Mark Allen won his third European Tour title within the past year by beating Judd Trump 4-2 in the final of the Arcaden Paul Hunter Classic in Fürth, Germany.
World number nine Allen won two European Tour titles last season and has now won the second of the current campaign, and tops the Order of Merit having been runner-up to Mark Selby at the Riga Open.
Watched by a packed crowd at the Fürth Stadthalle, Northern Ireland’s Allen collected the trophy and a cheque for 25,000 Euros after getting the better of world number six Trump.
A dramatic opening frame came down to a respotted black after Trump had missed frame-ball green, and he was made to pay as Allen took it. Trump hit back with a break of 92 before a scrappy third frame went Allen’s way for 2-1.
In the fourth, Allen had a chance to clear but missed a tough last red to a baulk corner, and Trump took advantage to level the match. Allen regained the lead after a poor safety from his opponent on the last red in the fifth. And the 28-year-old from Antrim sealed victory in the next with a fine break of 88.
“I’m glad I won this one, having been 3-0 up on Selby in the final in Riga and lost 4-3,” said the player nicknamed the Pistol. “It shows that I’m going in the right direction, having got to the last two finals.
“I’ve actually played poorly this weekend so I’m glad the final was a bit scrappy – if it had been open then Judd would have scored heavily.
“I still feel I need to get more consistent. I don’t know why I do better in the European Tour events than the main ranking events because I don’t prepare any differently.
“The crowds here are amazing, everything about the tournament reflects well on the name of Paul Hunter and the players feel proud to be a part of it.”
Earlier in the semi-finals, Trump beat Ricky Walden 4-1 while Allen edged out veteran Rod Lawler 4-3.
The 2014/15 European Tour series comprises six events across the continent, with the top 24 in the final Order or Merit to go through to the Players Championship next March to battle for the £100,000 jackpot.
The next event is the Bulgarian Open in Sofia from October 2-5.
Snooker ace Ronnie O’Sullivan admits the BetVictor Welsh Open is one of his favourite tournaments on the calendar, and hopes the event will be a success at its new home in Cardiff.
The world ranking event will run from February 16-22 in 2015 and will take place in the Welsh capital for the first time in over a decade, having moved from Newport to the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £8, incredible value for the chance to see the world’s best players in action. Book immediately as tickets for many sessions will sell out fast, plus there’s a HALF PRICE OFFER for the first four days of the event (Monday February 16 to Thursday February 19) and the offer ends soon so don’t miss out!
The tournament will feature 128 players, all starting in the same round, and with 11 tables in the arena, fans will have the chance to watch several matches in one day.
O’Sullivan has won the Welsh Open three times, most recently in March this year when he thrashed Ding Junhui 9-3 in the final, and capped a supreme display with a stunning 147 in the last frame, the 12th maximum break of his career. He conceded just ten frames in seven matches on his way to winning the £60,000 top prize.
“The Welsh Open has been good to me over the years, I always enjoy it and I’ve played some of my best snooker there,” said the five-time World Champion. “That 147 against Ding is up among the high points of my career. I’ve watched it back on YouTube a few times since, particularly the last red which is one of the best shots I’ve ever played.
“I always liked the venue in Newport. But I understand the event needs to grow, and we need space for more tables and more players, and hopefully that will help create a great atmosphere. I remember playing in Cardiff when the event was there before, it’s a good place.”
O’Sullivan also won the Masters, the Champion of Champions and the Paul Hunter Classic last season, though he finished it on a low note, losing 18-14 to Mark Selby in the World Championship final. He is yet to confirm his schedule for 2014/15 but added: “I want to play in as many events as I can. I just have to look at the calendar and structure my season properly.”
The world's best snooker players will be at Alexandra Palace in North London in January, and several sessions are selling out fast.
Tickets are the perfect Christmas present for anyone who loves live sport so book them NOW while they are still available. Snooker's most prestigious invitation tournament runs from January 12 to 19 and features the elite 16 players including World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, world number one Neil Robertson, defending champion Mark Selby plus Judd Trump, John Higgins, Mark Allen, Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui and many more.
Tickets start at just £10, fantastic value for money, and there are also some amazing VIP and corporate hospitality packages available. To book call
Selby won the title for the third time last year by beating Robertson 10-6 in the final, and the Leicester man dreams of defending the crown and taking the £200,000 top prize. Steve Davis, Cliff Thorburn and Paul Hunter all won it three times while only Stephen Hendry (six) and Ronnie O'Sullivan (four) have surpassed that total.
"To defend the title and join Ronnie on four titles would be unbelievable," said Selby, who plays in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday January 12. "The Masters makes you feel special because it's only the best 16 players so you know that every match is going to be against another top player, and you will have to be at your best to win. And if you do win the title you know you've really earned it because you've beaten the best.
"I was gutted to lose to Neil Robertson in the UK Championship final last week but winning the Masters again would be the perfect way to bounce back from that. Ally Pally is brilliant for snooker, it really works as a venue and the atmosphere is fantastic."
World Snooker will stage the first ever world ranking tournament in India in October.
The Indian Open will run from October 14 to 18 in Delhi.
Snooker has expanded across the globe in recent years, particularly in China and continental Europe, and it is hoped that India will be the next successful market.
The tournament will feature 64 of the world's top players. All players on the World Snooker Tour will have the chance to compete in the qualifying round on August 11 and 12 at the Doncaster Dome, needing to win one match to earn a place at the venue.
The event will offer prize money of £300,000, with the winner to take home £50,000.
