Snooker

[The Hare]

So as Monday is the new season I have updated my players and this is the first Top 16 before the season starts on Monday. As you can se I have hit one of the problems of ratings and small samples. Figueiredo tops the ratings, but I only have 2 results for him - wins over Jimmy White and Ken Doherty. He is included as he was on the Tour 2 seasons ago but withdrew without playing, Yan Bingtao also still has a few games left on my results along with the other Chinese suspended and then banned after the start of the season.

Top 20 included as 2 of them are not taking part.

Will update draw for the Champions League later, 4 players in 32 groups drawn out over 4 weeks best of 4 frames.

 

[The Hare]

So Champions League starts Monday, 2 groups a day of 4 players over 4 weeks. Winners qualify for the next stage, games are best of 4 frames to help the bookmakers. Most top players entered, including O'Sullivan later on, random whether he turns up or completes the event though!

These are the Groups in current order from Monday downwards.

 

[The Hare]

 

[Delboy99]

List of World Snooker Tour players for the 2024/25 season.​

The 2024/25 season commences next week and most of the players who will compete on the World Snooker Tour this term are now known.
The annual set of Q School competitions concluded on Sunday, marking one of the last opportunities to seal a potentially lucrative spot on the pro circuit.
As things stand, there are 125 players who are confirmed to have tour cards for the upcoming 2024/25 snooker campaign.
The African Billiards and Snooker Confederation nominee for this year is still to be determined and there has been no news on the renewal of invitational tour cards, or the introduction of new ones, as of yet.
However, the tour has basically taken shape ahead of what promises to be another hectic and trophy-laden period for the sport.

When is the first event of the 2024/25 season?​

The ranking event version of Championship League Snooker will provide the first opportunity to win silverware during the new term.
Commencing on June 10th, a four-week slog of a campaign launcher takes place at the Mattioli Arena – formerly the Morningside Arena – in Leicester.
A champion will be crowned on July 3rd, likely providing an avenue to participate in the more lucrative Champions of Champions invitational later this year.

There are great betting offers available from some of the top UK betting sites, most of which will provide a range of odds on all the biggest tournaments throughout the upcoming snooker season.
Here, though, is a rundown of the players who you’ll be able to follow and who will definitely enjoy the opportunity of participating on the World Snooker Tour during the 2024/25 season.

2024/25 professional snooker players​

Top 64 from 2-year world rankings

1. Mark Allen (Northern Ireland)
2. Judd Trump (England)
3. Kyren Wilson (England)
4. Luca Brecel (Belgium)
5. Ronnie O’Sullivan (England)
6. Mark Selby (England)
7. Shaun Murphy (England)
8. Ding Junhui (China)
9. Mark Williams (Wales)
10. Ali Carter (England)
11. Gary Wilson (England)
12. Zhang Anda (China)
13. Tom Ford (England)
14. Jak Jones (Wales)
15. Barry Hawkins (England)
16. John Higgins (Scotland)

17. Robert Milkins (England)
18. Ryan Day (Wales)
19. Jack Lisowski (England)
20. Si Jiahui (China)
21. Hossein Vafaei (Iran)
22. David Gilbert (England)
23. Zhou Yuelong (China)
24. Chris Wakelin (England)
25. Stuart Bingham (England)
26. Noppon Saengkham (Thailand)
27. Pang Junxu (China)
28. Neil Robertson (Australia)
29. Joe O’Connor (England)
30. Lyu Haotian (China)
31. Stephen Maguire (Scotland)
32. Anthony McGill (Scotland)
33. Ricky Walden (England)
34. Xiao Guodong (China)
35. Cao Yupeng (China)
36. Robbie Williams (England)
37. Matthew Selt (England)
38. Yuan Sijun (China)
39. Wu Yize (China)
40. Dominic Dale (Wales)
41. Jamie Jones (Wales)
42. Elliot Slessor (England)
43. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Thailand)
44. Jordan Brown (Northern Ireland)
45. Jackson Page (Wales)
46. Sam Craigie (England)
47. Joe Perry (England)
48. Matthew Stevens (Wales)

