Snooker
- Thread starter The Uncouth
- Start date
The Hare
Mare
WST update, all sorted except the 5 players miss out on Northern Ireland and a family home Christmas. Interestign to see what happens to Un-Nooh as he is playing next week when he should have been qualifying!
Friday 13 Oct 2023 03:43PM
WST can confirm that the Macau event previously scheduled for 27-29 October will now take place on the 22-24 December with players having received WST permission to enter.
As has been the case throughout, and contrary to reports, WST has dealt with all parties in a respectful and productive manner to reach an outcome which is satisfactory to all parties. As previously stated, due to contractual obligations, the original dates promoted would have been unacceptable and potentially lead to disciplinary action for those players choosing to compete in this event rather than the Northern Ireland Open. As such we are pleased a mutually agreeable solution has been reached to avoid further action.
WST will always work with players to satisfy their needs and we give permission on multiple occasions during the season for these types of events, but on this occasion, we could not do so and raised our concerns with the players and promoter in an appropriate manner which has now led to the postponement.
The players who have withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Open will remain unentered for this event.
Friday 13 Oct 2023 03:43PM
WST can confirm that the Macau event previously scheduled for 27-29 October will now take place on the 22-24 December with players having received WST permission to enter.
As has been the case throughout, and contrary to reports, WST has dealt with all parties in a respectful and productive manner to reach an outcome which is satisfactory to all parties. As previously stated, due to contractual obligations, the original dates promoted would have been unacceptable and potentially lead to disciplinary action for those players choosing to compete in this event rather than the Northern Ireland Open. As such we are pleased a mutually agreeable solution has been reached to avoid further action.
WST will always work with players to satisfy their needs and we give permission on multiple occasions during the season for these types of events, but on this occasion, we could not do so and raised our concerns with the players and promoter in an appropriate manner which has now led to the postponement.
The players who have withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Open will remain unentered for this event.
Delboy99
Sire
..... I suppose it all works out in the end. Those who were the naughty boys deserve to stay out of the Northern Ireland if they withdrew in the first instance to enter Macau. Looks like money is starting to do the talking but at the same time one cannot do what one wants to do if it crosses the Ruling authoritarian body.
The Hare
Mare
Another outstanding display from Trump and Carter at his best as well. 25th ranking event win and finally back to his very best. These are my rankings after the event and a comparison with the Official World Rankings. Reakky the naughty Chinese aren't in the official but I haven't removed them until they drop out of top 64 - Xintong and Bigtao.
Delboy99
Sire
Wonderful Judd Trump wins Wuhan Open crown.
An in-form Judd Trump won the inaugural Wuhan Open title with a 10-7 victory over Ali Carter on Sunday in China.It’s a second trophy in as many weeks for Trump, who around this time last Sunday was outlasting Zhang Anda in the English Open final.
There were many people criticising a taxing schedule on the World Snooker Tour that saw ranking tournaments staged in successive weeks on opposite sides of the world.
However, Trump made a mockery of those concerns.
The Englishman made an immediate journey from Brentwood to Wuhan and powered his way through the rounds in what was the first ranking event in China since 2019.
An entertaining title decider against Carter ebbed one way and the other as both players had moments in the ascendancy.
Trump began the stronger, defying a century break from his opponent to win four out of the opening five frames.
But the 34 year-old wasn’t quite at his free-scoring best, which provided Carter with opportunities to dig deep and force his way back into the affair.
Indeed, the Captain snatched the last four frames of the first session in gritty fashion to orchestrate a 5-4 advantage of his own.
Upon the Wuhan Open final’s resumption in the evening, Trump duly discovered his scoring boots and reeled off three frames on the spin with contributions of 116, 56, and 71.
Carter, bidding for a second piece of silverware in 2023 following his success at the German Masters in February, then made a 56 to trail by one at the last mid-session interval.
The following exchanges became scrappy, but in stark contrast to early on in the encounter it was Trump who ultimately benefited – taking two lengthier frames to move to within the brink of glory.
It looked as though he was about to wrap up the victory in the 16th frame, but an unexpected missed red allowed Carter in to stay alive.
At 9-7, though, Trump got in again to make the vital contribution, a fitting 105 century break that sealed the Wuhan Open title and his 25th ranking triumph overall.
An in-form Judd Trump won the inaugural Wuhan Open title with a 10-7 victory over Ali Carter on Sunday in China.
It’s a second trophy in as many weeks for Trump, who around this time last Sunday was outlasting Zhang Anda in the English Open final.
