Igor Figueiredo, the reigning World Seniors Champion showed his class again yesterday as he won “the Hull 900” event. The events was shown on Channel 5, and there was a very good and enthusiastic crowd in the arena in Hull. An estimate 650 fans attended the event.
Congratulations Igor!
Before the event proper, a lunch with the fans was organised.
The trophy is truly magnificent …
The channel 5 coverage was very good. Dennis Taylor was in the commentary box.
Reigning World Seniors Snooker Champion Igor Figueiredo dramatically added another title to his collection as he compiled a counter-attacking clearance of 48 in the deciding frame to defeat Jimmy White 2-1 on the final black and win the latest Mr. Vegas 900 Series event.
Former professional player Figueiredo travelled from his home in Brazil to compete in the six-player, World Seniors Snooker Tour one-day spectacular at the Connexin Live arena in Hull which was played to unique 900 rules.
The 46-year-old’s day didn’t get off to a great start, though, as he lost the opening match of the tournament to Ken Doherty, who made a 67 break in what was a repeat of the World Seniors Snooker Championship final at the Crucible Theatre from a few months ago.
Doherty – who defied fatigue and jetlag having been in a different continent the day before when commentating on the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh – then defeated Barry Pinches to qualify from and finish top of Group A.
That result meant the final fixture of the group was a straight shootout to see who took the other qualifying spot, and it was Figueiredo who comfortably dispatched Pinches to progress into the semi-final knockouts.
In Group B, Malta’s Tony Drago got the better of both Jimmy White (with a 57 break) and Stephen Hendry to win the pool. To determine the other qualifier, it was a repeat of the final of the first World Seniors 900 event in Epsom late last year, but the result was reversed as White defeated and eliminated Hendry from the tournament.
In the semi-finals – which were also single-frame fixtures – both group runner-ups advanced to the best-of-three title match as White ended Doherty’s campaign and Figueiredo denied Drago. White’s clash with Doherty was a rerun of the preceding 900 event that the latter triumphed in on home soil at the iconic Goffs arena in Ireland in March.
Four-time World Seniors Snooker Champion Jimmy White – the most successful player in seniors snooker history – was hoping ‘third time’s a charm’ and that he could secure a maiden 900 title. He was on course to do so as he crafted a crucial 69 break which assisted him to go 1-0 up, although a contribution of 63 in frame two was vital in aiding Figueiredo to level the contest at 1-1 and force a deciding frame.
There was a scrappy start to the final frame, but 62-year-old White managed to find a fruitful opening with a break of 40. However, he misplaced position – when just a few more pots away from the finish line – and was unable to continue the break, allowing his opponent back to the table. Figueiredo would go on to pot a red from distance and coolly construct a frame, match and event-winning clearance.
It is the second snooker final in as many days to be decided on the final black ball in a deciding frame thriller with a counter-attack following Judd Trump’s heroics in Saudi on Saturday night.
The two referees on duty, Mark Beale and Tatiana Woollaston did a sterling job… as alway.
The whole event was played in great spirit and the players enjoyed themselves, as did the attending fans.
And here are some more images, taken by Andy Chubb, and shared by WSS on social media
Dominic Dale returned to the Crucible at 52 years old last season (Picture: Getty Images)
Dominic Dale will bring his snooker career to a close at the end of the season, saying there is no way he will change his mind due to mounting injuries and a desire to focus on commentary.
The Spaceman turned professional in 1992 and has been on the main tour ever since, climbing as high as 19 in the world rankings and winning two ranking titles.
The flamboyant 52-year-old has been a much-loved fixture of the snooker circuit for over three decades, but he will step away from the pro game at the end of this campaign, a decision he announced at the recent Xi’an Grand Prix.
The Welshman has enjoyed a significant upturn in form over the last year, reaching two quarter-finals and returning to the Crucible for the first time in 10 years, before continuing that impressive streak in Xi’an.
