Live snooker returns tomorrow with the 2022 British Open qualifiers. Among the players scheduled to play tomorrow is Stephen Hendry. His opponent is Zhang Anda, the man who pushed Hendry all the way in the first round at the Crucible in 2010. Zhang, at the time was only 18.
No reason has been given, and maybe something important and unexpected happened forcing Hendry to withdraw. We don’t know of course, but I haven’t a good feeling about this, and going by reactions on twitter, I’m not the only one.
The 2022 European Masters qualifiers have been played already of course, and now WST has shared this trailer about the main event:
I’m glad to see snooker returning to Fürth and the event should be well attended but I’m still sad, and to an extend angry, at the way WST actually “killed” the biggest and best European Pro-Am by turning it into a ranking event.
Mohamed Ibrahim from Egypt has won the 2022 Snooker African Championship and will be offered a two years tour card. He defeated Hesham Shawky 5-4 on the pink to win the 2022 African Snooker Championship late last night in Morocco. Mohamed Ibrahim had already qualified for the main Tour in 2018/19, by winning the same competition. However, he never played a professional match. What will happen this time remains to be seen.. All the same, congratulations to him!
No event in China at all, not even with a “to be confirmed” tag. No Gibraltar Open either. That’s maybe not that surprising after the problems players faced last season. Indeed, because of Brexit, most players now need a “Schengen Visa” just in case, because of the weather, their plane would land in Spain rather than in Gibraltar. Last season, a number of them were sent back to the UK, after landing in Spain, missing out on possibly crucial ranking points.
BetVictor Continues Partnership With World Snooker Tour
BetVictor, a leading global gambling company, will be title sponsor of nine events on the World Snooker Tour during the 2022/23 season, with the leading money winner across the BetVictor Series to earn a huge £150,000 bonus.
WST is delighted to continue its long term partnership with BetVictor, a dedicated supporter of snooker for many years.
The BetVictor sponsored tournaments will include the four BetVictor Home Nations Series events, the new and innovative BetVictor World Mixed Doubles and four others. The events are:
BetVictor Championship League, June 28 to July 29, Leicester, promoted by Matchroom Multi-Sport
BetVictor World Mixed Doubles, September 24-25, Milton Keynes
BetVictor European Masters, August 16-21, Germany
BetVictor Shoot Out, January 26-29, Leicester
BetVictor German Masters, February 1-5, Berlin
BetVictor Home Nations Series
BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, October 16-23, Belfast
BetVictor Scottish Open, November 28 to December 4, Edinburgh
BetVictor English Open, December 12-18, Brentwood
BetVictor Welsh Open, February 13 to 19, Llandudno
All of these events, other than the BetVictor World Mixed Doubles, will count towards the BetVictor Series. All money earned by every player in the eight counting events will be tallied on the BetVictor Series Rankings. The money list leader after the eighth and final event in Wales in February will earn the £150,000 bonus.
John Higgins earned the £150,000 bonus last season
Last season, going into the final event there were 11 players still in with a chance of banking the bonus. In a dramatic finish, John Higgins came out on top and won the £150,000. Judd Trump captured the bonus in both 2020 and 2021.
All of the BetVictor-sponsored events will be broadcast live to hundreds of millions of snooker fans across the globe.
Discovery-owned Quest and Eurosport are the host broadcasters for the BetVictor Home Nations Series. Eurosport are also host broadcasters for the BetVictor Shoot Out, BetVictor European Masters and BetVictor German Masters.
The new BetVictor World Mixed Doubles will be live on ITV and ITV4, featuring the world’s top four men and top four women players. The BetVictor Championship League will be broadcast by streaming partners including Matchroom.Live
The events will also be shown around the world on WST’s broadcast partners which include TrueSport, SportCast, Now TV, Astro SuperSport, CCTV5, Liaoning TV, SPS Mongolia, Pakistan TV Sports, Premier Sports Philippines, Hub Sport and DAZN as well as various streaming partners including Huya, Youku, Migu and Matchroom.Live.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “BetVictor has been a fantastic and welcome part of the snooker family for many years and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with them. In the coming season they will sponsor a wide range of events with a variety of formats. Every tournament will feature the very best players in the world at a time when the entertainment delivered by our sport is stronger than ever.
