Jason Ferguson gives the latest on Turkish Masters, the upcoming season and possible new events
Phil Haigh – Thursday 13 May 2021
Jason Ferguson has confirmed a huge first prize at the Turkish Masters (Picture: Getty Images)
The newly-announced Turkish Masters will have a top prize of ‘at least £100,000’ confirms WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson, who is plotting some more events around the Mediterranean in the near future.
After a low-key unveiling of the season’s calendar last week, with a number of gaps with ‘potential ranking event’ one of those gaps was filled in style with the announcement of the new tournament in Antalya at the end of September.
It’s a glamorous destination for the tour, especially after a year of behind-closed-doors action in Milton Keynes, and of the confirmed £500,000 prize fund, Ferguson says at least £100,000 will go to the champion.
‘It’s a full-ranking, flat draw, 128 players,’ Ferguson explained to Metro.co.uk.‘The intention is to take 64 players to Turkey, but we’ll hold some first round matches for over there, the world champion and a few others and it will be a minimum of £100,000 first prize.
‘I’m really excited. It’s been two years’ work for me, rumbling along in the background.
‘The promoter, a lovely guy called Tugba [Irten] has pulled everything together and made it work, it’s really exciting.
‘If I could send one message, I urge all players to support this event. This is one of the most beautiful destinations in the world.’
The players appear to share Ferguson’s excitement for a trip to Turkey in September – as long as Covid-related travel restrictions are eased by then – and they could have more appealing destinations to look forward to in the coming months as well.
‘I’m working on a few in this sort of area,’ Jason said. ‘We’ve had a lot of time to think in lockdown.
‘It’s been hard in Milton Keynes, it was great for us there, but we can’t keep going back to the same place. We need to get out and show the world what we’re doing.
‘It’ll be good for the players, good for morale and something to look forward to. I think it’s lifted the spirits a little bit.
‘I’m looking at a few other Mediterranean-style destinations, but it’s all to do with travel and countries opening up again, it’s hard to say too much at the minute.
‘That whole area is booming, the interest in snooker in the Mediterranean is booming and it’s not just ex-pats.
When the 2021/22 calendar was announced there was some concern among players that five slots were filled by ‘potential ranking events’ but Ferguson has allayed fears over these dates in the diary.
Restrictions thanks to the pandemic continue to make things difficult, but whether they take place in the UK or abroad, those gaps in the calendar will be filled.
‘Oh they’re happening, yeah,’ he said. ‘We’re in this difficult travel situation at the moment. We’ve had to hold on as long as we could.
‘Ideally we’d be qualifying for overseas events early, but we don’t know if we can do final stages before the new year.
‘We’re starting off with the Championship League [4-30 July], that’s a good way to get people back playing. Qualifiers for Turkey in the qualifying slot in August.
‘We’re looking at a revised WST Pro series, refining that into a better model.
‘There’s a lot of work to do. It might start gentle with some league-style things but it will gain momentum. We will backfill that calendar, we will fill it up.’
The fact that there will be a few held-over matches gives me a hope that Ronnie will enter. After all he remains one of the most popular players, if not the most popular player and the sponsor will probably want to be sure he makes it to the main venue.
One concern might be the conditions: at the scheduled dates the weather will still be quite hot in Antalya, albeit dry.
Snooker Heads To New Territory With Turkish Masters
The World Snooker Tour will stage an event in Turkey for the first time next season when the Turkish Masters takes place in the beautiful city of Antalya.
The provisional dates of the tournament are September 27 to October 3 and WST will closely monitor all guidelines on travel and Covid safety, working with governments in the UK and overseas.
The world ranking event will see 64 players heading to Turkey to compete for total prize money of £500,000.
Antalya is known for its history, culture, beaches and cuisine
Antalya is renowned as one of Europe’s outstanding destinations, known for its culture, history and ideal location on the Mediterranean coast.
WST has agreed a four-year deal with the Turkish Billiards Federation and Big Break Promotions to stage the Turkish Masters every season until at least 2024/2025. Overall prize money will increase each year.
