The first World Seniors Championship for 19 years will be staged next season, featuring some of snooker's best known faces.
Seven world champions - Steve Davis, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor, Alex Higgins, Joe Johnson and Peter Ebdon - as well as Jimmy White will be seeded through to the final stages of the over 40s event in November.
A qualifying competition next month is set to include Tony Drago, Mike Hallett, Darren Morgan, David Taylor, Nigel Bond, Dave Harold, Tony Knowles and Joe Swail.
Cliff Wilson beat Eddie Charlton 5-4 in the final of the 1991 World Seniors Championship.
There have been other seniors events since but this is the first to carry the World Championship title and will carry prize money of £50,000.
Johnson, one of the co-organisers, said: “I have been working very hard to pull this concept together and I am glad that with World Snooker’s help we are making it a reality.
"I cannot wait to get out on the floor and battle it out with my old friends and adversaries. Snooker fans have been crying out for this type of event and I am sure that we will do our best to put on an entertaining Championship.”
The qualifiers will be held at Cue Gardens, Bradford from May 28-30.
The televised final stages will be held at Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford from November 5-7.
22 comments:
It's ridiculous that Ebdon and Doherty are entering. An event like this is for the old faces we want to see, not the has beens treading water on the main tour. They should raise the seniors age now to 45 and you should only be allowed to enter if you're not currently on the main tour.
Absolutely typical
A new event is announced and it's immediately slagged off. What hope is there for the game when anything new is criticised before it's even been held?
Cliff Wilson, now there was a character of the sport.
I saw him in the mid-70's playing an exhibition match at the British Legion Club in West Mersea and he beat everyone that night except Wilson (Willy) Henderson-Smythe (who was another true character).
Cliff also polished a couple of pots of jellied-eels and several oysters!!
if the criteria seems to be over 40s why is david roe not in the qaulifying .pro for 25 seasons and a top 16 player.
But where's Cliff Thorburn? I've heard he can still play to quite a decent standard.
Well, yes, nowadays Ebdon also belongs to the senior age group. However, I would be more delighted to see Hendry instead of him. He’s also over 40, and it’s unquestionable that he is one of snooker’s most emblematic figures. It makes no difference that he is still in the top sixteen; he is already a legend (which is not really true of Ebdon).
This was the first, of I hope many, (hic) of World Snooker's new Champagne moments.
Have to say I was a triful gobsmacked to see bottles of champagne and glasses being set up in the media centre at 2pm - but it would have been rude to turn down a glass of bubbles!!
It's a disgrace that the organisers haven't invited Stephen Hendry to take part. Snooker's greatest ever player should be the first choice on any list for an event such as this.
I suppose that would be the Ebdon who is "treading water" just outside the WORLD TOP 16, and Doherty who is treading water so badly that he's almost doubled his ranking points from last year?
Although you can look at the "legends" through rose-tinted glasses, this event will need competitive snooker to make it appealing - the likes of Doherty, Drago, Swail and Ebdon can certainly provide that. If we just restricted it to the ex-pros, truthfuly what would the standard be? Higgins loses in the first round of the Irish Championship, David Taylor didn't even make it past the 1st qualifying round of the Worlds, and when did Joe Johnson last play a competitive event?
It will be nice to see some of the legends, but realistically It's going to lead to an all-Main Tour final. If the likes of Drago, Davis and White are the last men standing, then surely they will produce a good standard of play, leading to good exposure for the event.
It should have a seperate over 40s and over 50s sections
Stephen Hendry was invited
Should be over 50s.
No it shouldn't be over 50s.
The standard has to be acceptable, which it wouldn't be for anyone over 50 other than Davis.
Also, Jimmy's got to be in it to draw any sort of crowd.
Hi Dave,
When you say it is televsied, any idea where yet?
Thanks
SB
I don't suppose there's any chance that us OAPs who can't afford Sky or Eurosport will be able to watch it on Freeview, is there?
Another missing person from this event: Willie Thorne. A surprise given his pontificating during commentary. Maybe not!
I'm told it's likely to be on Sky
Snooker © The Fine Art Method
A secret is wasted if not shared
Hi Dave
How are you, how’s tricks! I wonder lad if you would accept this post about the BBC commentary team. Maybe Dave I should apologise lad for giving the opposition a plug. (Sorry)
You will agree Dave that the BBC got there first therefore has been saying the “Exact same repetitive Words” for each frame of snooker more often and for much longer.
Listening to the BBC commenter explaining the “Mechanics of a Shot” to the viewers is in a different and completely new “Snooker Language”.
No longer Dave; do we here the importance of “Follow Through” which was said one hundred times each programme to convey snooker knowledge.
“Getting Through the ball” and going “Through the Ball” is all brand new stuff Dave. Where did this new “Know How” come from?
Why didn’t these same commentators tell us these “Magic Words” thirty years ago? The expression was unheard of Dave but the very words have been around in snooker for over a century.
Mr hey you
PS. A passing thought Dave! Is there a reason why Eurosport hasn’t used these new expressions? Is it a copyright of the BBC or the brain child of a new BBC coach? DM
.
ie david talor knowes hallett r in why not steve james . dean reynolds im sure still could win the qaulifier.
What about getting the South Africans back on the senior tour. Perry Mans and the Francisco brothers would get the international aspect going.
Got to be good for sponsors.
Out on the international scene we've enjoyed watching the likes of Darren Morgan, Dene O'Kane, Eugene Hughes and many other international players going head to head in the Masters events.
It's usually a pretty reasonable standard, like a war zone on the table and a monumental party off it!
The Masters set themselves the target of beating the high break in the men's event and frequently they achieve it.
This is a GREAT championships it is great to see these guy's play guy's play in this chamionships i have been really looking forward to each show i just wish that it becomes a yearly contest and lets hope next year it will be bigger and that stephen hendry is all so there.
I rememeber back in 1997 when they did a seniors pot black won by joe johnson it was great but that was it never was on again which was a shame lucky for me i have it on dvd along with loads of snooker dvds i do have..
But joe and the lads have done a great job i will look foward to the seniors world championships next year more than the maine world championships in April...
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