There were many people criticising a taxing schedule on the World Snooker Tour that saw ranking tournaments staged in successive weeks on opposite sides of the world.
However, Trump made a mockery of those concerns.
The Englishman made an immediate journey from Brentwood to Wuhan and powered his way through the rounds in what was the first ranking event in China since 2019.
An entertaining title decider against Carter ebbed one way and the other as both players had moments in the ascendancy.
Trump began the stronger, defying a century break from his opponent to win four out of the opening five frames.
But the 34 year-old wasn’t quite at his free-scoring best, which provided Carter with opportunities to dig deep and force his way back into the affair.
Indeed, the Captain snatched the last four frames of the first session in gritty fashion to orchestrate a 5-4 advantage of his own.
Upon the Wuhan Open final’s resumption in the evening, Trump duly discovered his scoring boots and reeled off three frames on the spin with contributions of 116, 56, and 71.
Carter, bidding for a second piece of silverware in 2023 following his success at the German Masters in February, then made a 56 to trail by one at the last mid-session interval.
The following exchanges became scrappy, but in stark contrast to early on in the encounter it was Trump who ultimately benefited – taking two lengthier frames to move to within the brink of glory.
It looked as though he was about to wrap up the victory in the 16th frame, but an unexpected missed red allowed Carter in to stay alive.
At 9-7, though, Trump got in again to make the vital contribution, a fitting 105 century break that sealed the Wuhan Open title and his 25th ranking triumph overall.
That takes him into joint-fifth on the all-time list alongside Mark Williams, who only just captured his 25th title in the recent British Open.
It will be a disappointing ending to an otherwise excellent week for Carter, who is on the cusp of rejoining the top ten in the world rankings.
Yet Trump is undoubtedly the man of the moment and the player of the 2023/24 season so far.
It’s a second trophy in as many weeks for Trump, who around this time last Sunday was outlasting Zhang Anda in the English Open final.
There were many people criticising a taxing schedule on the World Snooker Tour that saw ranking tournaments staged in successive weeks on opposite sides of the world.
However, Trump made a mockery of those concerns.
The Englishman made an immediate journey from Brentwood to Wuhan and powered his way through the rounds in what was the first ranking event in China since 2019.
An entertaining title decider against Carter ebbed one way and the other as both players had moments in the ascendancy.
Trump began the stronger, defying a century break from his opponent to win four out of the opening five frames.
But the 34 year-old wasn’t quite at his free-scoring best, which provided Carter with opportunities to dig deep and force his way back into the affair.
Indeed, the Captain snatched the last four frames of the first session in gritty fashion to orchestrate a 5-4 advantage of his own.
Upon the Wuhan Open final’s resumption in the evening, Trump duly discovered his scoring boots and reeled off three frames on the spin with contributions of 116, 56, and 71.
Carter, bidding for a second piece of silverware in 2023 following his success at the German Masters in February, then made a 56 to trail by one at the last mid-session interval.
The following exchanges became scrappy, but in stark contrast to early on in the encounter it was Trump who ultimately benefited – taking two lengthier frames to move to within the brink of glory.
It looked as though he was about to wrap up the victory in the 16th frame, but an unexpected missed red allowed Carter in to stay alive.
At 9-7, though, Trump got in again to make the vital contribution, a fitting 105 century break that sealed the Wuhan Open title and his 25th ranking triumph overall.
That takes him into joint-fifth on the all-time list alongside Mark Williams, who only just captured his 25th title in the recent British Open.
It will be a disappointing ending to an otherwise excellent week for Carter, who is on the cusp of rejoining the top ten in the world rankings.
Yet Trump is undoubtedly the man of the moment and the player of the 2023/24 season so far.
He has demonstrated in the past his ability to enjoy dominant spells on the main tour, and he is currently showing all the signs of repeating that.
The £140,000 champion’s cheque is enough to see him rise above Mark Allen and back into the world’s top three.
With Ronnie O’Sullivan and Luca Brecel failing to pick up many ranking points this term so far, a return to the world number one spot may be next on the agenda for Trump.
Delboy99
Sire
Snooker rankings update after the Wuhan Open.
The inaugural Wuhan Open concluded on Sunday with Judd Trump’s triumph helping him move further up the snooker rankings list.A 10-7 defeat of Ali Carter provided the Englishman with a £140,000 champion’s cheque and a second ranking title in as many weeks.