“The BetVictor bonus has provided a fascinating extra element to our tour over the past three years. From the first event, players are striving to top the leaderboard and put themselves in line for the £150,000. To have 11 players in the race over the final three days of the series last season gave us a thrilling conclusion and we hope for a similar story next time.
“Snooker continues to grow in terms of our worldwide television and digital audience, with new and younger fans discovering the enthralling nature of the sport every year. BetVictor have joined us on that journey, bringing their brand to hundreds of millions of followers. They are a great team to work with and we look forward to developing our relationship for many years to come.”
Hull To Stage Tour Championship For The First Time
Neil Robertson and John Higgins contested a classic final last year
The Bonus Arena in Hull will host the world’s best snooker players next year, when the Tour Championship comes to the city for the first time.
The tournament is one of the biggest on snooker’s global circuit and features an elite eight-man field. Only the top eight on the 2022/23 season one-year ranking list will qualify for the world ranking event.
Running from March 27 to April 2 in 2023, the event will be televised live by ITV and a range of other international broadcasters.
Neil Robertson won the title last season in Llandudno, beating John Higgins in the final. Also in the field were Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Mark Allen, Zhao Xintong and Luca Brecel. A stellar field of the sport’s all-time greats is expected again in 2023.
…
World Snooker Tour Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are excited about going to the Bonus Arena in Hull for one of our biggest events for the first time as it is a fabulous venue and the atmosphere when it is packed out is going to be incredible. For the very best players on the planet and for the fans lucky enough to get tickets this is going to be a special experience.
“From the moment the first balls are struck this season, the players are in a race to climb high on the one year list, because only those in form qualify for the elite events in this series. The top 32 make it to the World Grand Prix, then 16 qualify for the Players Championship and by the time we get to the eight-man Tour Championship it really is the cream of the crop.
“We look forward to working with the team at the Bonus Arena and the people of Hull on delivering a sensational event.”
Hull, and this venue in particular, have hosted several important “Seniors” events. It’s a great venue and Hull is a very nice and interesting city to visit. It has both “historical” and “mordern” sides. The locals are particularly wellcoming, and helpful if you get lost! If you plan to go … take some warm clothes with you! The sea coast climate is “tonic” but not exactly hot!
Snooker’s Scottish Open and Welsh Open get new homes for 2022/23 season
Phil Haigh Monday 20 Jun 2022
The Scottish Open will return to Scotland this season after a brief trip to Wales last year, while the Welsh Open moves to Llandudno for the 2022/23 campaign.
It was an unusual Scottish Open in 2021, with a contractual issue forcing a late switch from Glasgow to north Wales due to the tournament being sponsored by a bookmaker.
It returns to Scotland in 2022, but not to Glasgow which has been its home for the majority of its latest incarnation, but to Edinburgh for the event that runs from 28 November to 4 December.
World Snooker Tour confirmed the switch in their Cue News newsletter, although did not announce which venue would be used in the Scottish capital.
In a previous life, the Scottish Open was last hosted in Edinburgh in 2003 at the Royal Highland Centre, when David Gray beat Mark Selby in the final to lift the title.
The newsletter also confirmed that the Welsh Open will be making the move to Llandudno for the first time in its history.
The tournament dates back to 1992 and has either been held in Cardiff or Newport since its inception, but will move north to Llandudno in 2023 from 13-19 February.
Llandudno has become a feature on the World Snooker Tour in recent years, also hosting the Tour Championship in 2019 and ’22, but the eight-man event is set to move on this season.
Hull is expected to be announced as the new home of the Tour Championship for 2023.
After careful consideration the WPBSA Board has taken the decision not to admit Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon as a Member of the WPBSA.
This decision has been taken in the best interests of the WPBSA and the sport. This means that he will be unable to take a place on the World Snooker Tour for the forthcoming season.
This is due to outstanding serious disciplinary matters from when he was last on the World Snooker Tour in 2015. Thanawat is cooperating fully with the WPBSA to resolve the outstanding issues.
The WPBSA was today alerted to unusual betting patterns regarding the match between Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon and Martin O’Donnell at the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany.
The WPBSA monitors betting on ALL professional snooker and has the most sophisticated methods available today. Working with partners worldwide and by liaising with the Gambling Commission, the WPBSA will review the available facts surrounding betting on this match. A decision will then be taken on whether any further action is necessary.
Firebomb attack on Sheffield home of snooker players in corruption probe
The Sheffield home of two Thai snooker players under investigation for possible match-fixing has been firebombed in a premeditated arson attack, The Mail on Sunday reveals.
