tour after an absence of three and one years respectively.

The event was held alongside the EBSA European Championships in Antalya, Türkiye from 11-13 March 2025. Read below to find out how each section unfolded.

NUESSLE MAKES HISTORY FOR AUSTRIA

Austria’s Florian Nuessle defeated Estonia’s Andres Petrov 10-3 to make history by becoming the first ever World Snooker Tour professional from his country.

The popular 23-year-old cueist finally secured professional status for the first time in his career after a number of near-misses in recent years.

It proved to be a comfortable final round victory for the Austrian as he took a 6-3 lead into the concluding session before confidently winning all four frames of the afternoon to run out a 10-3 victor.

The early stages of the contest were closely fought with the two players sharing the first four frames. A run of four consecutive frames, featuring breaks of 54, 86 and 80 then saw Nuessle pull away and open up a four frame advantage.

The Austrian, who had earlier eliminated Josh Thomond and Ehsan Heydari Nezhad to reach the play-off final, quickly moved one away from victory and showed impressive composure to fire in a break of 108 when it mattered the most.

Following the landmark moment in his career, a visibly emotional Nuessle reflected: “I feel happy and relieved. I am happy for my family because they have supported me all the way and it wouldn’t be possible without them, but the biggest part was proving it to myself because I am my harshest critic.”

“I think I held myself together well and did the right things at the right moments which hasn’t always been the case in the past. (The near-misses) were definitely on my mind – I’ve heard all the stories of players not being able to get over the line and you don’t want that kind of feeling to be carried around with you for too long because it gets heavier and heavier.”

“I hope this will help to elevate Austrian snooker. I have had many experiences on the tour already and I think I can go on and, not only stay on tour, but do some damage and hopefully win titles.”

HALLWORTH SECURES RETURN

England’s Steven Hallworth defeated fellow countryman Mark Joyce 10-5 to earn a two-year World Snooker Tour card in Antalya, Türkiye.

Hallworth started the strongest in the battle of the two former professionals by racing into a 2-0 lead and ending the first session with a 113 break to open up a 6-3 advantage.

The 29-year-old, who will return to the professional ranks after a three-year absence, took the first two frames of the afternoon session but Joyce hit back to take the next two and reduce the deficit to 8-5 at the mid-session interval.

Two close frames followed but Hallworth was able to hold his nerve and come from behind in both to complete an emotional 10-5 victory.

Hallworth was close to tears after the match and said: “It’s just pure relief. The amateur circuit is tough and there have been moments over the past couple of years where I didn’t believe that I would ever get back on but I showed my class today which was pleasing.”

“I ‘ve got a lot going on off the table and I am in a really good place in my life – my wife and I have actually just got back from our honeymoon last week. I would never be one to come into a tournament without practicing all the hours under the sun so I was a little bit anxious coming here but I have felt really relaxed and focused and I fancied the job” he added.

Hallworth has taken to snooker commentary in recent months but explained: “It will certainly have to go on the back burner now because I want to be a snooker player. I have enjoyed doing it because it has kept me involved with the professional game. I’ve never watched so much snooker in my life and I’m watching the best players in the world all the time so I’m picking up little bits – you’re never too old to learn.”

Looking ahead to the next two years, he said: “Hopefully on the tour I can find some consistency and get on a few runs. I set myself some goals this season and I’ve just achieved my main goal. We’ll see what happens. I’m not going to spout off all these mad dreams – we’ve all got dreams and I’m happy to keep them with me.”

HIGHFIELD BOUNCES BACK

England’s Liam Highfield overcame Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko 10-3 to secure a return to the World Snooker Tour after a one-year absence.

The 34-year-old ended a 14-year unbroken spell among the professional ranks at the end of last season, but showed impressive form across the week to drop just six frames in three matches and earn his return.

Highfield showed his scoring prowess in the previous days semi-final, firing in six breaks over 70 to defeat Harvey Chandler 6-2, and he followed this up with an impressive display against Boiko in the play-off final.

Five half-century breaks saw the Englishman storm into a 7-2 lead at the conclusion of the opening session and, from there, there was only one winner as he took three of the next four frames to get over the line.