A qualifying round will be staged in August with players needing to win one match to make it to the final stages. Two Turkish wild cards will also be handed places in the main event in Antalya. The tournament will be televised by a range of broadcasters worldwide including Eurosport and Matchroom Live.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are thrilled to continue snooker’s international expansion by staging a world ranking event in Turkey for the first time. Over the past decade we have made dramatic progress in becoming a truly global sport, and to enter a brand new territory is a further step on that journey.
“We have tracked the growth in interest in snooker in Turkey in terms of television viewing figures and digital audience. This new event will provide a focal point for our sport in the region and it will help us to develop our strategy of building foundations across Europe.
“We are particularly excited to stage this event in Antalya because of the status of the city as an outstanding tourism destination. We have no doubt that the world’s leading players will be delighted with the chance to visit this stunning location while competing for a prestigious title and significant prize money, particularly given the challenges they have faced over the past year.
“We look forward to working with our new partners in Turkey on this fantastic project. To stage a major sporting event in Antalya will help develop the profile of the city.”
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “Congratulations to Ersan Ercan, President of the Turkish Billiard Federation, his hard working team, and local promoter Tuğba İrten for everything they have done to bring the Turkish Masters to the forefront of snooker’s global calendar. We have no doubt it will become one of the most popular events and destinations on our circuit.”
Antalya – the Pearl of the Mediterranean
Ersan Ercan, President of the Turkish Billiard Federation, added: “I would like to say a sincere thank you to WST for giving us the opportunity to welcome snooker to Turkey for the first time in our history.
“We are very excited and work has already begun to make this event one of the best on the calendar. I can assure those who attend of one thing, and that is they will fall in love with Antalya.”
Antalya is a marvellous place with a rich Greek, Roman and even Persian history. Tradional cuisine should be excellent as well… for those who know better than burgers and kebabs. Expect hot weather at that time of the year though…
I’m a bit surprised at Turkey interest in snooker. Their “traditional” game is 3-cushions billiards, a discipline they excel at. Turkey has produced top 3-cushions billiards players over the years, but none more famous than the great Semih Sayginer, the Turkish Prince.
For those of you who know nothing about 3-cushions here it is in short: there are three balls on the table: a white, a red, a yellow. One of the players plays with the white, the other one with the yellow. the goal is to score points. To score a point, the player at the table has to hit the red and his opponent’s ball, in any order, but before they hir the second ball they need to have hit at leat three cushions. The player stays at the table as long as they score. It’s simple… not!
Here is a short video featuring two of the best exponents of that discipline: Semih Sayginer and Torbjorn Blomdahl
Anyway…
What annoys me with this event is that Turkey is not a great country when it comes to respecting human rights. They have very recently withdrawn from the Istanbul convention , basically making domestic violence against women and girls legal. They also have a history of violence towards ethnic or religious minorities and even genocide, most notably against Armenians and Kurds.
More down to earth… it will be interesting to see if Ronnie will enter, given that, unless he’s drawn against a wildcard, he will likely need to qualify. And if he doesn’t, if he will give any reason for it other than not liking the qualifiers…
In general, I’m curious to see if any player with a moral compass AND politically informed will say anything.
WST staged 18 events during the 2020/21 season despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, and is now working towards a packed schedule for the coming campaign.
The season will start with the Championship League in July, which will be a ranking event open to all 128 tour players, promoted by Matchroom Multi Sport.
The four Home Nations events will take place between October and March, while the Cazoo Series of three events will run between December and April.
Snooker’s Triple Crown events remain ever-present with the UK Championship to take place in York in November and December, followed by the Masters in London in January and the Betfred World Championship in Sheffield at the end of the season.
There are five more ranking events on the calendar early in 2022 – the Shoot Out, German Masters, European Masters, China Open and Gibraltar Open. The invitational Champion of Champions will take place in Bolton in November.
Several other weeks have been allocated throughout the season for potential ranking events, with further news to follow.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are now working flat out on our calendar for the coming season, and particularly looking towards locations outside the UK. We are determined to get back to the territories around the globe where we have nurtured growth over the past decade, such as China, Germany, Gibraltar and others, while also planning ventures into new markets.
“Over the past year we have been at the forefront of sport in terms of keeping our tour going and maintaining earning opportunities for our players, by staging events in Covid-safe environments in the UK. But we hope it will be possible in the coming season to venture overseas and to welcome crowds to all of our UK events. We are working closely with governments in the UK and abroad to determine what can be achieved.