What’s arguably even more impressive is the manner in which Trump has had to do it.
The 34 year-old becomes only the third player in history to win ranking tournaments in different countries in successive weeks.
Stephen Hendry won the Asian Open in China in 1990 and followed it up a week later with success in the Dubai Classic in the UAE.
A dozen years later, Mark Williams completed a quick international double with victories in both the China Open and the Thailand Masters.
Trump’s Wuhan Open glory comes just a few days after he emerged triumphantly at the English Open in Brentwood.
Official World Snooker Tour rankings
Ronnie O’Sullivan remains as the world number one for another week, with those immediately behind again failing to capitalise on an opportunity to surpass him.
O’Sullivan bowed out of the Wuhan Open in the quarter-finals following a 5-1 reverse to Lyu Haotian.
With second-placed Luca Brecel pulling out of the competition, it meant Mark Allen could have become the sport’s top dog for the first time in his career.
The Pistol needed to claim the trophy to achieve just that, but a 5-2 loss to Ali Carter in the last eight put an end to his aspirations for now at least.
Trump, meanwhile, leapfrogs the Northern Irishman into third place in the official two-year snooker rankings.
Indeed, the 2019 world champion has closed to within just £100,000 of O’Sullivan in first.
While many were expecting either Brecel or Allen to usurp the Rocket at some point this season, Trump may turn out to be O’Sullivan’s primary challenger if he can maintain his incredible run of form.
Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, and Kyren Wilson complete the top eight.
The only other movers in the top 16 are Mark Williams and John Higgins, who swap positions for the third week running.
Just behind them is Carter, who is nearing a return to the top ten after reaching the final in Wuhan.
A little further down the pecking order, Lyu Haotian and Wu Yize’s semi-final efforts have seen the two Chinese competitors move up to 36th and 37th respectively.
| Official 2-Year World Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | £899,000 |
| 2 | Luca Brecel | £881,500 |
| 3 | Judd Trump | £799,000 |
| 4 | Mark Allen | £791,000 |
| 5 | Mark Selby | £609,000 |
| 6 | Neil Robertson | £545,500 |
| 7 | Shaun Murphy | £473,000 |
| 8 | Kyren Wilson | £436,000 |
| 9 | Mark Williams | £421,000 |
| 10 | John Higgins | £404,000 |
| 11 | Ali Carter | £371,500 |
| 12 | Robert Milkins | £307,000 |
| 13 | Jack Lisowski | £305,000 |
| 14 | Barry Hawkins | £304,500 |
| 15 | Ding Junhui | £267,000 |
| 16 | Hossein Vafaei | £261,500 |
| — | — | — |
| 17 | Ryan Day | £251,500 |
| 18 | Gary Wilson | £220,500 |
| 19 | Tom Ford | £216,500 |
| 20 | Anthony McGill | £215,000 |
Delboy99
Sire
Borwick And Iqbal Handed Edinburgh Wildcards.
Promising juniors Jack Borwick and Amaan Iqbal have both been awarded places in the BetVictor Scottish Open to take place at the Meadowbank Centre in Edinburgh in December.The two amateurs will take their place in the line up alongside snooker’s greatest names at the world ranking event which will run from December 11 to 17. The draw for the event will be announced soon.
Borwick, age 16 from Cairneyhill, was the highest ranked player aged under-21 in last season’s Scottish National Main Tour and is also the current Scottish Under-18 National Champion.
Iqbal, age 17 from Glasgow, is the current Scottish Under-21 National Champion. Both players were nominated for wild cards by Scottish Snooker.
Televised by Eurosport, discovery+ and a range of other broadcasters worldwide, the tournament in Edinburgh will feature over 80 players battling for the Stephen Hendry Trophy. Gary Wilson won the title last year, coming through a strong field which also included the likes of Scottish favourite John Higgins, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel and Judd Trump.
Delboy99
Sire
Doherty finds top form to earn place in Northern Ireland Open.
Ken Doherty has qualified for the Northern Ireland Open after a break of 135 helped him oust Liam Highfield 4-3 this afternoon.
Doherty trailed twice in the match but the magnificent clearance in the sixth frame turned the momentum in his favour and a 65 clinched the win in the deciding frame.
The outright tournament begins on Monday, with 50 qualifying matches taking place in Sheffield over four days for a place in Belfast.
The world's top-16 play their qualifying games on Sunday in Northern Ireland, but Doherty is safely through to Monday play.