Although the police have established no fixed motive for the arson, which resulted in two people needing medical treatment, one line of inquiry is that it could be linked to gambling on snooker.
Violent crime has been a blot on Thai snooker historically. Thailand’s best player, James Wattana, a former world No 3, once had a death threat to encourage him to lose a match, and his father was shot dead in 1992, said to be as a result of gambling debts.
Suggestions that Asian fixers could be trying to influence British snooker will send a chill through the sport – hence the complete secrecy, until now, about the arson attack.
The Mail on Sunday reveals it happened at a house in the Brinsworth area of Rotherham, near Sheffield, early on Friday August 30.
The property is owned by a snooker academy boss, Keith Warren, and two of those to have stayed there are Thai players, Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon, 19, and Passakorn Suwannawat, 27.
The attack came three weeks after snooker’s governing body, the WPBSA, announced they were investigating unusual betting patterns on matches played in Doncaster by Passakorn and Thanawat on August 7.
Money had been placed on Thanawat, the world No 75, and Passakorn, ranked No 92, to lose in a qualifying event for the Shanghai Masters. Both fell to lower-ranked opponents. Bookmakers suspended betting before the matches and the WPBSA announced immediately they would liaise with the Gambling Commission to ‘establish the available facts’.
Almost seven weeks on, the inquiry is continuing. ‘We are continuing to look at the two matches, and I can confirm there was an arson attack,’ said snooker’s head of integrity Nigel Mawer, formerly the head of the Economic and Specialist Crime Command at the Met Police. ‘Whether the matches are connected to the arson, I don’t know, but that is one of several possibilities that could be considered.’
The two players were not in the house at the time of the attack, having left for Thailand three or four days earlier, and wanted to remain anonymous.
A local fire brigade spokeswoman said three fire engines attended a blaze at 2.30am and two occupants were told how to stay safe until rescued. ‘The door area of the house was on fire and the rest of the property was smoke-logged,’ said the spokeswoman. A brigade investigation found the fire was ‘deliberate’ and the police took over.
It is understood that the WPBSA were alerted that cash in Asian markets had been wagered on the Thai players’ qualifiers, and peculiar betting patterns were also seen in the UK.
Snooker is grappling with one major match-fix case already. Former world No 5 Stephen Lee, 38, was found guilty last week on seven counts of fixing games or frames in 2008-09 and faces a possible life ban.
It’s been made public this morning that the residence in Rotherham which houses the Thai snooker players was subjected to an arson attack back in August, just three weeks after two of them fell under suspicion for match fixing.
While it has not been established if there is a concrete link between the dodgy goings-on in Doncaster which saw Passakorn Suwannawat and Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon both lose in the wake of unusual betting patterns it does seem coincidental that their house, which they were not in at the time, was targeted.
If this is the case, this is a sinister twist in the story, I understand that the attack followed a visit from the police to question the players about any involvement in match fixing.
Nigel Mawer, the head of the sniffer dogs at the Integrity Unit said ‘Whether the matches are connected to the arson, I don’t know, but that is one of several possibilities that could be considered.’ He didn’t mention what the other ones were.
Thai snooker is no stranger to controversy of this kind and even a casual Google Search of James Wattana will reveal death threats and even murder linked to such things, so it’s not something that you really want to get yourself involved with if you value your health.
The fire brigade have established that the fire was started deliberately and it is now in the hands of the police to investigate who might be behind it and for what reason.
I have also received unconfirmed reports that Passakorn is unlikely to continue his professional snooker career having had his funding withdrawn and is back in Thailand unlikely to return.
Passakorn indeed didn’t return to the main tour, but Thanawhat did.
Bradford-based snooker star James Wattana received a death threat just hours before a major match in Bangkok, it was revealed today.
Wattana was told to “be prepared to die” less than three hours before he lost 5-2 to Ken Doherty in the second round of the Thailand Masters.
The call, which was taken seriously, was made to Wattana’s mobile phone from a public booth believed to be near to the venue.
He was given full police protection, but his mother, Ployrung, still pleaded with her son to withdraw, claiming it was not worth the risk to continue.
The anonymous call, which is under investigation, could well have been linked to an illegal betting ring.
Seven years ago Wattana’s father was gunned down by an assassin in Bangkok while, some 6,000 miles away in Derby, his son compiled a maximum 147 break at the British Open.
