Craig Steaman has booked his place in the draw for the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship by winning the Seniors event, part of the various EBSA championships currently underway in Portugal.
Craig Steadman Secures Crucible Spot with European Glory
Craig Steadman defeated Wayne Brown 5-4 in the final of the European Seniors Championship to secure the title and a place in the 2025 World Seniors Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
The 42-year-old Englishman came through a strong field to secure the prestigious continental crown for the first time in his career. The success means Steadman will return to snooker’s most iconic venue in May 2025, ten years on from facing Ronnie O’Sullivan there in the first round of the 2015 World Championship.
The tournament was staged as part of the European Billiards & Snooker Association (EBSA) European Championships at the Vidamar Resort in Albufeira, Portugal and saw 77 cueists from 19 countries competing for glory.
Steadman, who compiled a top break of 113 during the six day event, stormed through his initial group phase with a clean sweep of victories while dropping just a single frame against opposition from Finland, Netherlands, Malta and Poland.
A whitewash win over Malta’s Frans Mintoff in the last 32 then saw the eventual champion set up a meeting with fellow countryman and former World Seniors Snooker (WSS) world number one Stuart Watson.
Steadman stormed into a 3-0 lead to move one away from victory in the last 16 contest, but Watson rallied to force a decider with breaks of 62, 44 and 70.
The former ranking event semi-finalist was ultimately able to get over the line, however, before overcoming Northern Ireland’s Declan Lavery 4-1 to reach the final day.
The semi-finals featured three Englishman and Steadman faced Lee Stephens, his fellow countryman and teammate in the European Seniors Team event, in the last four – coming away a 4-1 victor to reach the title match.
Wayne Brown was his opponent in the final after he had defeated James Darcy, Sean Gray, Peter Bullen and Brendan O’Donoghue in the knockout stages.
A high quality final saw at least a half-century compiled in each of the first six frames, with Brown scoring the tournament’s high break of 124 in the second, as the two players went blow for blow at 3-3 in a race to five.
Brown moved one away from victory by taking the seventh but, fittingly, the contest would be settled by a decider after Steadman won the eighth with help from a contribution of 40.
A 49 break in the decider was then enough for Steadman to complete the victory and book his place in the flagship event of World Seniors Snooker.
Dharminder Lilly Lifts Third Race to the Crucible Series Title
Dharminder Lilly defeated former World Seniors champion Lee Walker 4-1 in the final of the third event of the ‘Race to the Crucible’ series at The Crucible Club in Reading.
The 49-year-old came through a field of 49 cueists, which included two former World Seniors Championship winners, to secure the victory and join Alfie Burden and Rory McLeod on this season’s roll of honour.
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.
Four nations were represented at The Crucible Club in Reading, where the three-day event got underway on Friday afternoon. Lilly began the event in the last 32 stage and kicked off with a comfortable whitewash win over Ian Desmier.
In the last 16 he faced Steven Nevett, who had defeated Toby Pugh in a deciding frame in the previous round despite Hugh compiling a stunning tournament high break of 141 earlier in the contest.
Nevett proved no match for Lilly, however, as he ran out a 4-1 victor before defeating Anthony Harris by the same scoreline to reach the semi-finals. After sharing the first four frames of the last four meeting with Neil Craycraft, the eventual champion then pulled away to complete a 4-2 win and book his place in the final.
2022 World Seniors champion Walker was his opponent in the title match after the 48-year-old Welshman had shown tremendous form to overcome Jason Pusser, Gerard Greene, Matthew Ford and fellow former World Seniors champion Aaron Canavan to reach the final – compiling a trio of century breaks along the way.
Despite Walker scoring a half-century in the opening frame of the final, it went to way of Lilly by a 72-59 scoreline and he quickly doubled his advantage to 2-0 in the best-of-seven frame match.
Walker briefly rallied to halve the deficit, but Lilly was too strong on the day and took the next two frames to complete a 4-1 victory and secure the title in the third Race to the Crucible series event of the season.
Hunter Wins Super Seniors
John Hunter defeated Mukesh Parmar 2-1 in the final of the Super Seniors event on Sunday to win his second 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.
Hunter, who won the first Super Seniors title of the season in August, furthered his position at the top of the ranking list by coming through four matches to win the tournament.
The 58-year-old Englishman dropped just a single frame in defeating Dave Moritz, Andy Booker and Dennis Tristam to set up a final meeting with fellow countryman Parmar.
Parmar took the opener of the best-of-three frame title match to move one away from victory, but Hunter hit back to force a decider before taking the decisive frame by a scoreline of 68-40 to secure the title.
Event four of the Race to the Crucible series takes place on 22-24 November at The Crucible Club in Reading. Enter now!
LIVE SNOOKER RETURNS TO EPSOM RACECOURSE FOR CHRISTMAS
Following last years event we are delighted to say we will return on Monday 30th December 2024 for another Snooker 900 Special, and once again it will be live on Channel 5.
We are giving people who have registered an interest, an early chance to secure your tickets before they go on general sale. This year we will be providing a VIP ticket, a Gold Ticket and a Silver Ticket and you can secure tickets now with payment due on the 30th October, after which time they would be placed on general sale.
Jimmy White and Ken Doherty are already confirmed to play, Dennis Taylor, John Virgo, Neal Foulds and Reanne Evans have also been announced as part of the presenting team.
