It is that time of year again, as the final main tour places for the 2014/15 begin to slot into place.
Click below for my annual ‘roll call’ post, tracking how all of the 132 professional places will be filled in the coming weeks…
Updated 22/05/2014
Category: Players
Player Profiles Updated
As the Wuxi Classic qualifiers continue, with world number one Mark Selby having already become the first high profile casualty of the new tour structure, a brief bit of site news today to confirm that I have today completed the usual end of season update to my player profiles.
Not only have I updated the existing profiles, but I have also added new pages for the new players to the tour in 2013/14, such as Gary Wilson, Elliot Slessor and Allan Taylor.
As you will quickly notice, I am in need of photos for the majority of those new players, while I do not have confirmed dates of birth for a few, so if you have any more information that could be included, or spot a mistake, please feel free to message me on Twitter @prosnookerblog, or drop me an email at prosnookerblog@gmail.com
Many thanks!
Flat Draws and Fairness – A Look Ahead To Snooker’s New Dawn
Shortly before Christmas, the news broke that from next season, up to eight full-ranking event tournaments will be staged with a new ‘flat’ 128 man draw, with everybody coming in at the first round, regardless of their ranking.
Arguably the biggest and most controversial change to professional snooker in many years, unsurprisingly many have had their say, some all for the move, citing the increased ‘fairness’ that it would provide, while others are far more sceptical.
With so many implications arising from the changes and factors that have been argued by those on both sides of the argument, below I try to pull those together, while trying to offer some conclusions of my own…
World Snooker: Case To Answer For Stephen Lee
Finally, today there has been some news from World Snooker concerning the current suspension of Stephen Lee, with a statement issued explaining that the reigning PTC Finals champion has a case to answer concerning four historic tournaments…
Under the Radar
It is no secret that in recent weeks, UK and Masters champion Mark Selby has emerged as the man to beat at the top of the game, while the likes of Mark Davis and Stuart Bingham are also players widely recognised to be men very much in form at the moment.
As I updated my player profiles here at PSB over the Christmas period however, there were a few other players, across the rankings, who struck me as having quietly played their way into a good run of form, without quite gaining the same attention.
Click below then for a round-up of those players who going ‘under the radar’, have particularly caught my eye recently…
No Further Action Re: Davis, Un-Nooh
The WPBSA have conducted enquiries into the unusual betting patterns surrounding the match between Steve Davis and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh that took place at UKPTC3 on 8th September 2012, where Steve Davis won the match 4-0.
The WPBSA process of making enquiries is very thorough and has included liaising with the Gambling Commission and a number of other partners in the betting industry. The WPBSA have found that there is insufficient evidence to show that there has been any breach of the WPBSA Members Rules and will take no further action regarding this matter.
O’Sullivan To Sit Out Season
As I am sure that you will all be well aware by now, World Snooker have today announced that four-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has informed them of his intention not to compete on the main tour for the remainder of this season. Click below for more thoughts on the news…
Castle Sets Euro Target
Many young snooker players dream of becoming professional one day but few achieve that status.
However fourteen year old Shane Castle has mapped out exactly what he needs to do to make the dream a reality.
From the age of seven, when his cousin Billy took him to the local club to play on a full sized snooker table, Castle took the first steps on the path to being a professional player…