“I told James not to play,” said his mother, who was seen crying during the match. “This tournament just isn’t worth the risk. I lost my husband and I don’t want to lose my son as well.”
After the match with Doherty, Wattana joked: “It was good that the guy asked me to lose. What would I have done if he’d asked me to win? Against Ken that would have been very difficult.”
His father Kowin Phu-ob-orm, was shot dead in an argument over gambling debts. Two men suspected of the killing were later shot dead in a Bangkok street by police.
The Daily Telegraph snooker correspondent, John Dee, who is covering the tournament in Bangkok, said today: “We did not know about the death threat until after James had played.
“I spoke to him last night and he was very subdued. After the match he gave his snooker cue and case away – he was suspicious about it bringing bad luck. A lot of the players here are shocked at what happened but James will be moving onto China next week for another tournament and trying to put this behind him.”
Wattana became an adopted Bradfordian in 1989 when he moved to the city from London. He is based in Allerton and practices there at the Cuedos Snooker Club.
In December Wattana, who spends half the year in Bradford and half in Bangkok, broke down in tears at a press conference after a shock 5-1 defeat in the Asian Games in Bangkok.
After a doubles defeat where he was representing his country, Wattana said: “The pressure has been unbelievable , the worst I have ever felt. I could not see straight, walk straight or think straight….it was that bad.”
After last night’s dramatic death threat, Wattana, who was the Thai Masters Champion in 1994 and 1995, lost his match.
Now, what do I make of all this?
Well … so many things feel wrong to me here.
From the moment Thanawhat entered the Asia-Oceania Q-School, there was always a real possibility that he could win it. Why take his money and allow him to compete if he wasn’t going to be allowed to join the main tour anyway?
The “initial” 2015 statement is nearly 7 years old. Why hasn’t this been resolved yet? Why dig it out now?
James Wattana stories and the arson show that some Thai players have been put under very serious threats by – as far as we know – the Thai betting mafia. Whilst match fixers must be punished, it seems to me that in these cases the main culprits – the betting rings – aren’t punished at all, whilst their victims – the frightened players – are put in an impossible situation.
I do hope that WPBSA will explain their decisions further and that we will eventually understand the how and why of this mess.
Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng has regained his professional status with a 4-1 win over compatriot Narongdat Takantong in the final round of Asia-Oceania Q School in Bangkok.
Poomjaeng lost his place on the World Snooker Tour at the conclusion of the 16/17 season and has not regained his professional status since then. He has now earned a fresh two-year card.
The 43-year-old is a fan favourite and is fondly remembered for his run to the last 16 of the 2013 World Championship, where he scored a thrilling 10-9 win over Stephen Maguire.
He had to recover from the setback of losing out in the final round of event one, where he was defeated by fellow Thai Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon. After losing the opening frame today, Poomjaeng held his composure to rack up four on the bounce and emerge victorious.
India’s 30-year-old Himanshu Jain came through an epic clash with former professional Kritsanut Lertsattaythorn 4-3 to earn the other place. The pair battled for over four hours, with Jain eventually winning the deciding frame on the final pink.
Jain earns a place on the tour for the first time and will become the first professional from India since Aditya Mehta left the circuit in 2018.
Many will be happy to see “Poomy” back … but Stephen Maguire is probably not one of them. I’m happy for Poomy but, well, he’s another rather “old” qualifier.
Himanshu was very emotional at the end of the match. It obviously meant a lot to him. I do hope that he will adapt to the life in the UK. Indian players, notably Pankaj Advani, have often felt very homesick living as expats in the UK. They were missing their family, the food, the sun, the different social life.
The 2022 EBSA under-21 Championship has now reached the semi-finals stage, where Florian Nüssle from Austria will face Aidan Murphy from England and Ben Mertens from Belgium will face Liam Pullen from England. Ben beat Iulian Boïko in the quarter-finals, putting an end to the young Ukrainian hopes of an immediate return to the Main Tour.
That said the 2022 EBSA men Championship is now underway. It’s called “men” championship, but, unless things changed as compared to last year, it’s actually open to both genders. There isn’t a single female in the draw though. Most of the youngsters who played in the under-21 event entered this one as well. Former professionals Robin Hull and Eden Sharav are in the draw. I’m not sure if this event carries a tour card for the winner. It used to be the case.