49. Jimmy Robertson (England)
50. Fan Zhengyi (China)
51. Scott Donaldson (Scotland)
52. Tian Pengfei (China)
53. Anthony Hamilton (England)
54. Graeme Dott (Scotland)
55. Michael White (Wales)
56. Ben Woollaston (England)
57. Mark Davis (England)
58. Xu Si (China)
59. Jamie Clarke (Wales)
60 Aaron Hill (Ireland)
61. David Grace (England)
62. Sanderson Lam (England)
63. Martin O’Donnell (England)
64. David Lilley (England)
Second year of 2-year card

65. He Guoqiang (China)
66. Daniel Wells (Wales)
67. Liu Hongyu (China)
68. Marco Fu (Hong Kong)
69. Ashley Carty (England)
70. Louis Heathcote (England)
71. Stuart Carrington (England)
72. Long Zehuang (China)
73. Ian Burns (England)
74. Ross Muir (Scotland)
75. Xing Zihao (China)
76. Ma Hailong (China)
77. Jiang Jun (China)
78. Alfie Burden (England)
79. Ishpreet Singh Chadha (India)
80. Liam Pullen (England)

81. Andrew Higginson (England)
82. Hammad Miah (England)
83. Rory Thor (Malaysia)
84. Alexander Ursenbacher (Switzerland)
85. Stan Moody (England)
86. Andrew Pagett (Wales)
87. Jimmy White (England)
88. Liam Graham (Scotland)
89. Dean Young (Scotland)
90. Mostafa Dorgham (Egypt)
91. Reanne Evans (England)
92. Manasawin Phetmalaikul (Thailand)
93. Ahmed Aly Elsayed (USA)
94. Baipat Siripaporn (Thailand)
Top four from 2023/24 ranking list (not already qualified)

95. Zak Surety (England)
96. Julien Leclercq (Belgium)
97. Oliver Lines (England)
98. Ben Mertens (Belgium)

Q School

99. Artemijs Zizins (Lativa)
100. Allan Taylor (England)
101. Haydon Pinhey (England)
102. Wang Yuchen (Hong Kong)
103. Antoni Kowalski (Poland)
104. Chris Totten (Scotland)
105. Farakh Ajaib (Pakistan)
106. Mitchell Mann (England)
107. Lim Kok Leong (Malaysia)
108. Sunny Akani (Thailand)
109. Haris Tahir (Pakistan)
110. Kreishh Gurbaxani (India)

Q Tour

111. Michael Holt (England)
112. Duane Jones (Wales)
113. Amir Sarkhosh (Iran)
114. Mohammed Shehab (UAE)

CBSA China Tour

115. Gong Chenzhi (China)
116. Huang Jiahao (China)

World Women’s Snooker Tour

117. Bai Yulu (China)
118. Mink Nutcharut (Thailand)
Champions at international amateur events

119. Cheung Ka Wai (Hong Kong)
120. Bulcsú Révész (Hungary)
121. Robbie McGuigan (Northern Ireland)
122. Liam Davies (Wales)
123. Lei Peifan (China)
124 Jonas Luz (Brazil)

Medical Exemption

125. Martin Gould (England)

 

[Delboy99]

Historic feat achieved by Lahore’s snooker star Haris Tahir.​

LAHORE - Lahore’s snooker star Haris Tahir delivered a commanding performance by defeating China’s Lin Yang by 4-2 in the title clash of Q School Asia/Oceania event held in Thailand. This remarkable victory not only secured Tahir a prestigious World Snooker Tour Card but also solidified his status as a force to be reckoned in the world of professional snooker. With his newly acquired World Snooker Tour Card, Tahir now possesses the opportunity to showcase his talent on the global stage, competing in professional tournaments across the globe for the next two years.