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: "This is a momentous announcement for snooker as we stage a world ranking event in India for the very first time. If we can replicate the phenomenal success we have had in China then India will be a very exciting prospect.
"It's amazing to think that snooker was invented in India in 1875, and now nearly 140 years later we are taking the world's leading players back for a major ranking tournament.
"This is fantastic opportunity for the players to showcase their skills in a new territory and I hope they grasp it."
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson added: "I have been in Delhi this week to finalise the agreement for the event and I have witnessed first hand the enthusiasm for snooker in India. The people really love our game and I've no doubt that this event will be a great success and provide a basis for snooker's growth in India.
"We now have two Indian players on the professional tour, Aditya Mehta who reached the last 16 of the International Championship last season, and Pankaj Advani who got to the semi-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic and the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open ranking event. Both of these players are excellent role models for snooker and hopefully their success will help increase participation levels among the youth in India.
"Delhi is a wonderful city with a rich and deep history of billiard sports and we look forward to working with our new partners in the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India. For the players who earn a place in the tournament it's going to be an amazing experience in Incredible India.
"We believe that snooker is the world's fastest growing sport and this is another huge step forward in our globalisation plan."
Further details on the tournament will be announced shortly.
Tickets for the qualifying round in Doncaster are on sale – for details call 01302 370 777 or visit www.the-dome.co.uk
Martin Gould won a tournament carrying ranking points for the first time
by beating Stephen Maguire 4-3 in the final of UK Players Tour
Championship event two at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Londoner Gould climbed into the top 16 last season and also won the
Power Snooker event, and can now add a PTC title to his snooker CV.
Victory is worth £10,000 plus 2,000 ranking points to the 30-year-old
former casino croupier.
Scotland’s Maguire won UKPTC1 last month and looked on course for a
repeat victory when he took the first frame of the final with a break of
64. Gould hit back to win three of next four frames, compiling runs of
65 and 52 and nicking the fifth on a respotted black.
Maguire won the next for 3-3 and when he fluked a red when escaping from
a snooker in the decider he had the chance of a match-winning break,
but could only make 41. The frame came down to the colours and Gould
potted an excellent long green and added the brown and blue to win the
title.
“It feels amazing to win a tournament with ranking points for the first
time,” said world No 16 Gould. “My aim now is to win some big titles.
“Last week I started working with a coach called Stephen Feeney who has
done a lot for the likes of Mark Davis and Stuart Bingham. He noticed a
fault in the way I was sighting the ball and fixed it straight away. The
improvement has been beyond my expectation and every time I was among
the balls this week I felt as if I was going to clear up.
“I lost a lot of close matches at the end of last season and I realise
now that was because of the problem with my sighting and cue action. It
feels great to know it is fixed.”
The Players Tour Championship is a series of ten events, four in the UK
and six in Europe, with the top 24 on the final Order of Merit going
through to the Grand Finals in March. They will be joined by eight
players from the Asian PTC Order of Merit.
The next event is Betfair European Tour 1 (the Paul Hunter Classic) from August 23-26 in Fuerth, Germany.
Results (last 16 onwards):
Last 16
Stephen Maguire 4-3 Shaun Murphy
Pankaj Advani 0-4 Alan McManus
Joe Perry 4-3 Michael White
Nigel Bond 0-4 Mark Williams
Alfie Burden 4-1 Robert Milkins
Judd Trump 2-4 Ryan Day
Ben Woollaston 4-1 Liang Wenbo
Martin Gould 4-3 Mark Allen
Quarter Finals
Stephen Maguire 4-1 Alan McManus
Joe Perry 4-1 Mark Williams
Alfie Burden 4-3 Ryan Day
Ben Woollaston 2-4 Martin Gould
Semi Finals
Stephen Maguire 4-3 Joe Perry
Alfie Burden 1-4 Martin Gould
World Snooker and the European Billiards and Snooker Association have joined forces to set up a new series of events which will give European amateur players the chance to qualify for the main tour.
The new EBSA Qualifying Tour will be a series of four events, staged concurrently with the following World Snooker European Tour events:
Paul Hunter Classic, Furth, Germany August 23-26 Antwerp, Belgium, October 19-21 Sofia, Bulgaria, November 16-18 Ravenscraig, Scotland, December 14-16
Entry into the EBSA Qualifying Tour can only be made by entering the World Snooker European Tour events. The EBSA events will only be open to amateur players registered with a national governing body of the EBSA.
A ranking system will run across the four events. The four event winners, plus the next eight players on the ranking list, will go through to the final play offs.
Those 12 players will then be separated into three quartets, who will play semi-finals and a final. The three winners will be handed a two year card for the World Snooker Tour in 2013/14 and 2014/15.
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “We are delighted to be working with the EBSA and to have secured three places on the World Snooker Tour for European amateur players.
“These events will be played on the world’s best tables in professional tournament conditions. This will help ensure that Europe’s elite performers will join the World Snooker Tour.
“Snooker is growing rapidly across the continent and we want to assist this growth at grass roots level by giving players the opportunity to play in events with real significance, and compete for a place on the professional circuit.
“We have seen young players like Belgium’s Luca Brecel and Poland’s Kacper Filipiak come through in recent years and I’m sure there is a lot more talent out there.
“I would encourage all amateurs to get their names down for the European Tour events as quickly as possible and they will then be able to play in two tournaments at each venue. There has never been more opportunity for amateur players to get top level experience and climb the snooker ladder.”
Details of how to enter the European Tour events will be on www.worldsnooker.com