There are also separate Women and Seniors events, as well as Team events. I noticed that there are only three female players under 30 years of age in the women’s draw and that’s actually a big concern. The youngest one is 23. Young girls are not getting into snooker it seems, quite the opposite.
Tomorrow, both the 2022 Asia-Oceania Q-School Event 2 and the EBSA Under-21 Championship will be played to a conclusion.
This is the semi-finals line-up for the Asia-Oceania Q-School Event 2:
The winners of these matches will get a two years tour card. We have three Thai players, and an Indian player. Of the three Thai players only Narongdat Takantong has never been a pro. Himanshu Dinesh Jain has never been a pro either. Dechawat Poomjaeng would probably be a popular winner tomorrow although Stephen Maguire may disagree …
The EBSA Under-21 Championship is at the quater final stages:
It’s a rather international line-up: Kledio is Albanese, Aidan and Liam are English, Florian is Austrian, Julien and Ben are Belgian, Iulian is Ukrainian and Nicolas is French.
Iulian has both been professional. Florian has not been a pro, but has played in main tour events. Julien has already earned his tour card via the Q-Tour. Tomorrow Florian and Julien will face each other and Florian may feel aggrieved, should he lose, to have lost to someone who had little pressure, whilst himself is trying to gain his tour card.
Iulian will face Ben and although he’s the one fighting to regain his tour card, he’s the youngest of the two. I have mixed feelings about this one. I would like to have three Belgians on the Main Tour, I also want Iulian to regain his professional status. He was far too young the first time, and is only starting to improve significantly. It would be a shame if he suffered a setback in his development now.
For me, the “surprise package” of this line-up is Nicolas Mortreux. I will admit that I know nothing about him, although he’s done well in EBSA events before. Actually, Nicolas, Julien and Florian were all involved in the QFs at the 2019 EBSA under-18 Championship in Israel.
In other snooker news, Sunny Akani‘s father put a post on his son’s Facebook page. Automatic translations are not always accurate, but from what I understood, Sunny will go back or is already back to Thailand and doesn’t intend to play on the Main Tour next season, despite beeing “high” on the Q-School order of merit. Akani struggled with health issues and with his game over the last three years. He wasn’t enjoying his snooker anymore. He’s hoping that going back to Thailand, and playing there without the pressure of the main tour will help him to rediscover his form and his love for the game.
And in other news … Ronnie and Zhao were on their way to Singapore
and Mink was also on her way …
… to play in this …
Hopefully I’ll be able to find some kind of report and pictures…
Snooker’s Mark Selby and Judd Trump have been awarded MBEs, after being named on the Queen’s 2022 Birthday Honours List.
They are both all-time greats of the sport and receive their honours in recognition of their services to snooker and charity.
Leicester cueman Selby has been World Champion on four occasions, having captured the sport’s biggest prize in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021.
Selby won his first major title at the Masters in 2008 and then captured a maiden ranking event win at the Welsh Open later that year.
Trump won his first and only world title to date back in 2019, when he scored a stunning 18-9 defeat of John Higgins in the World Championship final.
The Bristolian made his big breakthrough in 2011. He landed maiden ranking titles at the China Open and the UK Championship and was runner-up to Higgins in the world final.
Between them they have a total of 43 ranking titles to their names, with 38-year-old Selby having amassed 20 to Trump’s 23.
Both players have enjoyed periods of dominance in the sport. Selby was world number one for 49 consecutive months between 2015 and 2019, while 32-year-old Trump holds the record for most ranking titles won in a single season, with six in the 2019/20 campaign.
Selby is a patron of the LOROS Leicester Hospice, who deliver care and support to terminally ill patients. He regularly visits the hospice and works to grow awareness of it and raise vital funds.
On receiving the honour, Selby said: “To receive an MBE is one of the proudest moments of my life. It is an incredible honour. I have always put everything I have into snooker and also tried to help the fantastic charities I am connected with. For someone like me, from an unprivileged background, to achieve a lot and to be recognised with an MBE hopefully gives inspiration to others.”
Trump is a patron for Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home, who provide specialist nursing care for terminally ill children in their own homes in the South West of England. Jessie May is the official charity partner of WST and Trump helps to promote the charity, as well as raise funding.
He is also an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust alongside close friend and fellow professional Jack Lisowski, who himself overcame Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as a teenager. The pair launched the appeal to fundraise for the unit at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre and they officially opened the unit alongside the Duchess of York in 2014.