 

[Delboy99]

Sudbury Snooker Club could become four flats in new plans.​

Sudbury Snooker Club could be transformed into four flats in plans before a council.
Proposals seeking to convert the first floor of the snooker hall at 50-51 North Street, which has been open since 1985, have been submitted to Babergh District Council.


In documents before the council applicant D&A Property Developers Limited said planned flats would comprise of two three-bedroom homes and two two-bedroom homes.


The seven parking spaces behind the hall would be retained with one space allocated per flat.
Currently, the first floor is made up of a snooker room, communal room, seating area, bar and toilets.


The ground floor of the building is home to Hot Wok, The Tile Gallery and The Laundry Goddess, which have their own separate accesses onto North Street.


There are no proposed changes to the ground floor units.
The plan is with Babergh District council pending consideration.

 

[The Hare]

Sudbury Snooker Club could become four flats in new plans.​

Sudbury Snooker Club could be transformed into four flats in plans before a council.
Proposals seeking to convert the first floor of the snooker hall at 50-51 North Street, which has been open since 1985, have been submitted to Babergh District Council.


In documents before the council applicant D&A Property Developers Limited said planned flats would comprise of two three-bedroom homes and two two-bedroom homes.


The seven parking spaces behind the hall would be retained with one space allocated per flat.
Currently, the first floor is made up of a snooker room, communal room, seating area, bar and toilets.


The ground floor of the building is home to Hot Wok, The Tile Gallery and The Laundry Goddess, which have their own separate accesses onto North Street.


There are no proposed changes to the ground floor units.
The plan is with Babergh District council pending consideration.

Seems the way for these smaller clubs, there are less and less places to play as profits are elsewhere.

 

[Delboy99]

Mark Selby threatens to quit snooker after ‘pathetic’ defeat to Gary Wilson.​

Wilson sealed a 10-8 victory with a clearance of 105, but both players were scathing about their performance in Manchester.​

Four-time world champion Mark Selby threatened to quit snooker after losing in the Tour Championship to Gary Wilson, who also described his winning performance as “embarrassing”.

Wilson sealed a 10-8 victory with a clearance of 105, but both players were scathing about their performance in Manchester.


“I mean I was pathetic really, from start to finish,” Selby told ITV4. “Probably one of the worst games I’ve played as a professional. Definitely up there for sure.
“If I carry on playing like that, then yeah, I won’t be enjoying it and I will be choosing a different career for sure.
“Neither of us played great in the second session, Gary played well on Monday and deserved his 5-3 lead. Today neither of us played great. I was like that all match. I deserved to lose. I will give the World Championship a go, but if I keep playing like that, I’m not going to carry on.”

Wilson believes he will have to improve ahead of his quarter-final against Zhang Anda, telling ITV4: “I don’t know how I won to be honest. I’m just thankful Mark didn’t play very well because I was embarrassing.

“The cue action wasn’t even there yesterday – it may have looked a bit better but I just felt deep down all along, I was struggling. I was hitting everything really quick and snatchy and just tried to keep plugging away.”

Reminded that he had made breaks of 95, 98, 78 and 101 in taking a 5-3 lead from Monday’s opening session and must therefore have been cueing well, Wilson replied: “Incorrect.


“I was not cueing very well at all but I can score when I’m not cueing well. That was feeling really bad and it was feeling even worse today and that’s why I missed so many easy balls, gave him so many chances and lifelines.

“Really, if I’d been playing decent and Mark had played as bad as he did there, I should have won that 10-3, 10-4. It was that bad it became really close and I’m just thankful he didn’t play very well either.
“I’m not enjoying it but we go again on Thursday and I’m just hoping I can find something between now and then.”
Ali Carter will face bitter rival Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals after holding off a spirited fightback from Barry Hawkins.

Carter raced into a 7-1 lead after Hawkins had won the opening frame, but the left-hander won seven of the first nine frames in the evening session, including taking the 17th frame on a respotted black after needing two snookers.
However, Carter held his nerve to win the next and seal a 10-8 victory which sets up a showdown with O’Sullivan, 11 weeks after the pair were involved in a war of words following the Masters final won by O’Sullivan.