He was then beaten by Daniel Wells who was on his way to the semis, but it was after the brilliant win over Murphy that Dale said he plans to hang up the cue at the end of the season.
Far from a spur of the moment decision, he has confirmed that, despite his good recent form, this will certainly be his last campaign as a pro.
‘I will retire at the end of the season. It doesn’t matter if I win five ranking events, I’ll still retire,’ Dale told Metro.
Dale has been a consistent campaigner for over 30 years (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I can’t do three days of practice now without getting stresses and strains in my joints. Particularly my fingers. I feel stiffness in my fingers after practice, I go to bed and there’s a tingling and it’s painful. I wake up and it’s swollen and it hurts, I can’t make a fist properly. If it’s in the wrong finger I can’t practice properly.
‘I’ve also had problems with tennis elbow in the last few years, which I’ve never had before. My left shoulder, I get a sharp pain there sometimes.
‘I don’t enjoy practicing, I haven’t done for probably seven or eight years, if I’m honest. I have different priorities. I enjoy the commentary work.
‘It is two-fold and they’re fairly equal, but it’s the aches and pains and that I want to do more commentary, I really enjoy that, I’d love to do that as full-time as possible. Those two things combined have made the decision irreversible really, I will retire at the end of the season, I’m not going to change my mind.’
Dale sounds extremely comfortable with his decision to call it a day, partly because he came very close to retiring in 2022, narrowly staying on tour and then being motivated by the WPBSA’s minimum guarantee of £20,000 for the season.
The veteran says there is a mental strain to being on tour for so long which is also getting to him now and he looks forward to playing away from the pro ranks which won’t take such a toll.
‘I nearly retired a few years ago but the governing body introduced the scheme of guaranteeing everyone £20,000,’ he explained. ‘I thought I could practice half an hour a day, lose most matches and still make a profit!
‘I’ll not play in every tournament for the rest of the season. I probably will play the Shoot Out, but if I could be a pundit and not play then that would be a close decision. I hate the Shoot Out, the pressure is immense. I’ve been to the semi and quarter the last two years and I don’t know how, the pressure is terrible, I’ve had enough of it.
‘I’m 52 years old now and I’ve had enough of the pressure. When are you going to let go and live a normal life? Not have an opponent who’s trying to take money out of your back pocket. That’s not good for the mind. Mental health does come into it.
Dale is still ranked #36 in the world (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I will go on the Seniors tour. I’ll love that. Giving something back to the game, having fun with the audience. I won’t be practicing three hours a day, pint of blood every shot, I’ll play it as it should be played, in good spirit and have fun. So those are my plans.’
Dale’s achievements on the baize include winning the 1997 Grand Prix and the 2007 Shanghai Masters, reaching two World Championship quarter-finals and claiming the Shoot Out title back in 2014, despite his hatred for the event.
He looks back on his career with pride, having felt privileged to play the sport he loves against the best in the world for over three decades.
‘I could look at some players who haven’t won a ranking event while I’ve won two and these are players that are just better players than me,’ he said. ‘They’ve done more on the practice table than I have, but I’ve won a couple of ranking events and a few other tournaments as well.
Dale beat the likes of Ken Doherty, Mark Selby and Ryan Day to win the Shanghai Masters (Picture: Eurosport)
‘And I’ve left my mark on the game, I think. The game that I love and set out to do as well as I could at. When I was 20 I left the police force to turn pro and was promised that if things didn’t work out in two or three years I could go back there. 32 years later I’m still playing the game.
‘I’ve played everybody in the game, all the biggest names. It’s been a privilege to play them and to know them. I’m delighted to have left my mark in different decades. Looking back at the history of the sport I’ve dedicated my life to and knowing I’ve won some major tournaments, it certainly means a lot and makes it worthwhile.
‘One of my favourite singers Roy Orbison had a great quote, somebody asked him how he’d like to be remembered and he replied: “I’d just like to be remembered.” I think I will be, with my character, my flamboyance, not so much on the table, but my personality.