Post-match, Highfield said: “I am over the moon to bounce back within a year. It looks really comfortable but, when you’re out there, it doesn’t feel that way.”

“I think I am back where I belong. I broke my wrist which was a big setback at the beginning of last season but I had got into some bad habits and maybe wasn’t working as hard as I should have. Sometimes in the past I’ve been guilty of throwing a few matches away and not thinking great but I think I’m through that now” he said.

Highfield added: “I’m a bit older and a bit wiser and this is the second part of my career now. I’ve done a lot of learning over the previous 14 years and hopefully I’ll move on to bigger and better things. I’ve got a good few years left in the game so I would like to win a title one day.”

The WPBSA would like to thank the European Billiards & Snooker Association (EBSA) and Turkish Billiards Federation (TBF) for their support with running the 2025 WPBSA Q Tour Global Play-Offs.

Florian will be a great addition to the Tour. He has a nice personality, represents a new mainland Europe country and is well liked by fans who follow the amateur circuit. I’m really happy for him!

Steven Hallworth is also well liked, and is highly appreciated as a commentator. Messaging privately a friend, who is also a member of the snooker.org team, he said that his job as a commentator has kept him constantly in touch with the pro game and that has helped him in his endeavour to return to the pro circuit.

I hope neither Steven, nor my friend on snooker.org, mind me mentioning this. I decided to do it because I think it’s interesting from a psychological point of view that Steven feels that just staying involved in the pro game, if only in commentary, has boosted his chances of a return to the main tour. In the past, especially during the summer, there were a lot of pro-am events going on. Not so many in recent years. and their disappearance has probably widened the “gap” between pros and amateurs. It would be good if they returned. It’s worth noting that some people have tried very hard over the years to keep the pro-am circuit alive. I’m thinking about David Grace for instance, and Paul Mount during the “Pink Ribbon” years.

And, of course, the fuller calendar and the lack of flexibility by WST when it comes to players participation in “non sanctioned” events are big factors. Personally I can’t see what harm to the main tour would come from allowing pros who haven’t qualified for an event to participate in a pro-am, while the WST event is under way elsewhere.

Please note that the fact I don’t comment on Liam Highfield’s achievement doesn’t mean I don’t like him or anything negative. I just don’t know him that well.

Let’s start with the “Ronnie thoughts” … Yesterday I shared the news that Ronnie was going to head to Saudi Arabia for some work with Nigel Bond at his academy and to “prepare for the Worldsnooker Tour“. Note that he didn’t write “prepare for the World Championship”, which is the only event remaining available to him this season, instead he wrote “preparing for the Worldsnooker Tour” instead. This may be an indication that he does seriously consider not playing at the Crucible. Time will tell…

Now … onto the snooker news …

The EBSA Championships in Antalya

The Under-16 event concluded yesterday. It was won by Michał Szubarczyk who beat Krzysztof Czapnik by 4-2 in the final. Both youngsters are from Poland and both are 14 years old.

Congratulations Michal – Gratulacje Michał !

It’s worth noting that only two British boys reached the QFs, and both went out to whitewashes. It’s really time to dispel the myth that the UK-centric nature of the whole WST organisation is justified because the UK is where the majority of players are and they have the best juniors too. Yes, the WST tour remains dominated by British player but it’s because the whole organisation of the tour favours them, rather than because they are the best.

The Global Q-Tour Playoffs – Day 1

That event is played in Antalya, at the same venue as the EBSA Championships

Here is the report shared by WST on day 1 at that important event

Twelve Remain After Opening Day of Q Tour Global Play-Offs

The opening day of the 2025 WPBSA Q Tour Global Play-Offs has reached its conclusion and just 12 players now remain in contention for the three World Snooker Tour (WST) tour cards on offer.

Cueists from seven countries and three continents are among those left standing in the competition and by the end of tomorrow the three final round matches will be known.

The event is being held alongside the EBSA European Championships in Antalya, Türkiye from 11-13 March 2025.

PLAY-OFF 1

Q Tour Europe top seed Dylan Emery was among those to secure his passage into the Global Play-Off semi-finals on the opening morning of the event in Antalya, Türkiye.