“I relish the challenge now because he’s the best player ever to pick up a cue,” Carter told ITV4. “To play him in another quarter-final, I’ve played him in a final this year, I’m in the right place.”

Mark Williams produced a superb clearance of 66 in the deciding frame to edge out Tom Ford 10-9 and set up a quarter-final with Judd Trump.

 

[Delboy99]

The 2024/25 snooker season: who are the rookie players?​

The 2024/25 snooker season commences on Monday, but who are the rookie players who will be cueing up for the first time this term?





The ranking event version of Championship League Snooker is open to all professionals competing on the main tour, and there will be plenty of new faces on the circuit during the upcoming campaign.
So far, there are 125 confirmed spots on the main tour, and while not all of them will be competing in Leicester next week, we should expect to see each of them play at some point over the next eleven or so months.


The nomination from the ABSC African champion is still to be determined while no decision has been made regarding invitational tour cards as of yet.
However, ahead of next week’s tournament at the Mattioli Arena, there are 15 rookie players on the 2024/25 snooker season roster.


Here is a brief overview of who they are and how they gained professional status.

Cheung Ka Wai​

Cheung Ka Wai emerged as the 2024 champion at the World Snooker Federation (WSF) Open, the prestigious global international event for amateur players.


The 24 year-old from Hong Kong thrashed Gao Yang 5-0 in the final to secure his first two-year card.

Bulcsú Révész​

Bulcsú Révész became Hungary’s first professional snooker player by capturing the WSF Junior Championship in Albania.


Aged just 17, Révész overcame Gong Chenzhi in the final and later said: “It’s just amazing. I didn’t expect anything before the tournament.”

Robbie McGuigan​

Robbie McGuigan triumphed at the EBSA European Amateur Championship, beating Craig Steadman 5-4 in the final.


The 19 year-old Northern Irishman was once a stepson to world number one Mark Allen, who was married to McGuigan’s mother until 2020.

Liam Davies​

Liam Davies won the EBSA European Under-21 Championship with a 5-3 defeat of Antoni Kowalski in Sarajevo.


The Welsh teenager, who turns 18 at the end of June, is widely being tipped as a potential star of the future.

Jonas Luz​

Back in October, Jonas Luz became one of the first players to guarantee his professional status for the 2024/25 campaign.
The 37 year-old edged fellow Brazilian Fabinho to lift the 2023 Pan American Snooker Championship in Rio de Janeiro.

Bai Yulu​

The newest nominee from the World Women’s Snooker Tour is China’s Bai Yulu.


The 20 year-old captured a maiden women’s world crown on home soil this year and is regarded as a generational talent.

Artemijs Zizins​

Artemijs Zizins produced a fine display to emerge from Q School, becoming the first player from Latvia to secure pro status.


Having just turned 18, Zizins is one of a number of young players from Europe who have broken through this year.

Haydon Pinhey​

Haydon Pinhey (pictured) would have been forgiven for becoming disillusioned with the game of snooker having failed at the final hurdle of Q School each year between 2020 and 2023.
But the Englishman, 27, made it fifth time lucky and finally got over the winning line at the qualifying competition this year.

Antoni Kowalski​

Having narrowly missed out on a main tour ticket through his defeat to Davies at the European under-21s, Kowalski excelled at Q School.


The 20 year-old from Poland counted James Cahill among his conquests as he gained promotion to the pro scene for the first time.

Lim Kok Leong​

Malaysia’s newest professional is Lim Kok Leong, who successfully came through the Asia-Oceania leg of Q School in Bangkok.


Leong beat Gao Yang 4-3 in the final round and at 29 represents one of the older rookies this season.

Haris Tahir​

Snooker is popular in Pakistan, but the country is still waiting for its first notable star to truly breakthrough and move up the ranks.


Could it be Haris Tahir? The 24 year-old graduated from Asia-Oceania Q School, beating Lan Yuhao of China in the final round.

Kreishh Gurbaxani​

India is looking for players to emulate the likes of Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta from a decade ago.