Jordan Brown is in action later today against Stuart Carrington, while Aaron Hill faces David Lilley on Thursday.
Mark Allen will bid to defend his title after being victorious the last two years. Judd Trump has won the last two events on the tour, including last week's Wuhan Open.
Delboy99
Sire
Mark Allen can join the greats with hat-trick of wins at the Waterfront.
Mark Allen heads to the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast next week with the chance to become only the fifth player in snooker history to win the same ranking title in three consecutive years.The Antrim cueman lifted the Alex Higgins Trophy in 2021 and 2022, and a third straight triumph would see him join a very elite group of players who have won a particular ranking event for three years in a row, alongside Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Judd Trump.
In fact Trump’s trio of victories came at the Northern Ireland Open in 2018, 2019 and 2020, which means that only two different players have captured the title over the past five years.
This year’s event at the Waterfront Hall runs from October 22 to 29, with Allen defending the title and the likes of Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson and many more also in the field.
World number four Allen edged out John Higgins 9-8 in the 2021 final then enjoyed a more comfortable 9-4 defeat of Zhou Yuelong in 2022 at the superb Waterfront venue.
“I have great memories of the last two years, playing in front of the home fans is something special,” said 37-year-old Allen, who starts his campaign against Belgium’s Ben Mertens at 7pm on Sunday.
“It would be amazing to replicate Reardon, Davis, Hendry and Trump and follow in their footsteps, but I have to win seven matches so there’s a long way to go,” he said.
“It will just nice to be there and enjoy it rather than hating it as I did in the first few years I played in this event. I felt the pressure too much and I was playing for the wrong reasons. I have nothing more to prove now and I have repaid the fans now for all the heartbreak I caused them for a few years!
“It took me a while to realise I should be playing for myself, not for the people of Northern Ireland, my family and friends. I made a conscious decision three years ago treat it like any other event, I even stayed in a hotel, away from the club and my family. That helped me turn the corner.”
Looking back on his two finals, Allen added: “The one with Higgins was brilliant because he has his own support in Belfast and I was just happy to be involved in that atmosphere, it was one of the best I have ever played in and I would have said that even if I had lost. At 8-8 we both went out to toilet and said to each other ‘this is why we play.’
“Last year against Zhou I was able to relax and enjoy it more because I had a good lead.”
Allen won the Masters in 2018 and the UK Championship last year, during a career-best 2022/23 season in which he landed three ranking titles. But he still names the 2021 final with Higgins in Belfast as his best moment on the baize.
“I would honestly say that’s the one that will live with me the longest,” he said.
Following a run to the quarter-finals of last week’s Wuhan Open, Allen hopes he is coming into form, and he has plenty of ambition as he looks ahead.
“I want to be world number one and World Champion,” he added. “I feel like I have the game to do it. I have won everything else so why not the world title?”
The Hare
Mare
A lot of low ranked players through so far and with the withdrawals in the Top 16 a weaker event than usual.
The higher ranked players been held back though duw to China returns so that should change.
Watched Stevens v Hendry last night, Stevens won it but I don't know how. He was nowhere near his best and Hendry was on the brink of going 3-1 up before going in off the blue and he fell apart after that, maybe it is just stamina but he still struggles to win.
Jimmy Robertson a little fortunate today against amateur, Sydney Wilson. Close to going 3-2 down, needed 4 snookers, got 3 and a free ball. But scrambled home 4-2.
The higher ranked players been held back though duw to China returns so that should change.
Watched Stevens v Hendry last night, Stevens won it but I don't know how. He was nowhere near his best and Hendry was on the brink of going 3-1 up before going in off the blue and he fell apart after that, maybe it is just stamina but he still struggles to win.
Jimmy Robertson a little fortunate today against amateur, Sydney Wilson. Close to going 3-2 down, needed 4 snookers, got 3 and a free ball. But scrambled home 4-2.
Delboy99
Sire
Peak Audience Tops 600,000 For Snooker’s British Open On ITV.
The final of snooker’s Cazoo British Open earlier this month had a peak audience of 603,000 on ITV4, a further indication that the sport’s UK audience is growing.
Overall, the average UK audience for the tournament was up 12% when compared to 2022, and the average audience for the last session of the final was 20% higher.
The cumulative UK audience for the seven-day event increased by 11%. A total of 3.9 million people watched at least five minutes of the ITV coverage.
The Cazoo British Open was also successful on WST’s social media platforms, with 17.7 million video views on Facebook, 3.6 million impressions on Twitter, 5.8 million impressions on YouTube and 1.1 million views on TikTok.