“At this stage the calendar is a work in progress as we explore all opportunities and we will make further announcements in due course.”
The Home Nations events will have a new structure this season, with a qualifying round for players seeded outside the top 16. All players will start in the same round, but the top 16 will play their opening matches at the final venue.
Further updates on the calendar including venues and ticketing will be announced when available.
This is the thing …
Interestingly there are 12 days in August for “qualifiers”, likely for the for the first home nations as well as potential ranking events in September and October. And there are other qualifiers early February, likely for the European Masters, Welsh Open and the potential ranking event just before the China Open, the only event currently confirmed in China so far. But maybe there will be more of those Chinese events and if “grouped” it will be better for the players, who will not need to travel through time zones as much as they did in the past.
Regarding the Home Nations, they will still be played over a week, with 79 matches to be played instead of 127. Will it be less tables and more matches on television, or a longer format, or maybe even both?
No real surprises there. Just happy for Pang Junxy to get the “Rookie of the year” accolade.
In short:
WST Awards: 2020/21 winners Player of the Year – Judd Trump Fans’ Player of the Year – Judd Trump Snooker Journalists’ Player of the Year – Mark Selby Performance of the Year – Mark Selby Rookie of the Year – Pang Junxu Magic Moment of the Year – Neil Robertson Hall of Fame: Judd Trump, Brandon Parker
WST has published information, and the entry pack, for the 2021 Q-School with 14 spots available for the 2021/22 season.
Q School 2021
Snooker players dreaming of earning a place on the World Snooker Tour will have their chance at Q School 2021, starting on May 27th at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield.
Entry for Q School is open now and the deadline is Thursday May 6th at 12 noon. Entry into our events is via the tournament online entry system, and by logging on using your unique username and password.
Q School has been running since 2011 and gives all amateur players the chance to qualify for the professional tour.
David Gilbert came through Q School and is now a top 16 star
This year there will be 14 places available, in the tournament scheduled to run from May 27th to June 13th. Three tournaments will be staged consecutively, each lasting six days (subject to entries). The four semi-finalists in each event will all earn a two-year tour card for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. Plus the next two highest players on the Order of Merit will also earn a card. All matches will be best of seven frames.
For the first time, a seeding system will be used. Players relegated from the Tour at the end of the 2020/21 season, along with leading players from the 2020 Q School Order of Merit, will make up 64 seeded players in each Q School event. These players will be seeded apart from one another in the opening rounds of the event so that they do not meet before the Last-64 round.
Q School is open to all players from around the world, regardless of nationality, age or gender, providing they are in good standing with their national federation. The entry fee is £1,000.
The event will follow Government guidance on Covid-19 and players who enter will be provided with further information in line with that guidance.
WST Chairman Barry Hearn OBE said: “We are delighted to go ahead with Q School and to give so many aspiring players the chance to win the ultimate golden ticket: a place on the World Snooker Tour. For anyone with the talent and ambition, this is the opportunity to chase your dream.
“This time there are 14 places up for grabs, so everyone in the field has three bites at the cherry, plus the goal to finish as high up the Order of Merit as possible. And it’s a fantastic innovation to introduce a seeding system for the first time, to reward those who were successful last year.
“Despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, we have a tremendous record of successfully and safely staging many events over the past year, working closely with our Government advisors. All players can feel confident that we will follow all required health and safety measures.
“This is the ten-year anniversary of Q School and we have seen so many great players come through the system, not least David Gilbert who is now a top 16 star. Plans for the 2021/22 season are still developing but without doubt, the 128 tour players will have a packed calendar and outstanding levels of prize money to compete for.
“We are thrilled to be working with the team at Ponds Forge as it is a superb venue which has hosted many of our events in the past.”
A separate ranking list will be compiled during Q School with players earning one point for every frame won. During the 2021/2022 season, should the number of entries in any WST event fall below the required number of entrants, subject to wildcards and commercial agreements, the highest ranked players from the Q School ranking list will be used to top up to the required number of entrants.
Further opportunities may become available for the top 32 players on the Order of Merit who do not qualify for the Tour, on the WPBSA Q Tour. This remains subject to the easing of travel and Covid restrictions.
I have put the parts that I see as important in bold.