Kreishh Gurbaxani is the huge country’s latest hope after the 21 year-old also came through Q School in Thailand.

Amir Sarkhosh​

Amir Sarkhosh becomes Iran’s newest professional, and at 33 he is the oldest of all the rookies competing on the 2024/25 circuit.


Sarkhosh won one of the three spots that were available through the Q Tour Global Playoffs.

Gong Chenzhi​

Somewhat surprisingly, there are only three rookie snooker players from mainland China this season and two of them come from the CBSA China Tour.


Gong Chenzhi, still only 17, made headlines last season by beating Jordan Brown in the Wuhan Open.

Huang Jiahao​

The other nominee from the CBSA China Tour is 29 year-old Huang Jiahao.


Huang has been around for several years and even reached the final of the 2021 Haining Open, but this will be his first campaign as a professional player.

 

[Delboy99]

Matthew Stevens wins Championship League Snooker group.​

Matthew Stevens moved into Stage Two of Championship League Snooker by topping Group 25 on Wednesday in Leicester.





The Welshman compiled a break of 66 to wrap up a 3-0 victory over Haydon Pinhey in his initial round-robin affair, the latter playing in his first match as a professional player.
Stevens subsequently looked set to maintain his 100% record but missed a tricky final black against Farakh Ajaib, with the Pakistan player duly sinking it to draw the game 2-2.
That left both Stevens and Ajaib on four points each at the top of the group heading into the third and last round of fixtures.
Ajaib’s challenge quickly faded, however, with a 3-0 reverse against Pinhey, leaving the door ajar for Stevens to power through.
The former UK and Masters champion needed only a point to prevail but took all three, beating the higher seed Robbie Williams 3-1 with contributions of 97, 91, and 59.
Ashley Carty, meanwhile, became the first competitor of the week to go undefeated while holding a perfect record of three wins from three outings.
The Englishman lost only a single frame as he dominated Group 31 at the Mattioli Arena.

Carty began with 3-0 triumph over Mostafa Dorgham and followed it up with a 3-1 defeat of amateur top-up Simon Blackwell.
Final opponent Elliot Slessor had also recorded two wins up until this point against the same opposition, but Carty controlled their crucial winner-takes-all tie with runs of 81, 59, and 53.
On Thursday, Championship League Snooker continues with two more Stage One groups in what is the 2024/25 season’s opening ranking event.
Former world number two Stephen Maguire fronts Group 23 against Michael White, Dean Young, and Ryan Davies.
In Group 22, Joe O’Connor will encounter Aaron Hill, Oliver Lines, and Harvey Chandler.

---

Championship League Snooker
Stage One Draw​

Group 1 June 20th	Group 2 June 25th	Group 3 June 27th	Group 4
Kyren Wilson	Ronnie O’Sullivan	Shaun Murphy	Mark Williams
Scott Donaldson	He Guoqiang	Tian Pengfei	Connor Benzey
Baipat Siripaporn	Mitchell Mann	Reanne Evans	David Grace
Daniel Womersley	Kayden Brierley	Steven Hallworth	Fergal Quinn

Group 5 June 26th	Group 6 June 24th	Group 7 June 17th	Group 8 June 17th
Ali Carter	Gary Wilson	Tom Ford	Jak Jones
Xing Zihao	Joe Perry	Sanderson Lam	Jordan Brown
Kreishh Gurbaxani	Michael Holt	Robbie McGuigan	Bulcsú Révész
Joshua Thomond	Huang Jiahao	Barry Pinches	Antoni Kowalski

Group 9 June 24th	Group 10 June 14th	Group 11	Group 12 June 25th
John Higgins	Robert Milkins	Ryan Day	Jack Lisowski
Ma Hailong	Jackson Page	Liam Davies	Mark Davis
Ben Mertens	Andrew Higginson	Hammad Miah	Jiang Jun
Artemijs Zizins	Iulian Boiko	Marco Fu	Anton Kazakov

