In an all-Brazilian final on home soil, Igor Figueiredo defeated Zico 5-0 to win the 2023 Pan American Seniors Snooker Championship held at the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club.
Victory for the 46-year-old secures qualification for the 2024 LLP Solicitors World Seniors Snooker Championship which is set to take place at the Crucible Theatre in May. It would represent Figueiredo’s second appearance in the tournament there having reached the semi-finals in 2021.
Organised by the Pan American Billiards and Snooker Association (PABSA) – a continental federation serving players from across North, Central and South America – a total of 40 players were divided into eight round robin groups of five with the top two from each advancing to the knockout rounds.
Former professional Figueiredo finished top of Group 8 after winning all his games 2-0 before defeating Maciel (Brazil) 3-0 and Fabinho (Brazil) 3-1 in the last 16 and quarter-finals, respectively.
Returning for Finals Day, Figueiredo constructed breaks of 71, 63 and 85 as he eliminated fellow countryman Tuzinho 4-0 in the last four.
Emerging from the other side of the draw was Zico who relinquished just one frame on his way to the semi-finals where he ousted Jason Williams (Canada) 4-3 on the final pink in the deciding frame. In frame three, Zico made a break of 72.
However, Figueiredo proved to be too strong in the final as he registered runs of 58, 72, 62, 54 and 50 en route to the title.
Attention in Rio now turns to the full Pan American Snooker Championship which runs from Thursday to Sunday where the winner will earn a two-year professional World Snooker Tour card.
World Seniors Snooker (WSS) has today announced the first staging of the Mr Vegas Snooker 900 which will run this December at Epsom Downs Racecourse.
To be held on Friday 29 December, the all-new showcase event will be broadcast live and exclusive within the UK on Channel 5 and feature icons of the game including former world champions Stephen Hendry, Dennis Taylor, Ken Doherty and Joe Johnson, as well as current World Seniors champion Jimmy White and Tony Knowles.
The day will provide fans with the chance to send a day in the company of the players and will feature a meal after play, accompanied by a trick shot cabaret from John Virgo and comedy from 1985 world champion Taylor.
VIP ticket holders will get to meet all of the players before the action gets underway at a champagne reception overlooking the finish line of the racecourse and their table with be hosted by one of the stars with a signed gift included. A sporting auction will be run with all proceeds going to official WSS partner, The Care Workers Charity.
The tournament itself will see six players split into two groups with a round robin format to be played over fast 15 minute frames. The top two from each group will progress to the knockout stages with the semi-finals and final.
The perfect Christmas outing, or a great stocking filler. Either way a trip to the Seniors is guaranteed to provide plenty of laughter off the table and drama on it.
Individual tickets start from £75 per person, while the event is perfect for any company Christmas parties, corporates or snooker fans with VIP tables of ten being sold at £147 per person.
The “900 rules” are very similar to the Shoot-out rules. The frame is limited to 15 minutes (900 seconds). There is a shot-clock. Unless a ball is potted, at least one cushion must be hit, be it by the cueball or another ball. Any foul results in ball in hand for the opponent. The player who is in front after 15 minutes wins. In case of “equality”, the situation is resolved by a blue ball shoot-out.
I expect the shot-clock time be a bit longer than the one used in the Shoot Out given this is a seniors event…
World Seniors Snooker (WSS) is delighted to announce the agreement of a new multi-year agreement with World Snooker Tour (WST) which will underpin the continued growth of the WSS Tour.
The new deal will see up to five events staged year around the world by WSS, which will continue to be governed by snooker’s world governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).
During the current 2023/24 season, events will be open to all amateur players aged 40 or over, as well as professionals who are 45 or over as of 1 June 2024 and ranked outside of the top 64 at the start of this season. From next season, all players must be aged 45 or older.
The first event under the new agreement is planned to take place in December 2023 and will be broadcast on mainstream television.
Jason Francis, World Seniors Snooker Chairman said: “Following today’s announcement I am pleased to be able to continue our important work alongside the WPBSA which has seen us provide vital opportunities for older players to be able to extend their snooker careers.
“I would like to thank both organisations for their cooperation and support and look forward to the announcement of a number of exciting events soon.”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “As a members association the WPBSA sees the organisation of a successful World Seniors Tour as a fundamental element of our events structure.
“We have seen in recent years with performances by greats including Jimmy White and Ken Doherty, as well as seasoned professionals such as David Lilley, Lee Walker and Peter Lines, that these players still have a great deal to offer our sport as they reach the end of their WST careers.
“It has also been pleasing to see the growth of seniors snooker around the world, which has seen many continental champions earn their place at World Seniors already in recent years and this will continue to play a major role in our strategy moving forwards.”
Further announcements about upcoming events will follow shortly at seniorssnooker.com
This was shared yesterday and it really made my day!
I can now share this… the reason why there was no event planned/announced in the recent months was that the agreement between the snooker governing body and the chair of the Seniors snooker, allowing pros over 45 to compete on the seniors tour had expired and a new agreement needed to be negotiated. It wasn’t straightforward but here it is!
Without such agreement, players like Jimmy White, Ken Doherty or Stephen Hendry would not be allowed to compete on the Seniors tour, and without recognisable household names and Legends, marketing the Seniors events was an extremely difficult task.
Now the Seniors can go forward and grow. Happy days!
The WPBSA World Seniors Tour 