The 23-year-old Welshman, who won the second event of the campaign in Bulgaria, comfortably overcame Iran’s Ali Gharahgozlou 5-2 with a pair of half-century breaks along the way.

In the most dramatic contest of the top section, England’s Ryan Davies came from 4-3 behind against fellow countryman and former professional Kuldesh Johal to earn victory in the decider.

Davies had led 2-0 but, despite compiling a break of 97 in the sixth frame to restore parity, it was Johal who moved one away from the winning line at 4-3 ahead.

The 22-year-old held his nerve, however, to take frame eight on the black before taking the decider on the last pink having earlier trailed by 37 points.

Davies is joined in the last four of the first play-off by fellow Englishmen Steven Hallworth and Mark Joyce.

Joyce showed some fine form in his opening encounter with Connor Benzey and hit breaks of 82, 76 and 51 en route to a 5-2 victory. Meanwhile, Hallworth was forced to work hard against former World Snooker Federation (WSF) champion Luo Honghao from China but ultimately held his nerve to take the concluding two frames and earn a 5-3 win.

PLAY-OFF 2

Australia’s Vinnie Calabrese earned an impressive 5-1 victory over former ranking event semi-finalist Craig Steadman to keep the flag flying for the WPBSA Q Tour Asia-Pacific series.

Calabrese, who won four of the five Q Tour events in the region, impressed with a top break of 62 to reach the last four and extend Steadman’s wait for a return to the professional ranks.

A trio of fellow former professionals from Europe join Calabrese in the semi-finals of the second play-off.

Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko, who compiled the third maximum break in Q Tour history in Belgium earlier this season, defeated England’s Alex Clenshaw 5-2 to reach the last four.

The English duo of Harvey Chandler and Liam Highfield dropped just a single frame between then as Chandler whitewashed Brazil’s Dhimones Moraes with a top break of 79 while Highfield swept aside Bahrain’s Habib Humood by a 5-1 scoreline.

PLAY-OFF 3

Four players from four different nations earned their place in the semi-finals of the third Q Tour Global Play-Off.

There were upsets in the closing session of the opening day as former professionals Ryan Thomerson and Sean O’Sullivan succumbed to defeats against Iran’s Ehsan Heydari Nezhad and England’s Oliver Sykes each by a 5-1 scoreline.

A late night finish between Estonia’s Andres Petrov, who won the first Q Tour Europe title of the season, and Canada’s Vito Puopolo eventually saw the Estonian secure a 5-2 victory.

The semi-finals are played today and you can follow the event via WPBSA SnookerScores and watch some selected matches live on the WPBSA Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The EBSA Championships 2025 are currently under way in Antalya, Turkey. The Under-16 event is the first to be played and you can follow it here.

The first thing I will say is that this under-16 event has attracted a field of 72 players, which is impressive considering they are all school-kids. The youngest ones are just 8. There is a strong representation from some mainland Europe countries, notably Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states. There are two girls in the field. That may not seem much but it still is significant. A few years back there were never any.

The list of players tells you their high breaks, in practice and in competition. There are several century makers out there! Of course, what this list also shows is that there is a large disparity in levels.

At the time of writing, the group phase is already over and all groups results are available. None of the girls progressed …

Mark Williams younger son, Joel, is also in the field but did not progress to the knock-out stage as he didn’t win a single match. Of course, he’s only 12 and that was to be expected. It’s a learning curve.

You can follow the knock-out phase here.

Neil Robertson beat Stuart Bingham by 10-0 today in Hong Kong to become the 2025 World Grand Prix Champion.

Congratulations Neil Robertson!

Here is the report shared by WST:

Robertson Whitewashes Bingham For Hong Kong Crown

Neil Robertson claimed the 25^th ranking crown of his career following a devastating 10-0 win over Stuart Bingham in the World Grand Prix final in Hong Kong.

It’s the fourth time that a player has scored a whitewash victory in a two-session ranking final. Steve Davis and Zhao Xintong also achieved the feat, while Robertson defeated Zhou Yuelong 9-0 in the European Masters final back in 2020.