Group 13 June 21st	Group 14 June 20th	Group 15 June 27th	Group 16 June 26th
Si Jiahui	Hossein Vafaei	David Gilbert	Zhou Yuelong
Jimmy Robertson	Louis Heathcote	Xu Si	Fan Zhengyi
Zak Surety	Manasawin Phetmalaikul	Andrew Pagett	Alfie Burden
Lee Daegyu	Josh Mulholland	Duane Jones	Mink Nutcharut

Group 17	Group 18 June 21st	Group 19 June 22nd	Group 20 June 22nd
Chris Wakelin	Stuart Bingham	Noppon Saengkham	Pang Junxu
Ian Burns	Anthony Hamilton	Long Zehuang	Stuart Carrington
Rory McLeod	Ahmed Aly Elsayed	Lei Peifan	Gong Chenzhi
Liam Pullen	Hamim Hussain	Alfie Davies	Gerard Greene

Group 21	Group 22	Group 23	Group 24 June 18th
Neil Robertson	Joe O’Connor	Michael White	Ricky Walden
Cheung Ka Wai	Aaron Hill	Ryan Davies	Martin O’Donnell
Jamie Clarke	Harvey Chandler	Stephen Maguire	Rory Thor
Zack Richardson	Oliver Lines	Dean Young	Umut Dikme

Group 25	Group 26 June 19th	Group 27 June 19th	Group 28 June 18th
Matthew Stevens	Matthew Selt	Yuan Sijun	Wu Yize
Farakh Ajaib	Graeme Dott	David Lilley	Ross Muir
Robbie Williams	Alexander Ursenbacher	Liam Graham	Allan Taylor
Haydon Pinhey	Florian Nuessle	Paul Deaville	Joshua Cooper

Group 29 June 15th	Group 30 June 15th	Group 31	Group 32 June 14th
Dominic Dale	Jamie Jones	Ashley Carty	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ben Woollaston	Liu Hongyu	Elliot Slessor	Daniel Wells
Stan Moody	Ishpreet Singh Chadha	Simon Blackwell	Julien Leclercq
Dylan Emery	Chris Totten	Mostafa Dorgham	Mark Joyce

---

 

[Delboy99]

Man caught nibbling on child’s ear at snooker comes out fighting as he is identified.​

Stefano Voci, a forklift truck operator, was caught on camera biting and nuzzling the boy at The Crucible in Sheffield but police ended their investigation this week
The bloke who was caught on camera nibbling a child's ear at the World Snooker Championships is reportedly an Italian tourist named Stefano Voci, 43.


He defended his actions, which took place at The Crucible in Sheffield city centre and caused outrage among viewers watching seven-time World SnIt has now been revealed that the child is related to Mr Voci. The Italian national, who works as a forklift truck operator, took to social media to explain his actions, saying it was a normal way of showing affection towards a loved one.ooker Championships winner Stephen Hendry analyse a live match.

 

[The Hare]

First 12 players to qualify from the Champions League and their current Official Ranking. Twenty more to go and not many of the top players played yet.

 

[Delboy99]

Ben Woollaston and Jamie Jones top CLS groups.​

Ben Woollaston prevailed in Group 29 as Championship League Snooker continued on Saturday in Leicester.





Woollaston lives just a short distance away from the Mattioli Arena and made the most of his latest appearance at one of his hometown events.
The 37 year-old began the day with a 2-2 draw against Stan Moody but followed it up with a 3-0 defeat of amateur top-up Dylan Emery.
Dominic Dale was his final round-robin opponent, the veteran Welshman having also accumulated four points from his encounters with Moody and Emery.


In the winner-takes-all battle, Dale looked to be heading for the last 32 when he took the opening frame with a break of 66.


But Woollaston responded by winning the following three to end the group undefeated and on top spot with seven points.
There was more drama in Group 30, meanwhile, with Jamie Jones just about clinging on to the number one position.


Jones, Ishpreet Singh Chadha, and Chris Totten all had an opportunity to end the day’s play in first heading into the last round of fixtures.