After hearing the news, Trump said: “To be awarded an MBE is an incredibly proud moment for me and my family, it was a huge surprise.
“It’s an absolute honour to be an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Jessie May Foundation; both do such amazing work and I will continue to support them as much as possible. I hope I can continue to help grow the sport of snooker and inspire kids to pick up a cue”.
Chairman of WST Steve Dawson said: “On behalf of WST, my sincere congratulations go to Mark and Judd. They have both been fantastic ambassadors for snooker for many years, bringing new fans into our sport, and they are both great characters who have built relationships with the fans, their own charities and local communities. This recognition is richly deserved.”
Congratulations to Mark and Judd.
That these honours were awarded, not just because of their sporting achievements, but also because of their support to important charities is great. Those two, and other players, who are supporting charities rarely speak about it, but what they do really matters.
Snooker’s first ever Asia-Oceania Q School, starting on June 1st, gives new opportunities for the most talented players in those regions to graduate to the professional tour. Two tournaments will be staged, with the finalists from both to earn a two-year card to the World Snooker Tour. So in total four players will be awarded a place on the professional circuit for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
So, that was this morning then. Twitath Warintrakom was conducting the ceremony. The draw was made in Thai and English. Both videos together have about one and a half hour duration. I haven’t worked out the draw yet … and might actually wait for WST to do publish it.
After a complaint made to the WPBSA by WST, Jamie O’Neill was charged with breaches of the WPBSA Members Rules and his Players Contract with WSL as a result of incidents at the Northern Ireland Qualifying Event in Leicester on Monday 23rd August 2021
The allegation was that Mr O’Neill was drunk on the morning of his match and that he made inappropriate comments and gestures toward two female members of staff. He then played his qualifying match whilst under the influence of alcohol.
The case was heard by the independent WPBSA Disciplinary Committee where after a contested hearing Mr O’Neill was found to be in breach of the WPBSA Rules and his Players Contract.
In making their decision on sanction, the Committee took into account that the finding of the Disciplinary Committee puts Mr O’Neill in breach of a suspended penalty imposed by the Disciplinary Committee on 27th May 2021. In addition, Mr O’Neill has breached two previous suspended penalties imposed under the WPBSA Disciplinary process.
Mr O’Neill was suspended from playing or being involved in WST events, effective immediately until 23.59 on 31 July 2022; and to pay a fine of £1,500 and to pay £3,200 towards the costs of the hearings.
Mr O’Neill will be suspended for the Championship League and the European Masters.
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Appendix 1
WSL Players Contract extracts:
Obligations of the Player
3.1 General Obligations
In consideration for the Player having the opportunity to participate in the WSL Events by WSL entering into this Agreement with the Player, the Player shall:
3.1.5 Behave in a professional and reputable manner befitting a professional sportsperson. 3.1.7 Not be under the influence of alcohol whilst competing in a WSL Event and at all times comply with the WPBSA Anti-Doping rules.
WPBSA Members Rules extract
1.3 A Member shall not make or cause to be made any statement or commit or cause to be committed any act which in the reasonable view of the WPBSA is likely to bring into disrepute the games of snooker and/or billiards.”
The facts are 9 months old… Considering that this is not the first time Jamie O’Neil’s conduct is inappropriate, I find the “punishment” quite light actually. The previous penalties were about inappropriate behaviour towards hotel and WST staff, as well as breach of covid rules.
I’m sure that if it was a top player behaving like this it would be all over the news and social media for days, and calls would be made for harsher punishment as this is not a first offence and it clearly brings the sport into disrepute.
World Snooker Tour Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are excited about going to the Bonus Arena in Hull for one of our biggest events for the first time as it is a fabulous venue and the atmosphere when it is packed out is going to be incredible. For the very best players on the planet and for the fans lucky enough to get tickets this is going to be a special experience.
Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng has regained his professional status with a 4-1 win over compatriot Narongdat Takantong in the final round of Asia-Oceania Q School in Bangkok.
Selby is a patron of the LOROS Leicester Hospice, who deliver care and support to terminally ill patients. He regularly visits the hospice and works to grow awareness of it and raise vital funds.
Trump is a patron for Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home, who provide specialist nursing care for terminally ill children in their own homes in the South West of England. Jessie May is the official charity partner of WST and Trump helps to promote the charity, as well as raise funding.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 