The Scottish Professional Championship is being revived after a 22 year absence.
The tournament, solely for Scottish pros, is being staged at the Lucky Break Club, Glasgow from April 11-13.
The top four ranked Scottish professionals - John Higgins, Stephen Maguire, Stephen Hendry and Graeme Dott - will be seeded through to the quarter-finals, assuming they accept the invitation to compete.
The other five Scots pros - Alan McManus, Marcus Campbell, Jamie Burnett, Anthony McGill and James McBain - will be joined by three former professionals to play a qualifying round, with the four winners progressing to the quarters.
The Scottish Professional Championship ran from 1980 to 1989.
It provided the then 17 year-old Hendry with his first professional title in 1986.
He won it the following two years as well but with so much snooker to play and so little decent Scottish opposition at the time he declined to enter in 1989, when the event was won by John Rea.
The revived tournament will take place in Rea's own club and carries a prize fund of £15,000.
In recent years the Irish professionals have had their own tournament and, in a fantasy world where everything ran smoothly, it would be nice for other countries to follow suit and maybe even have a finals for the various national champions.
Scotland became a great snooker hotbed in the wake of Hendry's remarkable rise to the very top.
A number of good players have come and gone since...Euan Henderson, Billy Snaddon, Chris Small, David McLellan, John Lardner, Martin Dziewialtowski, Graham Horne, Craig McGillivray to name a few.
The Scots failed to win a match at the Crucible until 1987. Since then a Scot has won the title 11 times and appeared in a total of 16 finals.
Having their own championship again gives them the chance to celebrate one of snooker's most successful nations.
12 comments:
Will Craig McGillivray be among those competing at this tournament? He captured my attention during World Open qualifiers, had some nice wins out there... It would also be interesting to see if he takes part in the Q School next summer.
ex-I will ask craig tonight and get back tomorrow (If I get to see him) on here, If thats not answered.
Maybe STV could broadcast it then they'd have something decent on the channel.
I hope to see Matt Gibson involved.
What refreshing news.
Following years of dessent, something that can unite to celebrate the game!
Knowing the way things have been going for snooker in Scotland (amateur and professional)someone will ruin things in an attempt to gain some sort of power stronghold.
Yes, a united front in Scotland. Perhaps 110sport could broadcast it?
11-14pm, don't speak too soon.
Ex, sorry i didnt see craig last night so couldnt ask.
7.56am - was that comment about a united front. or does that mean 110 sport are broadcasting the event?
yes Craig is going to play in this as well as a lot of ex pros who have out of the game for a long time so looks like a bit of revival for Scottish snooker.
ANON 7:56 AM
No problem and thank you for trying anyway.
Good luck to Craig if you meet him. :)
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