‘It’s been fantastic over 32 years, but it has been a lot of dedication, it does alter your personality, you have to become single-minded and to have that killer instinct for so long in life isn’t natural. I don’t like that side of it, but it’s something you have to have.’
Dale would love to wrap up his career with another trip to the Crucible, although his love of all levels of the game shines through when he mentions that a return to the Invitational Championship League would be a highlight of his final season.
‘That [the Crucible] would be wonderful, if I could qualify. I’ll do my best,’ he said. ‘I just want to do as well as I can. It’ll be nice to play in the invitational part of the Championship League because I’ve not played in that for a long time.
Dale made his Crucible debut in 1997, beating Tony Drago in round one (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Just steady performances, win my first round and see what happens. There’s no ranking pressure on me now, but when you’ve been a pro for 30-odd years it’s hard to change your mindset and not feel that pressure so I probably will. I’ll just see what happens really.’
As for what’s immediately next for Dale, it won’t be the Saudi Arabia Masters which starts on Friday in Riyadh as he is not in the draw.
The new event carries guaranteed money of £2,000 even for first round losers and a top prize of £500,000 so it seems an odd one to miss, but the Spaceman has gone off flying so much he didn’t fancy it.
‘I’ve not really made a decision on all the tournaments this season but there’s one or two I’ll not enter,’ he said. ‘The rankings aren’t going to come into it anymore.
‘The older I got the less I like flying, I get quite anxious now. I’ve never had a bad flight, never even had bad turbulence and I’ve just started to think that something’s going to happen at some point! It’ll be baking hot in Saudi Arabia, I knew it’s straight after Xi’an, where I did want to go. I didn’t want to come home and go straight there, I’m just a bit too old for that really.
‘There might be one or two other tournaments I won’t bother playing in, just to stay fresh for the UK and the Worlds.
‘I hated flying back from Xi’an, 12-and-a-half hours, I can never sleep. I watched all three Equaliser films, followed closely by Pride and Prejudice.’
Dominic would be a great addition to the Seniors Tour. He still can play at a very high standard and his flamboyant, extravert nature surely will attract fans … although some may object to him singing 😂
South Africa’s Charl Jonck defeated fellow countryman Mutalieb Allie 4-2 in the final of the 2024 African Seniors Championship in Johannesburg.
Jonck was in stunning form during the event, dropping just three frames and compiling the high break of 128 as he earned the title and a place at the Crucible Theatre for next May’s World Seniors Championship.
Organised by the African Billiards & Snooker Confederation (ABSC), the African Seniors Championship is staged as part of the All-African Snooker Championships with the winner of the main singles competition receiving a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card.
A total of 28 cueists from four nations competed in the Seniors event with an initial group stage narrowing the field down to a final 16 in the knockout phase.
Eventual champion Jonck was in fine form throughout the competition and dominated his group with a clean sweep of 3-0 victories and a stunning tournament high break of 128.
A break of 72 helped Jonck to defeat Latchman Moodley 3-0 in the first knockout round before a further whitewash victory over Mervyn Donnely secured his place in the last four.
Morocco’s Naitali Mourad became the first player to take a frame off the dominant Jonck, but the South African once again proved too strong as he ran out a 4-1 winner to set up a final with fellow countryman Allie.
Allie, who had dropped just a single frame en route to the title match, gave Jonck his toughest test in a high quality affair which saw the two players split four half-century breaks between them.
However, a top break of 92 saw Jonck secure the African Seniors Championship crown and an invitation to compete in the World Seniors Championship as he ran out a 4-2 winner.
Alfie Burden defeated Wayne Townsend 4-3 in the final of the first World Seniors Snooker (WSS) event of the brand new Race to the Crucible series at the Crucible Club in Reading.