WST’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Rowell said: “There is a clear trend this season of increasing audiences, with the same pattern repeated on every tournament so far. Overall our UK audience is up 14%, when compared to the same events last year. This indicates that we are reaching new fans, while maintaining our huge and loyal core support. We expect to see this trend continue in the coming months as snooker goes from strength to strength.
“This is an exciting time in the evolution of our sport in terms of the incredible standard of play and the level of drama on the table. The final in Cheltenham between Mark Williams and Mark Selby was pure sporting theatre with an edge-of-the-seat conclusion.
“Our congratulations go to ITV for the outstanding quality of their production and we look forward to working with them on the Players Series of three events, early in 2024.”
The Hare
Mare
The English part of the Northern Ireland Open completes. Stuart Bingham back in glasses and his opponent missed some great chances to clinch victory before Bingham came through.
The first round continues in Belfast on Sunday, this is the 2nd Round draw with the games in grey still to be decided. Lots of lower ranked players made it through. Will update Sunday evening.
The first round continues in Belfast on Sunday, this is the 2nd Round draw with the games in grey still to be decided. Lots of lower ranked players made it through. Will update Sunday evening.
Delboy99
Sire
Ryan Day on narrowly avoiding Macau controversy and searching for a spark.
The Macau Five very nearly had another member as Ryan Day was set to play in the exhibition that has caused a stir in snooker, but he pulled out and will be at the Northern Ireland Open, unlike the other five players.Day was on the poster advertising the Macau Snooker Masters, alongside Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, but unlike the other five, the Welshman was not named in the statement from World Snooker Tour threatening sanctions if they appear in the exhibition.
The problem that WST had with the event was that it was running at the same time as the Northern Ireland Open, feeling that a string of top stars choosing an exhibition over a ranking tournament would damage the reputation of the Belfast competition.
The Macau event has now been moved to December, so the five players who pulled out of Northern Ireland will be twiddling their thumbs next week, with neither tournament to play in.
Day made a late decision to head to Belfast over Macau, though, explaining that his position at number 17 in the world rankings, along with the possibility of punishment from World Snooker Tour, saw him change his plans.
‘I was planning to play in Macau,’ Day told Metro.co.uk. ‘I emailed World Snooker to withdraw from Northern Ireland, then emails came through to the players reminding us of contracts and whatnot.
‘We thought as a group that we might not have been in breach of contract clauses. They thought that we were.
‘I looked at it a bit more closely, and I’m right on the bubble of the top 16. Maybe not qualifying for the UK [Championship], the Masters and along with the potential of sanctions from World Snooker if I did go and play, I phoned the promoter and pulled out, then re-entered Northern Ireland.’
It is understandable why players would be confused over whether they were in breach of the players’ contract or not with the Macau event.
The contract between professional players and WST lays out situations in which they cannot play exhibitions and the circumstances of the Macau event next week are not specifically covered.
However, there is a clause which covers a range of possibilities as it bars players from doing anything that could undermine or damage the reputation of World Snooker events.
WST’s statement on ‘The Macau Five’ included: ‘The WST does not support any clash with a WST event and would consider a player’s decision to prioritise a non-sanctioned event clashing with a WST event to be a breach of their player contract, as this would undoubtedly result in sizeable financial implications to the WST including loss of broadcast income, and sponsorship and ticket sales revenue let alone losses due to any reputational damage.’
Day feels that this part of the contract should be changed and made more clear in future to prevent any future disagreements.
‘It’s so vague. It’s just a blanket term. I think potentially going forward the players might need to try and put in place a better, more understandable clause,’ said the Welshman.
‘Maybe it’s a bit of an eye-opener, because I don’t know how many players have read the contract, maybe it needs changing.
Delboy99
Sire
Northern Ireland Open: Mark Allen says players' contracts with WST are too restrictive.
Mark Allen has expressed support for players on the World Snooker Tour having more freedom to choose their playing schedule, claiming that their current contracts are "very restrictive".His comments come after five players, including world champion Luca Brecel, John Higgins and Mark Selby, faced potential disciplinary action given their intent to take part in an exhibition event in Macau rather than participate in this year's Northern Ireland Open, which starts on Sunday in Belfast.
The trio, along with Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, were set to skip the Waterfront Hall tournament to accept lucrative offers to play in the Far East, with WST claiming that their actions would be "a breach of the terms of their player contract".