The seeding system is long overdue. In previous years, only too often players in with a good chance collided in the early rounds, whilst others, with little hope got multiple byes. Such system did not help selecting the best players. The seeding will also help beginners who will – in theory – get a more winnable opening match.
Concerning the “Order of merit” list, I have highlighted the part about wilcards and commercial agreements. This is nothing new. However the amount of moaning and anger coming from Q-school players about the wildcards in this World Championship qualifiers has shown that it isn’t understood: in short wildcards – at WST/WPBSA discretion – and sponsors requirements have priority over Q-School top-ups.
The scheduling of the event means that this season professional players will have a rather long break. I’m 100% in favour of it. The season is long and intense as it is.
Wu Yize, Zhang Jiankang, Cao Yupeng and Zhang Anda earned places on the World Snooker Tour from the start of next season by coming through the qualification events held this week at the CBSA-WPBSA Academy in Beijing.
The quartet booked two-year professional tour cards for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons by coming through the competitions organised by the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association.
Zhang Jiankang earned his place following a 4-0 victory against Deng Haohui and will return to the World Snooker Tour a year after he was relegated at the end of the 2019/20 season. The 22-year-old previously reached the last 16 of the 2019 Scottish Open and achieved a highest ranking of 85th position.
Talented youngster Wu Yize will join turn professional for the first time following a 4-1 win against Pa Ruke. Aged just 17, Yu reached the semi-finals of the WSF Junior Open in January 2020, narrowly losing 4-3 to eventual champion Gao Yang.
In 2019, he competed as a wildcard at the International Championship, narrowly losing 6-5 to four-time world champion John Higgins. He made his debut at the Betfred World Championship as a WPBSA qualifier and defeated professionals Ashley Hugill and Robbie Williams, before losing to former Masters champion Alan McManus.
Cao Yupeng withstood a comeback from 17-year-old Liu Hingyu to claim a 4-3 victory and reclaim a place on the professional circuit. Liu recovered from 3-1 down to force a deciding frame, but it was the more experienced Cao who would win the decider to prevail.
Cao is a two-time ranking event finalist, narrowly losing out to Neil Robertson at the 2017 Scottish Open, and subsequently the 2018 Gibraltar Open. He reached a career-high world ranking of 38 in April 2018. He returns to the tour following suspension which ended on 24 November 2020 after he pleaded guilty to breaches of the WPBSA Members Rules.
Zhang Anda returns to the World Snooker Tour for his third spell as a professional after he defeated Zhang Zhijie 4-0 in the final round.
The 29-year-old first turned professional in 2009 and has twice reached the quarter-finals of ranking events at the 2017 Indian Open and 2018 Paul Hunter Classic. He has qualified for the televised stages of the World Championship on three occasions, coming within a frame of defeating seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry on his Crucible debut in 2010.
Two young players, and two experienced players there. Wu Yize is extremely talented and great to watch. Zhang Jiankang, only 22, has been on tour but had a particularly hard time with the covid-19 restrictions and quarantines. Zhang Anda had put his young family ahead of his career in those difficult times. Cao Yupeng’s ban ended last November. I’m sure that there will be voices claiming that he shouldn’t be allowed back. I disagree. He served his time, and certainly worked hard to qualfy again. Good luck to all four.
The WPBSA and WST have today jointly announced the provisional tour structure for the 2021/22 World Snooker Tour.
As in previous seasons, the top 64 players on the official world ranking list following the Betfred World Championship will retain their tour cards. They will be joined by players who are currently on the first year of a two-year tour card, as well as the top eight players on the one-year ranking list, not already qualified for next season.
Three-time ranking event winner Marco Fu will be offered an invitational tour card
The tour will be completed by players who are able to successfully qualify through recognised tour qualification pathways, including WST Q School, the World Women’s Snooker Tour, the CBSA China Tour and the Regional Federations recognised by the World Snooker Federation (WSF).
Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic which has meant that events such as the WSF Open and WPBSA Q Tour have not been staged this season, a minimum of two additional places will be added to Q School as an interim measure for next season.
Current European champion Andrew Pagett is also set to join the main tour after his tour card for the 2020/21 season was deferred on medical grounds.