Australia’s 43-year-old Robertson now goes ahead of Mark Selby’s ranking title tally of 24, to move into seventh position on the all-time list.

Robertson defeated Yuan Sijun, David Gilbert and Xiao Guodong to make yesterday’s semi-finals, where he dramatically came back from 5-3 down to beat Shaun Murphy 6-5. Few would have predicted the one-sided nature of today’s encounter.

Victory for the Melbourne cueman sees him scoop an event record £180,000 top prize in the first ranking tournament to be staged in Hong Kong for 36 years.

Robertson shoots up from 19^th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings to 11^th, meaning he will avoid the qualifying rounds for the World Championship and earn a seeded place at the Crucible.

He goes to third in the Johnstone’s Paint One Year list ahead of the Sportsbet.io Players Championship, where just the top 16 players of the current campaign qualify. Robertson is also assured to be in the top 12 at the cut off for the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship.

Hong Kong is a happy hunting ground for the Thunder from Down Under. He defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final to lift the trophy at the invitational Hong Kong Masters back in 2017 and made the semis of the same event in 2022.

The heavy defeat will be a sore one for 2015 Crucible king Bingham, but he can take solace in a first ranking final for six years. The last time he graced a title match in a ranking event was the 2019 Gibraltar Open, where he defeated Ryan Day to capture the trophy.

An imperious afternoon of snooker from Robertson saw him come into this evening with an 8-0 advantage, requiring just two more frames for victory.

England’s Bingham seized the early initiative in the first frame of the night, leading 53-6. However, 2010 World Champion Robertson battled back and the frame came down to the brown. Bingham eventually spurned a chance to the left centre and Robertson cleared to the black to move one from victory.

Both players had chances in the tenth frame, but it was Robertson who eventually found himself on a dead set long plant to the yellow pocket, which he deposited to set up a match winning visit and the title.

“The three times I’ve been here to play in big tournaments, I’ve won two of them. The strike rate is pretty good. I wish I could play in Hong Kong every week! The event is amazing and the crowd yesterday and today has been brilliant. They’ve created a wonderful atmosphere. It is a place that I really enjoy coming to. When you come to a country that there are lots of things to do at, then you almost don’t want to leave.”

Neil Robertson

World Grand Prix Champion

Robertson added: “It is very rare to win by a whitewash in a final. It certainly wasn’t what I expected coming into the match today. I started brilliantly in the first four frames and after that I was able to capitalise on some mistakes from Stuart. I think both players knew the writing was on the wall at six or seven nil. Going into tonight I wanted to do my best to win 10-0. I feel for Stuart, as he is a great guy and we get along well.

“Working with Joe Perry this season has been great. We collaborate every day. I message him a little bit too much sometimes, as I am so in depth with my match analysis. I just want to make sure that before we move onto the next tournament, we have covered everything. It is a partnership that has been going really well. Also my sport psychologist Helen Davies has been amazing. After losing in the World Championship last year, I’d had enough. I wasn’t getting the best out of myself. This summer I set out to have a team like you would in other sports.”

After the match, 48-year-old Bingham revealed that he had received the sad news in between sessions that his uncle Ray had passed away.

Bingham said: “My wife told me when I went back to the hotel at 8-0 down. He’s been ill for a couple of weeks. We knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but it is obviously a sad day.

“It was going to be an uphill struggle tonight. It was just one of those days where it didn’t happen. I’ve been there and got the T shirt a few times. What has happened this week has shown that it is a game of snooker and there are more important things in life. You have to take the rough with the smooth.”

Robertson Wraps Up Whitewash Win

Today was a truly remarkable day in Hong Kong. The afternoon semi-final was an extremely high quality affair and the real possibility that the loser of this might need to qualify for the Crucible is frankly puzzling. The evening match delivered an unexpected result. Here are the reports shared by WST:

Afternoon semi-final – Neil Robertson 6-5 Shaun Murphy

Robertson Fightback Stuns Murphy

Neil Robertson came back from two down with three to play to reach the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, defeating Shaun Murphy 6-5 in a crucial clash in the race for Crucible qualification.

