The fourth, and last, qualifying event for the 2024 Seniors Snooker World Championship was played over the week-end in Jersey. Rodney Goggins once again is “Crucible” bound…
Rodney Goggins secured his place at the Crucible Theatre in May by defeating Nigel Howe 4-0 in the final of the fourth LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship qualifier at the Jersey Mechanics Institute.
Goggins, a World Snooker Tour professional between 2004 and 2009, came through a field of 33 hopefuls which included 2018 World Seniors champion Aaron Canavan to book his place at snooker’s most iconic venue.
The 45-year-old got his weekend off to a strong start with back-to-back whitewash victories over Kieran O’Donovan and fellow Irishman Tony Corrigan.
In the quarter-finals he met Gary Filtness, who lifted the Super Seniors title in Jersey, and the Englishman twice moved ahead in the best-of-seven frame contest – including firing in an impressive 112 break in the third. Goggins ultimately proved too strong, however, and took the contest 4-2 to set up a last four meeting with Gary Britton.
Britton had already eliminated former champion Canavan at the last sixteen stage, and was looking to claim another scalp as he fought back from 2-0 down to level the contest after four frames.
Goggins was in fine form, however, having opened up the match with a stunning 128 break and eventually battled through a 4-2 victor to reach the title match.
There he met Howe, who had beaten John Leahy, David Brock, Simon Dent and Wayne Townsend to reach the final, but proved no match for Goggins as the experienced Irishman took the title with a comfortable 4-0 victory.
BACK-TO-BACK SUPER SENIORS GLORY FOR GARY FILTNESS
Gary Filtness followed up his recent Super Seniors victory in Ireland with further success in Jersey, as he defeated Simon Dent 2-0 in the final to claim the title.
Filtness, who lost out to eventual champion Rodney Goggins in the qualifying event, defeated former professional Andrew Norman 2-0 in his opening match of the Super Seniors and dropped just a single frame en route to the final as he later overcame Raymond Grall and Tony Corrigan.
His opponent in the title match was Dent, who had beaten John Leahy, John Hunter and Karl Townsend to reach the final.
Filtness proved too strong, however, as breaks of 58 and 72 secured the title for the 60-year-old.
Ken Doherty defeated Jimmy White 2-1 in the final of the Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 at Goffs to lift the title on home soil.
Doherty was overcome with emotion following the victory in front of his home crowd, which sees him become the second winner of the Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 event following Stephen Hendry’s success in Epsom last December.
The 1997 world champion did not got off to the best of starts in this fast-paced event, losing his opening group stage encounter to fellow eventual finalist White, courtesy of a break of 47 from The Whirlwind.
White had already overcome Tony Knowles in his opening group game with a magnificent break of 96, meaning his place in the semi-finals was secured while Doherty and Knowles faced off in a ‘winner-takes-all’ final group contest.
Unfortunately for Knowles, who had been drafted in as a late replacement for Tony Drago, his trip to Ireland saw him fail to pot a single ball as Doherty fired in a break of 77 to book his place in the last four.
In the other group, Hendry and Fergal O’Brien had kicked off proceedings at Goffs with a hard-fought match that saw the Irishman run out the eventual winner on his debut in this format.
Both players would go on to defeat the 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor, with Hendry compiling an impressive 88 break in the final group game, to ensure both Hendry and O’Brien reached the knockout stage.
The semi-final line-up was a mouthwatering prospect for the excitable Irish crowd.
First up, an all-Ireland meeting pitted O’Brien and Doherty against each other on home soil – with ‘The Darling of Dublin’ hitting top form at just the right time as he fired in a break of 101, the highest of the day, to secure a place in the the title match.
Old foes White and Hendry met in the second semi-final for another dramatic chapter in their epic rivalry.
The two both had chances to secure the frame, but as the contest approached the final few balls, the tension was clear everyone in the packed-out venue to see. Ultimately, it was White who held his nerve to clear from blue to the final black and set up a final meeting with Doherty.
The final, a repeat of the 2020 World Seniors Championship final at the Crucible Theatre, saw the two legends of the game face off in a best-of-3 frame contest under the unique Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 format.
White moved into the ascendancy with a break of 77, but Doherty hit back with a 71 of his own to ensure that the final would, suitably, be decided by a one-frame shootout.
In front of his home crowd and at a venue where he used to work as a boy, it was Doherty who got over the line to complete the victory and lift the title at the iconic Goffs venue.
World Seniors Snooker returns in May with the World Seniors Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for ticket details.
And some more images shared on social media during the event.
It was great entertainment as always although the players were giving it their all at the table. Neal, Rachel and Lee were at their best enthusiast self! The channel 5 coverage was good. There was a big crowd, very lively, as you would expect in this area and arena. Phil Seymour was the MC and excellent as ever.
Great job by Jason Francis and the WSS team! Thank you guys!
The event will start on Saturday at the iconic arena of Goffs. The arena is getting ready…
Also it has been announced that Tony Drago will be replaced in the draw by Tony Knowles
Tony can still play! He qualified into the later stages of the World Amateur Championships in Albania recently. Also, he’s already got a taste of the Mr Vegas format … he will be a contender.