Marco Fu will be offered an Invitational Tour Card due to his outstanding achievements in the sport. The Hong Kong player has missed a number of events over the past year due to travel restrictions.
The full qualification list is set out below:
Top 64 from the two-year Prize Money World Rankings after the 2021 World Championship: 64
Players awarded a two-year Tour card for the 2020/2021 season (not already qualified): 28*
Top 8 players from 2020/2021 one-year ranking list following the 2021 World Championship (not already qualified)** 8
CBSA China Tour** 4
Q School** 14
World Women’s Snooker Qualifiers** 2
EBSA European Qualifiers** 2
APBSF Asia Pacific Qualifier** 1
PABSA Americas Qualifier** 1
ABSC Africas Qualifier** 1
Deferred Tour Place** 1
Invitational Tour Cards** up to 2
Total: 128
*Final total subject to change if any of these players finish inside of the top 64 of the two-year prize money rankings after the 2021 World Championship
**Players will receive a two-year tour card
In addition to these confirmed places, any players who qualify for the final stages of the Betfred World Championship at the Crucible, who otherwise would not earn a new tour card, will also receive a two-year tour card, as was the case last season.
The last paragraph suggests that the Q-school might be held during the World Championship, although there is no reason for that if the World is held at it’s usual spot in the calendar, which is very likely to be the case. That said, I wouldn’t be against automatically giving a new tour card in the future, to any player qualifying for the Crucible, who otherwise would not earn a new tour card or stay on tour. This is a massive effort and a true test.
Jason Ferguson talks World Championship crowds, qualifiers, tour cards and mental health
Phil Haigh – Wednesday 10 Mar 2021
Jason Ferguson is busy as ever, behind the scenes (Picture: Getty Images)
The 2021 World Snooker Championship gets underway next month and it is a very busy time of year for the sport’s administrators, no more so than WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson.
We caught up with Jason to talk through a range of issues going on in the snooker world and his plans for the coming days, weeks and months as the sport hopes to edge back to normality.
World Championship qualifiers
Last year’s qualifiers were shortened to best of 11-frame matches until the final round which extended to a best of 19 and we are likely to see that format return this time round (7-14 April).
Ferguson explained: ‘It’s likely to be the same format as last year. Obviously the best of 19s is the best format we can do in the World Championships.
‘With things as they are, we’re still not out of the woods in this country, we’ve got to be sensible about times, dates, travel, everybody’s commitments. It may be the case that we end up with the qualifiers like we did last year. We haven’t finalised it yet, so I can’t give a firm yes or no on that.
‘The qualifiers will be in Sheffield. We’ve always used our best endeavours for them to be in Sheffield. It isn’t the one event with 32 players, it’s the whole event with 144 players in it, it’s a real story from start to finish and, for me, it has to be in the same place.
‘Sheffield is the ideal place because of the Crucible, but also the Institute of Sport, all the hotels and infrastructure. It’s such a cosmopolitan city now, and we’ve partly been responsible for that, so many players coming from overseas.’
Crowds at the World Championship
World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn has said the Crucible could welcome a crowd back, with the World Championship (17 Apr – 3 May) used as a pilot event.
‘We have spoken to the government about it, we are extremely positive about it,’ said Ferguson. ‘I’ve personally written to the Sports Minister about it and we have a track record of running safe events now.
‘We are aware that the government are looking at pilot projects, so it would seem to us a perfect time for that to be a pilot event. Nothing is fixed or confirmed, but we are having positive discussions about it and I’m very hopeful we’ll be able to do that.
‘How we would do that will be working with the government in order to make sure we’re delivering a safe event. It’s early days but talks are going on, directly with the sports minister and DCMS as well.
‘Last time it got cut short because things were escalating. We’re in different times now, things seem to be going in the right direction, there’s also mass testing now which wasn’t there before. We’ve got the ability to mass test as well because we’ve been doing it since day one of the season. We’re testing all the players and officials all the time, which has been a key element to running a safe tour.
‘But at the same time we’re subject to independent advice, medical advisors, who we abide by 100%. The decision will not be ours, we’ll put forward what we can deliver and then the decision will be out of our hands but we are thinking positively about it.’
Marco Fu
Three-time ranking event winner has not been able to play this year due to travel restrictions from Hong Kong and is set to lose his tour card, but that situation looks likely to be resolved for him.