Agreement was subsequently reached that the Macau exhibition would be rescheduled to take place before Christmas, thereby avoiding a clash with a WST event. The five players will still not compete at the NI Open.
"I'm very strongly in the players' camp on that one," world number four Allen told BBC Sport NI.
"I understand we have a contract with WST and legally by the wording of the contract they [WST] are right, but it doesn't mean the contract is fair.
"I think for me the players need to be stronger and stand up to World Snooker and renegotiate this contract because it's very restrictive of what we can and can't do.
"I was offered the opportunity to play in Macau and the only reason I didn't was that it would clash with Belfast. I wouldn't miss Belfast. It means a lot to me and sometimes it's not just about money for me.
"If it had been an offer for me to play in Macau during the Scottish Open or English Open, then I'm pretty sure I'd have been there in a heartbeat with the money that was involved.
"I think it's a worrying sign, a sign of things to come. I think it's going to happen a lot more in the next few years.
"I think the promoters of these events overseas know that the players are unhappy and are willing to take that opportunity to cash in. It's up to World Snooker to do better in my opinion."
In response to Allen's comments WST chairman Steve Dawson said: "We understand that a small group of the top players may want to compete in extra exhibition events, and we have always been willing to work with independent promoters to find dates which do not clash with our main events.
"We never maliciously withhold this opportunity to players and will always work with them to find solutions as has been the case in this situation."
The 37-year-old has been crowned Northern Ireland Open champion in each of the last two years, but believes the financial rewards on offer for these Home Nations events could be better.
"Events like the Northern Ireland Open, English Open, Scottish Open, the prize money has stagnated in the seven or eight years that they have been running," he added.
"If players see the opportunity of picking up more money overseas for less work then, no matter what business you are in, you are going to take it."
'Human rights issues none of my business'
Reports indicate that negotiations to add a new tournament in Saudi Arabia to the WST calendar are nearing a conclusion, with Allen keen to take part despite the country's controversial human rights record on a number of fronts."I've spoken openly about this [Saudi Arabia] and I'm not getting involved in any of the human rights issues that have been well talked about. That's none of my business," said the Northern Irishman.
"I'm just looking at it from a snooker player's perspective - there would be another tournament on the calendar, there's money involved, there's a chance for me to play in another event and provide for my family.
"That's the bottom line, that's the way I'm looking at it. If it goes ahead I'll be there."
Antrim's Allen believes some improvements could be made to the current WST schedule, which this season includes the return of ranking events in China for the first time since pre-Covid pandemic days in 2019.
"I think the schedule looks great on paper, but it could be a lot better," said Allen, winner of nine ranking events.
"It's great having China back, we're looked after really well there, you get the red carpet treatment, you want for nothing when you are in China. A lot of events here can probably learn a thing or two from them.
"World Snooker have filled the calendar with things they don't need to fill it with, lots of qualifying events that are taking six or seven days that used to take two.
"They are using less tables and more days to make the calendar look better in my opinion."
In response to Allen's comments on the issues of the calendar and Home Nations prizemoney, WST chairman Dawson commented: "We exist to protect the tour as a whole and to act for all 130 players, and this is how we have developed the calendar globally, and grown overall prize money to record levels, set to hit £14 million this season, which is an increase of 25% compared to 2022/23.
"Every tournament this season has attracted massive crowds, with ticket records consistently broken, which indicates the success of the tour.
"Mark's comment on the Home Nations prize money is not accurate as there was a significant increase in 2022.
"The calendar is based on a wide variety of factors and input from broadcasters, commercial partners, and venues around the world. It is often a complex challenge, but we build the tour with the interests of the players as the highest priority."
'I feel I've been under-appreciated'
Allen also recently lodged an official complaint to WST over how he is promoted by the governing body, alleging that he has been too often left out of their promotional and branding activity."It wasn't a knee-jerk reaction. I feel like it's been coming for a long time, like I've been under-appreciated in the sport," said the 2022 UK Championship winner.
"It's not that I'm saying I'm an all-time great or anything, I'm not putting myself in that category and there are other people that are going to deserve promotion ahead of me.
"I get that but I feel that there are people who weren't doing as well in the sport were getting a lot more coverage than I was.
"It felt like it was time for me to call them out on it so I pieced together a very long email going back six years, different instances of things that have happened in those six years, dates, when they happened, and what happened.
"I got a very political response, just the usual stuff, that probably isn't going to change anything going forward."