Tyson Crinis – Wins the Asia-Pacific Seniors Championship.
Tyson Crinis is the latest to add their name to the entry list for the 2024 World Seniors Snooker Championships. Tyson hails from Wollongong which is South of Sydney along the Grand Pacific Drive, he recently moved to Canberra for work.
He defeated Hassan Kerde 4-1 in the final of the Asia-Pacific Seniors and locked in his spot for the Seniors Championship which will take place at the Crucible Theatre from the 8-12th May
On securing his spot he said…
“I grew up watching Stephen Hendry at the crucible on VHS tapes passed on from snooker enthusiasts and always dreamed of going even just to be a part of the crowd – now I could get to play him – its a dream come true“
Tyson started playing as a junior at just 12 which is when he first met Neil Robertson. They both played at the national championship.
He fondly recalls that The Thunder lost the semi and he lost the final, which was probably the first and last time I got one up on Neil.
Tyson joins names already confirmed which include Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, James Wattana, Joe Johnson, Tony Drago, Darren Morgan and Igor Figueredo
Tyson Crinis is 41 years old and has never been a professional.
Michael Judge defeated fellow Irishman Fergal O’Brien 4-2 in the third LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship qualifying event to book his place at the Crucible Theatre in May.
The victory means 2019 UK Seniors champion will return to the Crucible following a one-year absence from the LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship, having last played at the 2022 event.
The qualifying event, held in Carlow, Ireland, saw twenty-eight players from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland competing for a coveted spot at the most famous venue in the sport.
Judge, who made three appearance at the Crucible Theatre during his professional career, began his campaign with comfortable 3-1 victories over fellow countrymen James Darcy and Dylan Rees.
The 48-year-old then whitewashed Englishman Neal Jones before another comfortable victory over Tony Corrigan saw him book his place in the final.
On the opposite side of the draw, veteran professional O’Brien was in rampant form as he dropped just two frames on his way to the last four, with a stunning break of 135 completing a 4-1 quarter-final victory over Neil Craycraft. Despite losing the opener in the semi-final, a 4-2 defeat of Englishman Matt Wilson then set up a final meeting with Judge.
The final was a high-qualify affair that featured four half-centuries in six frames, but with breaks of 66, 68 and 71 it was Judge who secured his place at the showpiece event of the World Seniors Snooker calendar.
England’s Gary Filtness was victorious in the Super Seniors 3 event, open to all entrants over-55 years old, which was held alongside the main LLP World Seniors Championship qualifier in Carlow, Ireland.
Filtness, who was eliminted in the last eight of the qualifying event, whitewashed John Maher in the Super Seniors quarter-final before defeating Northern Ireland’s Gregory Cooke to reach the final.
There, he would meet John McCarthy, who had beaten Keith Thomas 2-1 to reach the Super Seniors title match.
Filtness, who reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Seniors Championship, proved too strong in the final and ran out a 2-0 victor to secure the title.
Stephen Hendry ousted Jimmy White in a thrilling final in front of the live television cameras to win the inaugural World Seniors Mr Vegas Snooker title.
Held at the famous Epsom Racecourse, this unique, one-day World Seniors Snooker Tour event featured six of the sport’s most iconic characters competing in single-frame matches with a 20-second shot-clock in operation throughout.
Split into two round robin groups of three players with the top two from each progressing to the knockout semi-finals, Hendry and White both qualified from Group A earlier in the day.
The duo initially met in the second match of the tournament with Hendry coming out on top with the help of a 55 break after White had broken down on 46.
Hendry also came from behind to defeat 1985 World Champion Dennis Taylor in his other group match, registering a run of 56 during the tie. That result set up a winner-goes-through contest between White and Taylor which the former won without conceding a point.
There was a grandstand finish to Group B as all three contestants finished level on one victory each.
In a meeting of former world champions to break the tournament off, Ken Doherty countered with a decisive 60 break to get the win against Joe Johnson.
Former world number two Tony Knowles entered the fray and impressed as he dispatched Doherty, but in the final fixture of the group, Johnson responded from his opening loss to pip Knowles in a close encounter and put everyone level on wins. However, due to the highest break tiebreak rule, it was Doherty and Johnson who both advanced to the last four.
In the semi-finals – pitching group winners against runners-up from the other group – Hendry eliminated Johnson, and White constructed a break of 59 during his frame success against Doherty.
That meant a new chapter to the Hendry-White career rivalry would be written as they squared off in yet another televised final.
Hendry potted the opening red of the title match but was unfortunate to go in-off after deliberately colliding with the pack of reds. However, after receiving cueball in hand for his opponent’s foul, White unexpectedly missed a black off its spot when on a break of 17 to present Hendry with a scoring opportunity.
The seven-time World Champion duly obliged, although whilst on a run of 62, he too missed a relatively straightforward pot, with the winning line very close.
White had a chance to counter-attack with the final three reds remaining, but – despite knocking in a fantastic long pot on the final red – he was unable to convert, and after some subsequent dramatic moments Hendry managed to secure victory on the colours and claim his maiden title on the World Seniors circuit.