‘There is a problem with travel out of Hong Kong at the moment, it’s extremely complicated and it’s purely down to safety measures,’ said Jason. ‘That’s why we’ve not had Marco Fu coming over who we’ve dearly missed, a great guy and a great player.
Marco Fu has not been able to play at all this season due to travel restrictions (Picture: Getty Images)
‘[On a possible invitational tour card] ‘That’s an easy one to answer. Marco couldn’t travel, he was prevented from competing and I think our recommendation there is that an invitational tour card will be put in place for Marco.
‘There will be one or probably two invitational cards next season and, for my money, we can safely say Marco will likely be getting one.’
Tour cards for Reanne Evans and Ng On-Yee
Two-year tour cards were awarded to the top two players in the women’s world rankings, Reanne Evans and Ng On-Yee earlier this week.
‘The women’s decision is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made, in my view, I think we’ve got this bang right,’ said Ferguson.
‘The message from me is clear, I think women have been at a distinct disadvantage in this sport for many years. Not because they’ve not been allowed to play, but the environment has predominantly been a men’s environment and many of the clubs have not been places they would want to go to.
‘That disadvantage has been taken into consideration in this decision, there are less women playing snooker than men, by a mile, and that needs to change.
‘This is how to change it. Inspire the next generation. There’s overwhelming support for it worldwide and it’s only going to take this sport further forward.’
Ng On-Yee will be taking up a tour card next season (Picture: Getty Images)
Early plans for next season
Nothing is confirmed about next season’s calendar yet, but the WPBSA chairman is extremely positive about a return to China for big events again.
‘China is easing a little bit. We are talking to China at length about when we can start again and the mood is very good for the sport out there,’ he said.
‘The numbers have been brilliant, Yan [Bingtao] winning the Masters was massive.
‘It’s looking great, it’s just a case of what comes first. Do we pull a China event in early or push it later into the season?
‘We’re in good shape, we’ve got options to choose from, but it’s more about international travel than anything else at the moment.
‘But we’re in a fortunate situation where we can move events, subject to broadcasters’ approval, but it’s looking good.’
The mental health of players
Many players have struggled in the last year with mental health issues of varying degrees and the WPBSA has systems in place to help anyone struggling.
Jason explains: ‘Part of a major constitutional change at the WPBSA last year was to improve player services, we’ve really stepped that up during lockdown. Its very important to us that we take care of our player membership.
‘If there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s to serve our snooker players. I was once one of those and I know what it’s like. To give them what I need is something I really take seriously.
Jason Ferguson was a pro himself from 1990-2004 (Picture: Getty Images)
‘The restructuring has seen us form the new Players’ Board, which Ken Doherty is chair of, and that engages with player services. There’s been a few calls [on mental health] and I believe we’ve helped a few players.
‘It’s been a difficult year, sport is difficult at the best of time, mentally. The highs and lows are extreme, the ups and downs are difficult to manage. I do hope that we’ve been able to help people through a difficult time and we’ve tried our best to take care of our own people.
‘It’s painful. I remember playing [Stephen] Hendry at the Crucible and I put so much effort into winning that match and I lost. It was such a high being in the match, but I went home, closed the curtains and just couldn’t speak to anyone. The lows are so low. It’s something I’m always conscious of, especially in these circumstances of locking players in hotel rooms as they wait for Covid test results.
‘It’s been an unbelievable year. Let’s hope we can get our players back out in front of an audience again so they feel good about themselves. I’m amazed how well everyone’s performed in empty rooms, despite all the problems and how they feel is unbelievable.’
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters
The big-money tournament in Riyadh was due to be held for the first time in October 2020.
‘We’re pushing, it will depend on international travel,’ said Jason. ‘We’ve got an agreement to go there, we’re very excited about doing it. It was the last overseas trip I did before lockdown, then it all came to a standstill.
‘It’s still in place, though, we’re just talking about dates so if it’s not next season it will certainly be the one after. It’s moving forward quite nicely.’