In response, WST chairman Dawson added: "We have had correspondence with Mark on these issues and we have offered to meet him in person, which so far he has been reluctant to do. We always prefer to engage with the players on a personal level and at regular player meetings.
"In terms of promotion, Mark features in a lot of our content particularly around the events where he is defending champion.
"There are more great and popular players than ever before so we have to make decisions, for every tournament. on which of them to include in promotional campaigns to maximise awareness and ticket sales. We have recently written to Mark to address this issue."
Death of 'coach and friend'
Last season Allen was named Player of the Year for the first time after winning the UK Championship, Northern Ireland Open and World Grand Prix, but in the early stages of this campaign has struggled to consistently find his best form.He was beaten 4-0 by Kyren Wilson in the second round of the British Open in late September, but then compiled four consecutive centuries in beating Mostafa Dorgam in the opening round of the English Open.
A disappointing last-32 exit to Matthew Selt followed however, while the recent Wuhan Open yielded his best result of the season to date, falling to Carter in the quarter-finals.
Allen points to the death of his former coach Joe Shortt during the summer as one of the contributory factors for his struggles, both at a professional and personal level.
"I haven't started the season well, I've been poor up to this point," he said. "I've been practicing really hard too.
"It's been frustrating because I feel like I've been putting the work in and doing the right things.
"I had just started practicing after nine weeks off and Joe sadly died. It's been hard, it's been a big adjustment for me.
"He would have been the one who would have helped me tighten up things for the new season. He was one of my closest friends, not just my coach.
"I'm not using that as an excuse though. I know I just need to perform better and find a way to make it work and I haven't done that yet."
'Technical kink' hindering game
The former Champion of Champions winner has referenced "a technical kink" in his game which has also been significant in hampering his early-season performances."There's a technical issue that has been there for a few months now and I believe it's still there. Normally I can iron out these kinks myself, but with not having Jo to sort of touch on I feel I need to try something different.
"I'm starting with a new coach this week and it may not work in time for Belfast, but I feel I need to do something."
Sports psychologist Paul Gaffney also plays an important role in Allen's preparations.
"I speak to Paul probably at least three times a week and during tournaments pretty much every day," added Allen.
"He looks after the mental side of things, so I'm keen to get a bit of a team around me."
Allen believes the absence of players like Brecel, Higgins and Selby will not detract from the NI Open as he bids to secure a third successive win at the Belfast tournament.
World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan will be an additional absentee, having pulled out of the tournament on Friday for medical reasons.
"One or two of the top 16 have probably been missing every year so the tournament will still survive," he said.
"It's a shame for the Belfast crowd, I'm sure they'd have loved to see those players that obviously aren't going to be there, but the event will still be great.
"There are a lot of events coming up before Christmas, so it would be good to hit some form and win a few tournaments before Christmas."
'I didn't handle the pressure well'
The twice World Championship semi-finalist heads to the Waterfront Hall next week with the chance to become only the fifth player in snooker history to win the same ranking title in three consecutive years if he were to collect the Alex Higgins Trophy.A third straight triumph would see him join a very elite group of players who have won a particular ranking event for three years in a row, alongside Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Judd Trump.
Success in Belfast was not the norm for Allen for several years however as he perennially underperformed at his 'home' event for many years.
"If someone had said to me a few years ago that I'd be sitting here as a two-time defending champion I'd have said they were crazy given my early performances," said Allen.
"I didn't handle the pressure of the event well, with the pressure I put on myself.
"I've just had to learn what to do and prepare for the event the way I would for any other tournament.
"Four years ago I started staying in a hotel, rather than travelling from home, and didn't get involved with any ticket issues with family or friends.
"I played some good stuff that week, even though I lost, and since that I've won the last two years.
"Hopefully this year will be more of the same. It doesn't guarantee success, but I feel like I made those mistakes in the early years by getting too involved in other things."
The Hare
Mare
Did him no good, badly prepared and another early exit for Day.Ryan Day on narrowly avoiding Macau controversy and searching for a spark.
The Macau Five very nearly had another member as Ryan Day was set to play in the exhibition that has caused a stir in snooker, but he pulled out and will be at the Northern Ireland Open, unlike the other five players.
Day was on the poster advertising the Macau Snooker Masters, alongside Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, but unlike the other five, the Welshman was not named in the statement from World Snooker Tour threatening sanctions if they appear in the exhibition.
The problem that WST had with the event was that it was running at the same time as the Northern Ireland Open, feeling that a string of top stars choosing an exhibition over a ranking tournament would damage the reputation of the Belfast competition.