The winner of today’s encounter was guaranteed to clinch a place in the projected seeding positions for the World Championship, with the other ending the week outside of the qualifying slots.

Victory for Australia’s Robertson sees him bumped up to 13^th in the provisional Crucible seedings, leaving Murphy in 17^th. There are two events remaining for contenders to jostle for position, at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship and the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship.  

The loss for Murphy means his hopes of avoiding the qualifying rounds for Sheffield remain very much in the balance. The Englishman won both the Players Championship and the Tour Championship two years ago, meaning those points will fall off his ranking in the coming weeks.

Robertson gains revenge for a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Murphy in their recent Johnstone’s Paint Masters quarter-final. The Magician went on to win that event and lift the Paul Hunter Trophy for a second time. Today’s win for 2010 World Champion Robertson enhances his superior head-to-head record with Murphy, which now stands at 19-12.

Tomorrow’s final will see 43-year-old Robertson pitted against either world number one Judd Trump or 2015 Crucible king Stuart Bingham. The first to ten frames will scoop a record £180,000 top prize in what is the first ranking event to take place in Hong Kong for 36 years.

The Thunder from Down Under got off to a blistering start this afternoon, firing in breaks of 114 and 104 in the opening two frames to establish an early 2-0 advantage. However, Murphy hit back with contributions of 52 and 77 to make it 2-2 at the mid-session.

Robertson regained the lead after the break, but Murphy summoned a three-frame blitz with runs of 64, 107 and 77 to move one from victory at 5-3.

Melbourne cueman Robertson dug deep and prevented Murphy from registering a point in the ninth and tenth frames to force a decider at 5-5. He hammered home a full-blooded red from long range to get his chance in the final frame. The 24-time ranking event winner took full advantage with 114 to earn his place in the title match. He will be aiming for a second title of the season tomorrow, following on from his win at the BetVictor English Open earlier in the campaign.

Robertson said: “It was a brilliant match. I started off so well. I missed a couple of difficult pots, but other than that I didn’t do too much wrong. Shaun played really well. He was very aggressive, potting some brilliant balls to get in and create frame winning opportunities. It’s easier to stay in the match when you haven’t done much wrong. Full complements to Shaun, he said after the match that there wasn’t anything he could do about that long red I potted in the last frame. It was an unbelievable shot to create the match winning visit. 

“A massive part of how I’m playing is switching to a titanium ferrule. The cue power I’m generating, I haven’t been able to play these sorts of shots for six or seven years. I didn’t realise at the time, but when I got my brass ferrule taken off I could see that it was damaged. I’ve effectively been playing with damaged equipment for the last few years. I feel as though I’ve got about 30 percent more power and the difference is huge. 

“Coming here, I was just trying to get used to the ferrule and win a couple of matches. To be able to reach the final and get some significant ranking points is good. The only down point about playing the final is I don’t get to go and see the LIV golf tomorrow now, with it being in Hong Kong!”

Evening semi-final – Stuart Bingham 6-3 Judd Trump

Bingham Battles To Hong Kong Final

Stuart Bingham scored a stunning 6-3 win over world number one Judd Trump to make his first ranking final in six years at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.

Bingham last featured in a ranking final back in 2019 at the Gibraltar Open, where he defeated Ryan Day to capture the sixth ranking crown of his career.

Tomorrow sees the Essex cueman go head-to-head with Australia’s 24-time ranking event winner Neil Robertson. They will battle it out over the best of 19 frames for an event record £180,000 top prize.

It’s a dramatic upturn in fortune for 48-year-old Bingham, who has admitted to suffering from the ‘yips’ this season. To this point, he hadn’t been beyond the last 16 of any ranking event in the campaign and only just qualified for the 32 player field in 30^th position.

Today’s victory secures 2015 World Champion Bingham his place in the upcoming Sportsbet.io Players Championship, dislodging Ali Carter from the qualifying positions. The guaranteed £80,000 puts Bingham into 14^th position on the Johnstone’s Paint One Year List, moving Carter out to 17^th. Only the top 16 players of the season earn a spot in the Telford event.