The coverage by Channel 5, the commentary, and the punditry were all great. Neal Foulds, Reanne Evans and Rachel work really well together as a team. Rob Walker was there too, working both as MC and interviewer. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I really like his enthusiasm and dynamism.
The set-up, with the fans sat around tables on all sides of the playing area, looked festive and convivial. That was excellent. There were some known faces in the audience, notably Nigel Bond who was interviewed by Rob and was very appreciative about the event.
Stephen Hendry played quite well. It’s actually the best I have seen him play for years.
Those images were shared on social media by World Seniors Snooker and Jason Francis
During his post-match interview in the arena, Stephen Hendry said a few interesting things:
He really likes the format and the atmosphere of the event, notably the setup and the close proximity of the crowd. That gave him the motivation to prepare well, a motivation he struggles to find when facing the prospect of playing qualifiers in soulless venues in front of nobody or nearly nobody.
He likes the quick format as well. No surprise there … his game is, and always was, about attacking and going for his shots.
Jimmy once again failed to beat his Nemesis. He could have won today, probably should have won. It’s hard to explain. Some of the shots he took, and missed, during the final … I thought he wouldn’t have taken them, missed them in the previous rounds, or in the final had he faced someone else. But maybe that’s just me reading too much in some of the missed shots?
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.
Andrew Norman won the first qualifying event of the season, the LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship Qualifying 1. He will play at the Crucible in May next year.
In the Final Andrew beat Ben Hancorn in a deciding frame. This was a difficult mat for both of them, as they are brothers in law, Ben’s sister being Andrew’s wife.
Here is what Andrew had to say on social media this after the match:
What a thrilling weekend winning the World Seniors Snooker LLP Solicitors World Championship Qualifier 1 Event.
Big shout out to my Bro-in-law Ben Hancorn. To play him in the final in prob the most intense occasion we’ve ever played together added with such a reward for the winner to get an invite to the crucible .. the pressure was unreal and it was such a close game.. we even had our wives and sons there this weekend cheering us on making it a real family occasion if stressful for them to watch!
it was always going to get nervy and I just fell over the line in the last few balls. Ben will be back.
Thank you to all the many many messages of congratulations, I will get back to as many as I can tomorrow as brain frazzled at mo!
Once again the efforts from Jason Francis, TD Paul and all the Refs & everyone at Crucible Sports & Social Club Reading make the Senior Tour a real asset and community for the players.
And he added a few pictures …
Congratulations Andrew!
There was also a Super Seniors event, played at the same venue yesterday. It was won by Asley Beal.
Congratulations Ashley!
This is Ashley, winner of the English Seniors Snooker Championship in 2021
The European Championships (EBSA) continued and the senior players once again showed their class.
In the 6-reds competition, open to all without age restrictions, it’s the 53 years old Wayne Brown, from England who prevailed. Wayne beat several former professionals en route to the title: Eden Sharav (31) from Israel (4-0) in the last 16, Alex Borg (54) from Malta (4-3) in the QFs and finally Harvey Chandler (28) from England by 5-3 in the final. In the semi-finals Wayne faced a young promising player from France, Nicolas Mortreux, only 20; he beat him by 4-1.
In the Seniors Team Event, Darren Morgan and Philip Williams, representing Wales, defeated Wayne Brown and Gary Milne by 5-1, representing England, in the final, to take the title.Both are successful regulars on the World Seniors tour.
Im the previous post I mentioned the EBSA competitions in Bulgaria, and the fact that the winner of the Seniors event would earn a sport at the 2024 Seniors Snooker World Championship.
Once again Darren Morgan proved what a force he remains in snooker.
Darren Morgan claimed his 13th EBSA European Seniors Snooker Championship with a 5-3 victory against Gary Milne in the final of the 2023 edition held at the Perunika Hall in Albena, Bulgaria.
Victory for the prolific Welshman also sees him qualify for the 2024 World Seniors Snooker Championship, an event he won in 2011.
Players representing 20 different nations entered this year’s event which was being held alongside several other continental championships in South-East Europe.
Former professional world number eight Morgan won all three of his matches without dropping a frame as he topped his group and progressed to the knockout rounds.
The 57-year-old then eliminated Ville Pirilä (Finland) 3-0, John Farrell (Ireland) 4-0 and Peter Bullen (Belgium) 4-0 to reach the semi-finals where he faced Wayne Brown (England) in a rerun of last year’s final. Brown won the opening frame with the help of an 80 break, but Morgan registered runs of 82, 62 and 51 as he strung together four frames in-a-row to make the final yet again.
Playing in the event for the first time, Englishman Milne qualified second from his group and then saw off players from Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland before ousting Wales’ Philip Williams 4-3 in the last four.
However, Morgan was in no mood to relinquish the trophy as he won three consecutive frames from 3-2 down to retain the Championship.
The result means that Morgan maintains his perfect record in EBSA Seniors Championship finals. He first won this title in 2007, and he has triumphed at every staging since 2015; it’s now eight successive titles (no event held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic).
Last year’s World Seniors champion Lee Walker crafted the highest break of the tournament – a 117 during the groups phase. Walker bowed out to Williams in the quarter-finals.
The WPBSA World Seniors Tour 