The Macau event has now been moved to December, so the five players who pulled out of Northern Ireland will be twiddling their thumbs next week, with neither tournament to play in.
Day made a late decision to head to Belfast over Macau, though, explaining that his position at number 17 in the world rankings, along with the possibility of punishment from World Snooker Tour, saw him change his plans.
‘I was planning to play in Macau,’ Day told Metro.co.uk. ‘I emailed World Snooker to withdraw from Northern Ireland, then emails came through to the players reminding us of contracts and whatnot.
‘We thought as a group that we might not have been in breach of contract clauses. They thought that we were.
‘I looked at it a bit more closely, and I’m right on the bubble of the top 16. Maybe not qualifying for the UK [Championship], the Masters and along with the potential of sanctions from World Snooker if I did go and play, I phoned the promoter and pulled out, then re-entered Northern Ireland.’
It is understandable why players would be confused over whether they were in breach of the players’ contract or not with the Macau event.
The contract between professional players and WST lays out situations in which they cannot play exhibitions and the circumstances of the Macau event next week are not specifically covered.
However, there is a clause which covers a range of possibilities as it bars players from doing anything that could undermine or damage the reputation of World Snooker events.
WST’s statement on ‘The Macau Five’ included: ‘The WST does not support any clash with a WST event and would consider a player’s decision to prioritise a non-sanctioned event clashing with a WST event to be a breach of their player contract, as this would undoubtedly result in sizeable financial implications to the WST including loss of broadcast income, and sponsorship and ticket sales revenue let alone losses due to any reputational damage.’
Day feels that this part of the contract should be changed and made more clear in future to prevent any future disagreements.
‘It’s so vague. It’s just a blanket term. I think potentially going forward the players might need to try and put in place a better, more understandable clause,’ said the Welshman.
‘Maybe it’s a bit of an eye-opener, because I don’t know how many players have read the contract, maybe it needs changing.
Delboy99
Sire
Mark Allen aims to ‘stand up’ to World Snooker Tour as top players snub Northern Ireland Open.
A civil war within snooker appears to be emerging after five players stated they would skip the Northern Ireland Open, which starts tomorrow, in favour of an exhibition in Macau.Mark Allen has shown his support for players on the World Snooker Tour having more freedom to choose their own playing schedule, claiming that their current contracts are “very restrictive.”
The controversy comes in the wake of the announcement by the group that includes world champion Luca Brecel, John Higgins and Mark Selby, that they would skip the Belfast tournament to accept lucrative offers to play in the Far East, with WST claiming that would be “a breach of their player contract”.
An agreement was reached that the Macau exhibition would be rescheduled, yet the five players, also including Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, will still not compete at the NI Open.
“I’m very strongly in the players’ camp on that one,” world number four Allen told BBC Sport NI.
“Legally by the wording of the contract they [WST] are right, but it doesn’t mean the contract is fair. The players need to stand up and renegotiate this contract because it’s very restrictive.”
Meanwhile, Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Open for “medical reasons,” while Dubliner Ken Doherty will be in action following his 4-3 defeat of Liam Highfield on Wednesday which earned qualification.
The Hare
Mare
After the withdrawals and a couple of shocks only 7 top 16 players left in, 8 if we discount Zhao Xintong as a top 16 player.
Allen likes to complain but it is an odd world if you can sign a contract to play on an organised tour and withdraw from odd events to go and play for someone else. If that happened then there would be some just play exhibitions and snooker would die as a competitive sport, perhaps it will one day as China tries to get back into the game. The problem for WST is that apart from a couple of minor events nothing much happened in the first 4 months after the world championships. Now there are very few breaks and those exhibition and invitations need to take place over the summer months. Be interesting to see what becomes of this in the long run though. Perhaps a reduction in the number of professionals will be the first step?
Anyway the revised 2nd Round draw below
Allen likes to complain but it is an odd world if you can sign a contract to play on an organised tour and withdraw from odd events to go and play for someone else. If that happened then there would be some just play exhibitions and snooker would die as a competitive sport, perhaps it will one day as China tries to get back into the game. The problem for WST is that apart from a couple of minor events nothing much happened in the first 4 months after the world championships. Now there are very few breaks and those exhibition and invitations need to take place over the summer months. Be interesting to see what becomes of this in the long run though. Perhaps a reduction in the number of professionals will be the first step?
Anyway the revised 2nd Round draw below