Burden, who finished as runner-up to Jimmy White in the 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship, came through a strong field in Reading to secure the maiden title of the series and make a perfect start to the campaign.
The Race to the Crucible series sees nine events held across the season with the top two ranked players at the conclusion of the final event earning places at the World Seniors Snooker Championship, while those who finish between third and tenth will qualify for the ‘Top 16 Shootout’ – where a further place in Sheffield will be on offer.
A total of 54 cueists from five nations headed to Berkshire for the three-day tournament which included former World Seniors champion Aaron Canavan and the 2023 runner-up Burden.
Breaks of 55 and 108 saw Burden make a strong start as he whitewashed Gary Widdecombe in the opening round. Further victories over Wayne Gibbins, Andy Lavin and Philip Williams then earned the current World Snooker Tour (WST) professional a place in the last four where he would face Dharminder Lilly.
After taking a scrappy opener, Burden burst into life with two half-centuries to move one away from the final before a stunning tournament high break of 127 secured the 47-year-old’s place in the title match in style.
Burden would face Townsend in the final after the 44-year-old had gone on an impressive run which included victories over former English Seniors champion Lee Stephens and 2018 World Seniors champion Canavan along the way.
A break of 56 from Burden saw him take an early lead in the best-of-seven frame contest but Townsend quickly hit back to restore parity.
The high-scoring Burden made five of the six century breaks compiled over the weekend and he found two of these in back-to-back frames of the final as he followed an outstanding 123 with a further contribution of 112 to move 3-1 ahead.
Townsend refused to go down without a fight and battled back to force a decider with an 86 in frame six, but Burden was able to get over the line in the next with help from a break of 55 to secure the title in the first event of the series.
John Hunter came through a field of 21 players to secure the first Super Seniors title of the season.
The event is open to all cueists over the age of 55 and was held on Sunday alongside the main Race to the Crucible series event.
The field included former UK champion Patsy Fagan, who reached the quarter-finals stage before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Andy Booker – who subsequently lost to Hunter by the same scoreline in the semi-finals as the 58-year-old secured his place in the title match.
There he faced Mukesh Parmar, after he had defeated David Brock in the semi-finals.
Hunter looked dominant in the opener of the final, taking the frame by a 70-8 scoreline, before taking the second by just six points to secure the title in Reading.
A total of 54 cueists from five nations will compete in the three-day event which is the first of nine that will be staged. The new series offers qualification for the World Seniors Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre next May.
The top two ranked players at the conclusion of the series will earn places at the World Seniors Snooker Championship, while those who finish between third and tenth will qualify for the ‘Top 16 Shootout’ – where a further place in Sheffield will be on offer.
Among those in the line-up this weekend include 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship runner-up Alfie Burden and top seed Stuart Watson, who reached the quarter-finals at this year’s event.
Personally I think this qualifying system is better than the previous ones. It’s a shame through that there isn’t a single player in the draw from mainland Europe, or Asia, never-mind from Oceania or the Americas. We had a few before covid, and before Brexit. In fact there is no Scottish player in the draw either …
Just as it happened at the 2024 World Seniors Snooker Championship in Sheffield, World Seniors Snooker will work with Age UK and offer “seniors” persons from Hull to get out of the house, meet other persons ad enjoy some some great snooker.
This initiative was well appreciated by all in Sheffield and I’m certain that it will be no different in Hull.
World Seniors Snooker (WSS) is pleased to announce a partnership with Age UK Hull which will see a Seniors of Hull Day held during the Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 event at the Connexin Live on Sunday 8 September.
People from the aging population of Hull, who are often vulnerable and living in isolation, will be invited to the event to meet each other and some of the snooker legends before watching the action unfold on the baize. The day follows on from a similar initiative held during the World Seniors Snooker Championship in support of Age UK Sheffield.
Rohit Sagoo, WSS Director, said: “There are well over one million chronically lonely older people in the UK and half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all. We are delighted to continue the work we started in Sheffield with this event in Hull.”