But all they could manage were draws, leaving the table as it was and Jones thankful for his 3-0 success over Totten at the start of the day.
There is a small break on Sunday before the action in Stage One of Championship League Snooker continues on Monday in Leicester.


In Group 7, Tom Ford encounters Sanderson Lam, Robbie McGuigan, and Barry Pinches.


Group 8 will see World Championship runner-up Jak Jones back in competition for the first time since Sheffield, the Welshman facing Jordan Brown, Bulcsú Révész, and Antoni Kowalski.


The 2024/25 snooker season’s opening ranking tournament runs until July 3rd.

 

[Delboy99]

Neil Robertson begins new season nicely.
Neil Robertson safely advanced from his group in Championship League Snooker as the new season got under way in Leicester on Monday.
The Australian compiled a break of 70 but could only share the four frames he initially played against amateur top-up Zack Richardson.


That left him with work to do in his remaining round-robin fixtures against Cheung Ka Wai and Jamie Clarke.
The 42 year-old comfortably beat the former opponent 3-0, Cheung competing in his first tournament as a professional player following his success in this year’s WSF Championship.


Robertson was level on the same number of points with Clarke heading into their crucial showdown against one another.


But despite losing the opening frame to the Welshman, contributions of 93 and 70 saw Robertson top Group 21 with seven points.


The former world champion and world number one has slipped down to as low as number 28 in the rankings after a dismal run of form.


Robertson, for years considered among the most consistent high performers on the baize, only reached one ranking event semi-final during a difficult last campaign.


He will move forward to Stage Two of Championship League Snooker, where the 32 group winners from Stage One will go through another four-player mini league process.
Joining Neil Robertson will be Ryan Day, who similarly progressed with a record of two wins and a draw from Group 11.


The Welshman, a finalist of the invitational version of Championship League Snooker in 2017, got off to a strong start by beating rookie Liam Davies 3-0.


The world no.18 then shared the spoils with Hammad Miah before orchestrating a second 3-0 victory in his last outing against Marco Fu.


In the latter fixture, Day produced his finest sequence of form by compiling successive breaks of 125, 72, and 85.


On Tuesday, the 24-day competition will continue with another two groups from the early phase.


Group 4 will see Mark Williams entertain David Grace, Fergal Quinn, and Connor Benzey.


In Group 17, Chris Wakelin will be the favourite against Ian Burns, Liam Pullen, and Rory McLeod.

 

[Outlander]

wonder why this didn’t take off

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1791538709453504800

 

[The Hare]

wonder why this didn’t take off

I didn't know they had outdoor tables. They could play in football stadiums! Would give the players lots of reasons for playing badly.

 

[Delboy99]

Jak Jones holds on to win Championship League group.​

Jak Jones got his 2024/25 season off to a positive start by topping Group 8 of Championship League Snooker in dramatic circumstances on Monday.
This year’s surprise World Championship finalist went undefeated at the Mattioli Arena with a victory and two draws from his three round-robin fixtures.


The Welshman began the day with a 2-2 draw with Antoni Kowalski, Poland’s newest professional player who ended up sharing the points in all of his ties.
Jones then beat Hungary’s first ever snooker professional, overcoming Révész Bulcsú 3-1 with a high break of 88 that would ultimately prove to be crucial.


By this point, Jordan Brown had accumulated the same number of points following a 3-1 win and a 2-2 draw with the same opponents.


When Jones subsequently went 2-1 up against Brown in the last match of the day, the latter knew that, with their records set to be identical, only a contribution higher than Jones’ earlier 88 would take him through.


The Northern Irishman indeed won the frame but fell agonisingly short of his target, breaking down on 87 to concede a spot in Stage Two of the competition.


In Group 7, meanwhile, Tom Ford was the highest ranked player but was forced to pull out midway through the day’s action due to medical reasons.
That opened the door for the remaining three contenders, who each secured one win and suffered one loss from the revised three-player format.


