The full line-up for Premier League Pool has been confirmed with Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Mieszko Fortunski, Skyler Woodward, and Kelly Fisher joining the top 12 off of the 2022 Nineball World Rankings with action set to get underway from Monday, February 14 to Monday, February 21 at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Sanchez Ruiz became the final wild card pick after becoming the first winner of the newly formed Nineball World Rankings by claiming the Derby City Classic 9-Ball Division promoted by Diamond Billiards title against Joshua Filler. The win put Sanchez Ruiz as number one on the 2023 Nineball World Rankings.
The Spaniard spoke of his delight in winning the 9-ball division at the Derby City Classic and becoming the final wild card pick on this week’s episode of The Loose Pool Podcast with Michael Bridge and Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director Emily Frazer: “I feel great, I can’t believe it to be honest. I think winning the first tournament of the year on the rankings has given me confidence. The 9-ball division was tough, and the draw was so tough. I played against Shane (Van Boening) and Albin (Ouschan) and I played Filler twice as well as David Alcaide. I am very happy.”
“When I played with Shane, I was 6-1 and if I lost that I was out. I came back and won that match and it gave me extra confidence. I feel confident. In the last year. I have won two EuroTour titles and I feel really good in my game right now.”
“I can’t wait to play in Premier League Pool. It is unbelievable. I have never played in a league format before. I cannot wait to get started on Monday, February 14 in Milton Keynes, England. It is an interesting format. I think it is good because you get to play a lot of matches. I will try my best to win.”
Women’s World No.1 Fisher was the first wild card pick and will be looking for a strong start on day one whilst Fortunski has a burgeoning reputation in the game and has delivered some stellar performances over the last 12 months at Matchroom events. Woodward meanwhile was a shining light in the USA’s Mosconi Cup defeat in December and will look for a strong start to 2022.
Entry List
- Albin Ouschan (AUSTRIA)
- David Alcaide (SPAIN)
- Shane Van Boening (USA)
- Max Lechner (AUSTRIA)
- Aloysius Yapp (SINGAPORE)
- Naoyuki Oi (JAPAN)
- Joshua Filler (GERMANY)
- Eklent Kaçi (ALBANIA)
- Alexander Kazakis (GREECE)
- Omar Al-Shaheen (KUWAIT)
- Jayson Shaw (SCOTLAND)
- Oliver Szolnoki (HUNGARY)
- Skyler Woodward (USA)
- Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (SPAIN)
- Mieszko Fortunski (POLAND)
- Kelly Fisher (ENGLAND)
Premier League Pool Format
- All 16 players face each other once across the first five days of play
- After day five, the bottom 6 in the League Table are eliminated
- The remaining 10 players face each other again across days six and seven before 4 more players are eliminated
- The remaining 6 play each other once more on day eight before the top four contend the playoffs
- All group matches race to 5, alternate break
- A win will give a player a point on the league table
- After points, the table will be determined by Rack Difference then Racks Won followed by Head-to-Head record if nothing can split players.