Andy Haynes, CEO of Age UK Hull and East Yorkshire, said: “Many of the older people that we support often only come out of their homes and meet others because of the services or activities we put on.
“The Seniors of Hull Day along with the attraction of the starts that will be there will give people a reason to come out. Our team will also be in attendance to offer advice and support” he said.
To find out more about Age UK Hull and the support they offer, click here.
This was announced yesterday by Jason Francis on social media and is now reported on the WSS official site:
World Seniors Snooker Championship Shootout Qualifying Event Unveiled
World Seniors Snooker (WSS) is delighted to announce that an additional qualification place will be made available to tour players at the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship following a change in the qualifying criteria
The top two players on the official World Seniors Snooker ranking list, as well as the top two on the ‘Race to the Crucible’ one-year list will earn their places in the Crucible Theatre, as previously announced, and they will now be joined by the winner of a newly announced ‘Top 16 Shootout’ event.
The 16 players qualifying for this new event will be those ranked between 3rd and 10th on both lists with the official ranking list taking precedence at all times.
Jason Francis, Chairman of WSS, said: “We want to be a tour that listens to its members. We have listened and we have reacted and it now the fight is not just for the top two spots on each ranking list, but also for the top ten.”
A full list of dates and venues can be found below:
2024
9-11 August (Reading)
27-29 September (Reading)
11-13 October (Reading)
22-24 November (Reading)
13-15 December (Reading)
2025
17-19 January (Newbury)
7-9 February (Reading)
7-9 March (Reading)
4-6 April (Reading)
Amateur players must be 40 on or before the first days play in each event, while professionals ranked outside the top 64 at the start of the 2024/25 season must be over 45 on or before the first days play.
Entries for all events are now open at WPBSA SnookerScores and will close seven days prior to each event.
There is no doubt that Jason is investing himself 100% to further develop the Seniors Snooker Tour, a tour that badly suffered from the covid crisis and its aftermath. In the early years the tour relied a lot on the past legends of the sport. Those players have earned the privilege and are still attracting a lot of fans. But it’s not viable as a long term strategy of course and – to make it worse – some of the oldest players on the main tour stubbornly continue to play very wel, sit at the top of the rankings and refuse to retire. The rascals! 😡😉
Michael Day is a massive snooker fan and is very active on social media. He has been talking to Jason Francis about all things snooker, notably about what it’s like to manage Ronnie, how the Snooker Legends started, the success of the 900 and his plans for the Seniors Tour.
Jason is clearly committed to further develop the Seniors Tour but only has limited means and 24 hours in the day.
Points will continue to be awarded for every frame won at each of the nine events.
The official world rankings are now a two-year rolling system with players defending points from the last two seasons.
The top two ranked players on the official world rankings on 7 April 2025 will be invited to participate in the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The Race to the Crucible series will be based purely on performances across the 2024/25 season and will encourage new tour players to join with them not thinking they are a year behind those already established.
The top two ranked players on the Race to the Crucible series ranking list on 7 April 2025 will be invited to participate in the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Should the same players sit in the top two of both rankings lists then the official world rankings would take priority.
CUT OFF DATES
On the official world ranking list, the following points will be removed in line with upcoming events:
Even 1: August 9-11, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 WSS Qualifier 1
Event 2: Sept 27–29, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 WSS Open Series 1
Event 3: Oct 11-13, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 WSS Qualifier 2
Event 4: Nov 22-24, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 WSS Open Series 2
Event 5: December 13-15, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 WSS Qualifier 3
Event 6: Jan 17-19, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 WSS Qualifier 4
Event 7: Feb 7-9, points awarded will replace those won at 2022/2023 Open Series 3
Event 8: March 7-9, no points to come off.
Event 9: April 4-6, no points to come off.
2025 World Seniors Championship: players will be defending points won at the 2023 World Seniors Championship
The WPBSA World Seniors Tour 