It came down to frame difference with the points level, ensuring a terrific start to life on the tour for rookie Robbie McGuigan.


The Northern Irishman’s 3-0 whitewash defeat of Sanderson Lam ended up being critical as he edged out both Lam and Barry Pinches in the final standings.


On Tuesday, Championship League Snooker continues with two more groups in what is the campaign’s first ranking tournament.


Group 24 sees Ricky Walden in action against Martin O’Donnell, Rory Thor, and Umut Dikme.


Wu Yize is the top seed in Group 28, with the young Chinese competitor cueing up alongside Ross Muir, Allan Taylor, and Joshua Cooper.

 

[Delboy99]

Historic feat achieved by Lahore’s snooker star Haris Tahir .​

LAHORE - Lahore’s snooker star Haris Tahir delivered a commanding performance by defeating China’s Lin Yang by 4-2 in the title clash of Q School Asia/Oceania event held in Thailand. This remarkable victory not only secured Tahir a prestigious World Snooker Tour Card but also solidified his status as a force to be reckoned in the world of professional snooker. With his newly acquired World Snooker Tour Card, Tahir now possesses the opportunity to showcase his talent on the global stage, competing in professional tournaments across the globe for the next two years.

 

[The Hare]

Half way through the first round of the Champions League, hidden away on betting sites and youtube, so haven't watched any of it. The rest of this week and next week to get to the Second Round! Good cheap entertainment for Hearn and his organisation, limited rewards for the players. Surprisingly the top ranked players have performed well and still a lot of top players to take part. World Champion, Kyren Wilson plays tomorrow.

Main casualty so far has been Tom Ford who withdrew after one game due to illness. A home event for him so must have been bad. Thanks to snooker.org these seem to be the players and their current Official World Rankings, with their groups for the next round in 2 weeks time. Four to a group when the draw completes. My ratings on the right. Group G the one to be in it seems.

 

[Delboy99]

Snooker enjoys ‘incredible’ success amid new Masters sponsor.​

The World Snooker Tour (WST) has announced that the Masters will be sponsored by Johnstone’s Paint for the next three years.


The deal will see WST and Johnstone’s Paint expand on an existing partnership to include title sponsorship of The Masters, part of the sport’s Triple Crown Series alongside the World Championship and the UK Championship.


Johnstone’s Paint served as the lead partner for both the Players Championship and Tour Championship, offering various themed activities and initiatives for snooker enthusiasts. This partnership aims to further evolve at the sport’s premier invitation event over the next three years.

Additionally, Johnstone’s Paint plans to leverage its new association with snooker to support community projects. In education, they collaborate on STEM learning initiatives and will engage schoolchildren in designing player waistcoats for tournament wear.


New World Champion Kyren Wilson, commented: “The Masters has grown so much in recent years, many players consider it the best atmosphere on the tour and it is a title that everyone wants to win. Having landed the world title, the Masters is now at the top of my list!


“It’s fantastic to bring Johnstone’s Paint on board as title sponsor, I’m sure they have great ideas to work together with our sport and help us engage with fans.”


The 2025 Johnstone’s Paint Masters is scheduled to take place from January 12-19 at Alexandra Palace in London. This event, first held in 1975, will feature the world’s top 16 players competing for a prize pool exceeding £1m and the championship trophy.

Peter Wright, Chief Commercial Officer at WST, said: “We are delighted to build on this exciting partnership and to continue to create a colourful future by working with Johnstone’s Paint.


“In recent years, the Johnstone’s Paint Masters has made huge leaps forward to the extent that every session is packed with an audience of over 2,000, and the experience of coming to Alexandra Palace has become a bucket list item for fans who love live sport.


“Snooker is enjoying incredible progress in terms of our television audience, live attendance and digital growth and we are pleased to welcome Johnstone’s Paint as part of this journey. We will be working closely with them on a range of initiatives including their outstanding community projects.”

In March, Snooker became the latest sport to host an event in Saudi Arabia after the WST announced its plans to include the country on its calendar in January.