The ranking implications for Carter are drastic, with the Captain now set for a trip to World Championship qualifying. He’s placed 18^th in the provisional seedings for the event and with no further involvement in the Players Series, he is left without any opportunities to rectify that.

A fragmented opening frame this evening eventually went the way of Bingham, after 36 minutes of play. However, Trump responded immediately with a break of 106 to restore parity at 1-1. That century run was the 39^th of the tournament, which sets a new record for the event.

From there it was Bingham who turned on the heat. He crafted the 40^th century of the tournament with a 104, before further runs 72 and 69 helped him to four on the bounce and a 5-1 advantage.

Trump responded with 124 and 72 to close the gap, but Bingham eventually won the ninth to emerge with an emotional 6-3 win.

“I’m over the moon. I had a little tear there at the table, because it has been a long time. It has been hard,” said world number 23 Bingham, who has also defeated Mark Williams, Wu Yize and Mark Selby en route to the final.

“Without a doubt, I’ve wondered if I ever would get back in a ranking final. The last few years haven’t been good on my part. I’ve been searching and trying things. This week it has clicked for me. I’ve got through matches without feeling the best, but now I’m in the final. 

“I’ve got a great story from last night. I rang my wife and she asked what happened. I said that I won. Because the first two games were best of sevens, she switched it off at 4-2. When she found out she was amazed. I rang her today and reminded her it was first to six!

“That was my final, to get into the Players Championship. I can relax tomorrow and it is a nice payday. I’ll be trying as hard as I can to get my hands on that trophy though.“

The first match had a break over 50 in every frame. Very, very high scoring. The second match though was more compelling. Very few expected Bingham to win and one of the commentators seemed to keep the faith that Trump would eventually prevail until the very end. What I saw from Bingham today reminded me of the Bingham at the Crucible in 2015. Not the most spectacular player but extremely efficient and reliable when in the balls. It will be an interesting final against Neil Robertson.

No matter what happens tomorrow, the field for the 2025 Players Championship is now known, although the seeding could, probably will, still change.

Sportsbet.io Players Championship Line-Up Confirmed

The field of 16 players for the Sportsbet.io Players Championship is now confirmed, with an elite line-up of the world’s top stars heading for the tournament which runs from March 17-23 at Telford International Centre.

Tickets for the event in Telford are on sale now from just £28, book fast now that the line-up is confirmed! The match schedule will be announced early next week. …

Only the top 16 players on the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings, as it stands after the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, will head to Telford.

Stuart Bingham’s run to the final in Hong Kong has boosted him from 30th into the top 16 and earned him a place, at the expense of Ali Carter who misses out on Telford. 

The 16 players are below, not necessarily in seeding order as that could change depending on the result of Sunday’s final between Bingham and Neil Robertson.

Judd Trump
Kyren Wilson
John Higgins
Neil Robertson
Xiao Guodong
Mark Selby
Mark Williams
Barry Hawkins
Shaun Murphy
Ding Junhui
Si Jiahui
Wu Yize
Chris Wakelin
Stuart Bingham
Mark Allen
Lei Peifan

The draw will be announced at the end of Sunday’s final, based on the seeding structure below. The match fixtures will then be announced early next week.  

1 v 16
8 v 9

5 v 12
4 v 13

———–

3 v 14
6 v 11

7 v 10
2 v 15

Following the Sportsbet.io Players Championship, the last event in the series is the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship, running from March 31 to April 6 in Manchester. Only the top 12, as it stands at the end of the week in Telford, will earn a place at Manchester Central.

There are five Chinese players in that field, including the 21 years old Wu Yize. At the other extremity of the age spectrum, we have two members of the “Class of 92” nearing their 50th birthday celebration … No Thai player in the draw this year.

Mark Allen won it last year and will have the opportunity to try to defend his title.

On a different topic … Jack Lisowski …

Jack withdrew from the World Grand Prix for personal reasons. Today, Jack’s mother, Tracy, posted on Facebook, saying that her husband, Nick, passed away suddenly earlier this week. It was completely unexpected, he wasn’t ill, nothing at all foreshadowed his sudden demise … he went for a walk, as he did most days and collapsed. My thoughts are with Tracy, Jack and their family in these extremely difficult times.