So, if you wish to join us here are your options and what you can
VIP LEGENDS LUNCH PACKAGE You will enjoy the very best hospitality we have to offer at the event. Your day begins with arrival at 11.30am where you will be escorted to our Legends Lounge to enjoy a glass of bubbly. Here you will get to meet your hosts Dennis Taylor and John Virgo and get the chance to grab a photo with them and our trophy. A signed photo from Dennis and John to keep. At your reserved seat, a goody bag awaits which will include your Official Event Programme as well as Commentary Earpiece. At 12 we will serve you a two-course meal, a free prize draw will give everyone a chance to win some signed prizes and you’ll hear from Dennis and John as they recount stories from their careers and give you their predictions for the days play. At 12.45 we will escort you to your VIP seating which will be raised table seating with a QR code where any further drinks you order will be delivered to you. You will enjoy all the live TV action from our reserved VIP area. A Free Racecourse Parking pass is included with your booking VIP Legends Lunch Tickets are £147 pp but limited For bookings of 10 or more we will also include a free match shirt which will be signed by all the players.
GOLD TICKET Closest to the action our front row ground floor seats mean you will have an unobstructed view of the action Gold tickets are £70 per person
SILVER TICKET From the second row you will still have a great view of the action. Silver tickets are £50 per person
To reserve your seats or find out how your company could benefit from our of our partnering packages which can include Tv Branding and your logo on a player please email
You can reserve seats on a first come first serve basis, seats must be paid for before 31st Oct 2024, after which any reserved seats will go back on general sale.
Fabio Anderson Luersen, from Brazil, has won the Pan American snooker championship, earning his place in the draw of the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship, to be played at the Crucible theatre next May.
Fabio Anderson Luersen Wins Pan American Seniors Snooker Championship
Brazil’s Fabio Anderson Luersen defeated Alberto Camara 4-0 in the final of the Pan American Seniors Championship to secure his place in next year’s World Seniors Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Luersen, who lost just one frame in the event, will be looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Igor Figueiredo – who qualified for last year’s flagship World Seniors Snooker (WSS) event via the Pan American Seniors Championship before defeating Jimmy White, Tony Drago and Ken Doherty en route to winning the prestigious title.
Photo: PABSA
Pan American Billiards and Snooker Association (PABSA) staged the annual championship at La Bande O’ Coin, Saint-Lambert in Canada from 5-8 October and total of 58 cueists aged over 40 embarked on the North American venue with aims of securing the title and a spot at snooker’s most iconic venue.
Luersen began the competition in style, earning a clean sweep of victories in his seven-player group and dropping just a single frame against opponents from Canada and USA.
The Brazilian, who also compiled the tournament high break of 103, then completed back-to-back whitewash wins against Canada’s Rolland Tremblay and Rodney Cuilleri to set up a semi-final meeting with Ajeya Prabhakar.
The former USA national champion proved no match for the in-form Luersen, who advanced once more without dropping a frame to reach the title match.
Canadian cueist Alberto Camara was his opponent after he had defeated Sylvain Ethier, former World Seniors Championship qualifier Vito Puopolo and Jeffrey Kennedy to book a final spot against Luersen.
A dominant weekend from Luersen was rounded off in style on Tuesday evening as the Brazilian completed yet another whitewash victory to win the title and earn a place at the 2025 World Seniors Championship.
Photo: PABSA
CongratulationsFabio Anderson Luersen!
This means that there will be two Brazilian Seniors at the Crucible next year! Let’s Samba!
The 53-year-old, who famously defeated Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre during the 2017 World Championship, made a big step towards a return to the iconic venue by lifting the title last weekend in Berkshire.
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.
Seven nations were represented at the second event of the series with a total of 54 cueists embarking on the Reading venue.
McLeod made a stunning start to the weekend with back-to-back whitewash victories in his opening two matches, during which he also compiled the tournament high break of 137.
In the last 16, the cueist representing Jamaica looked to be facing a certain exit as he fell 3-0 behind to Wayne Townsend in a best-of-seven frame contest. However, McLeod held his nerve to win four consecutive frames before overcoming both Lee Martin and Gary Filtness by a 4-2 scoreline to book his place in the final.
His opponent in the final was Welsh former professional Williams, who is bidding to qualify for the final stages of the World Seniors Championship for a fourth time.
McLeod looked to be too strong in the title match as a break of 119, his second century of the event, helped him to move one frame away from victory at 3-0.
Despite a brief rally from Williams to reduce the deficit to two, it was too little too late as McLeod was able to take the fifth frame by a scoreline of 71-55 to secure the title.
Graham Beardmore defeated Joy Mehra 2-1 in the final of the second Super Seniors event 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.
A total of 19 competitors took part in the tournament, including event one winner John Hunter and former World Seniors Darts Championship runner-up Richie Howson – who eventual champion Beardmore defeated 2-1 in the opening round.
A trio of 2-0 victories against Kevin Willsher, Dennis Tristram and Hunter then set up a final meeting with India’s Mehra.
Mehra took the opening frame of the final to move one away from victory, but Beardmore hit back to force a decider before securing the title with a dominant 76-1 victory in the concluding frame of the contest.
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.
The WPBSA World Seniors Tour 