99 of the 100 main tour players for 2011/12 are now confirmed but there is one spot remaining which will be taken by the winner of the 2011 EBSA European Championship which begins in June. Click below for a look at the entry list as I flag up a few names to watch…
- To view the entry list please click here
Details of the draw do not appear to have been released yet, but once published should appear here.
As you can see there are 64 players on the list, some of which you will recognise from having competed in the recent Q School while there are also players such as Welshman Daniel Wells who are already assured of a place on the main tour for next season.
Aside from Daniel, who are the men to watch?
Former professional Vincent Muldoon from Ireland will be hoping to regain a spot on the main tour for the first time since 2008/9 having been unable to compete during the recent Q School due to a clash with his final University exams. You can read more from Vinnie over at Snooker HQ where he has given an insightful interview recently.
A player who was able to compete during the Q School however was the second Welshman in this competition, Lee Walker who performed well during each of the three events, notably reaching the final round of the second before losing out to Simon Bedford in a decider. A fomer World quarter-finalist, if he can maintain the form that he displayed in Sheffield then he could take some stopping.
Also well-represnted are Scotland who have three players, notably Bobby Cruickshanks and Michael Leslie who were both in action in Sheffield. Of the three I suspect that Bobby could be in with the best chance, particularly having defeated Lee Spick before losing out to David Gilbert in the most recent Q School event.
What of England? Like Daniel Wells, Adam Duffy has already made sure of his tour place for 2011/12 but will be hoping to sign off from the amateur game in style with victory in Bulgaria. Martin O’Donnell will also be in action his record at the Q School was quietly impressive, twice losing to David Gilbert before running into Kurt Maflin at the final round of the third event. As good as the field is in this competition, there are not too many players out there with the experience and quality of Gilbert and it will be interesting to see if he can take advantage of that fact.
Other names that you may recognise are German duo Lasse Munstermann and Patrick Einsle, the latter of whom is hopefully in better health at present having been forced to resign his place on the tour last season due to medical problems.
Former Icelandic pro Kristjan Helguson is also present, as is Kevin van Hove who will be hoping to make it three Belgians on the main tour next season.
Finally another player involved will be Northern Ireland’s Michael McDonald who looks like he will be blogging from the event in Sofia. Please click here to view his site.
The European Championship runs from the 7th June…