So here you go…
At the risk of being crucified, I do hope
that the World qualifiers will be best of 19 in all rounds
that there will be NO crowds at the Crucible or if there is, no more than 150, all tested, with glass isolating the players from the crowd
that if the World qualifiers are held in Sheffield because “it’s ONE tournament” and “ONE story”, that will apply to all events in the future. No more qualifiers for Chinese events in the UK, or same, for the European/German Masters in the UK.
that the event in Saudi Arabia will collapse. No sport with a moral compass should go there, and it’s likely to be a short format event for an obcene amount of money.
WPBSA and WST are delighted to announce a historic agreement which will see leading World Women’s Snooker (WWS) stars Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee offered the chance to turn professional from the start of the 2021/22 season with two-year tour cards.
The announcement forms part of a wider commitment which today reinforces the role of the WPBSA’s World Women’s Snooker Tour as a major development tour within our sport’s elite pathway. In addition to the two tour cards, it has also been confirmed that places at professional tournaments such as the Betfred World Championship and Champion of Champions will continue to be offered each season.
England’s Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee of Hong Kong have been the flagbearers for women’s snooker for over 15 years, having between them dominated the sport’s major competitions.
Evans is the most successful women’s snooker player ever, having won the World Championship on a record 12 occasions since 2005. In 2020 she was awarded an MBE for her services to our sport and previously spent one season on the professional tour in 2010/2011.
For Ng, the Asian star is set to enjoy her first spell on the professional tour, having emerged as the greatest threat to Evans’ dominance during the past decade. A three-time winner of the World Championship since 2015 and a former world number one, Ng is also a two-time winner of the prestigious ‘Best of the Best’ award at the Samsung Sports Awards in Hong Kong and has been widely celebrated in her home country.
A Sport for All
Since becoming a subsidiary development tour of the WPBSA in December 2015, the World Women’s Snooker Tour has seen significant growth, with player participation having more than doubled during that time with over 150 ranked players from 29 countries currently represented.
Historically based within the UK, WWS has since staged prestigious ranking events in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Malta, Germany and Belgium, having become a truly international sport for all.
Alongside the World Women’s Snooker Tour itself, the WPBSA has also remained committed to providing opportunities for women to compete alongside the best professional players in the world, including at the World Championship, Champion of Champions and Shoot Out competitions.
Snooker is a rare example of a sport that can place men and women on the same field of play to compete equally and both the WPBSA and WWS are delighted that today’s announcement marks another significant milestone in helping elite female talent to compete at the very highest level of our sport.
“A Huge Moment for Women’s Snooker”
Mandy Fisher, WWS President, said: “I am thrilled that from next season two of our leading women’s snooker stars will be able to take their place on the professional circuit.
Evans is a regular analyst for broadcasters including BBC and Eurosport
“World Women’s Snooker celebrates its 40th anniversary later this year and I can honestly say that today’s announcement marks one of the most significant days in our history so far. With the support of Jason Ferguson and the WPBSA, we have taken significant strides in recent seasons and for our tour and most importantly our players to be recognised in this way represents a huge moment for women in snooker.”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman, said: “For many years we have championed the role of women in our sport, from offering opportunities for our women to compete at major professional events, to our development of the WPBSA’s World Women’s Snooker Tour.
“We firmly believe that there is no reason why a woman cannot compete equally with a man and today’s announcement underlines our commitment to women’s snooker both now and in the future.
“Through seeing our leading female players compete on television on a regular basis, we are confident that more women and girls from across the club will be inspired to pick up a cue and look to emulate their achievements in the future.”
Women’s Snooker Opportunities – 2021/22 season
World Snooker Tour cards (2) – determined by WWS rankings
World Championship Qualifiers (2) – determined by WWS rankings
Champion of Champions (1) – reigning World Women’s Snooker Championship winner
Of the two, On Yee Ng is probably the one with the better chance to do well right from the start of next season as she has now some time to prepare with Wayne Griffiths and Marco Fu at the academy in Hong Kong. She is a very hard worker
Reanne Evans has Jason Francis in her corner and she’s done well in the World qualifiers, beating Robin Hull by 10-8 in the first round in 2017 and running Ken Doherty very close in the same round in 2015. She has been on the main tour before, without success, but, back then the rookies had only one year to prove themselves and the tour structure was different.
This announcement will also bring joy and pride to Mandy Fisher who, for many years, single-handedly fought to keep women snooker going, when nobody believed it could go anywhere.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 