888sport Sponsor World Seniors Snooker #WinningStillMatters

This weekend’s World Seniors Championship, featuring many of snooker’s great names, will be sponsored by 888sport for the first time.

The 888sport World Seniors Championship runs on Saturday January 30 and Sunday January 31 at the Guild Hall in Preston, televised live on Sky Sports.

Mark Williams won the title on his debut in the event last year and will be defending the crown against the likes of Jimmy White, John Parrott, Ken Doherty and Joe Johnson. In all there are 16 players, aged 40 and over, chasing the £18,000 top prize.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are delighted to welcome 888sport on board for what is a wonderful celebration of snooker. 888sport has sponsored a variety of our events in the past so they are fully aware of how popular snooker is on a global scale.

“The World Seniors is a fabulous event which brings together legends of the past three decades. It’s a lot of fun for the players, but once the first ball is struck it is serious business. The Guild Hall is a historic snooker venue and any fans lucky enough to have a ticket are ready for a weekend of marvellous entertainment.”

Itai Pazner, SVP B2C 888.com, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be sponsoring the World Seniors Snooker Championship. With once the world’s best players vying against each other like old times, this promises to be the biggest and most competitive tournament yet. May the best man win!”

Tickets for the tournament are still available and start at just £10, but fans must book fast because they are selling out. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

The full draw and format is:

January 30th
From 1pm

Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond

Mark Williams v Anthony Hamilton

Tony Drago v Robert Milkins

Joe Johnson v Darren Morgan

From 7pm

Ken Doherty v Mark Davis

John Parrott v Dominic Dale

Rory McLeod v Fergal O’Brien

Jimmy White v Gary Lees

January 31st
From 1pm

Quarter-finals

From 7pm

Semi-finals

Final

World Snooker Seniors Championship: Doherty Expects Tough Guild Hall Test

Former World Snooker Champion Ken Doherty believes that the standard of play with be higher than ever at this year’s World Seniors Championship in Preston.

The tournament at the Guild Hall runs on the weekend of January 30-31 and will feature many of the sport’s great names including Jimmy White, John Parrott and defending champion Mark Williams.

Last year the age limit was lowered from 45 to 40 and Doherty believes that has led to a far tougher field. Six of the world’s top 40 players will be among the 16-man line-up in Preston.

“It has got so much more competitive over the last couple of years because of the change in age limit,” said 46-year-old Doherty, who won the World Championship in 1997. “There are a lot of very good players in it this time. Mark Davis is an extremely tough first round draw, he’s ranked 23rd in the world and we’ve had a lot of battles over the years.

“It’s good prize money and for the winner it’s great to be a world champion at any level. Everyone there is in it to win, and not just to have fun. It’s a great event and I love playing in it every year.”

Returning to the Guild Hall will bring back plenty of memories for Irishman Doherty as he played several times at the Preston venue earlier in his career.

“The Guild Hall is where it all started for me,” he said. “That’s where I went to try and qualify as a professional in 1988, back in the pro-ticket days. I failed to qualify but I won the world amateur title the next year to get my pro card.

“My best memory of playing in Preston was the 1994 UK Championship. I played out of my skin that week and beat the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and James Wattana to reach the final. Then I was involved in a brilliant match against Stephen Hendry, he made seven centuries and beat me 10-5. I couldn’t hold on to him, he was just too good. It’s a great venue, particularly when there’s a big crowd in.”

Doherty has had an inconsistent season so far and dropped to 47th in the world rankings, but he showed signs of his best form in December when he won two qualifying matches to reach the final stages of February’s German Masters.

“I had a couple of good wins before Christmas and hopefully that’s a sign of things to come for the next few months,” he added. “I hope 2016 will be a good year for me on the table. The game doesn’t get any easier as you get older but I still love playing.”

Televised by Sky Sports, the World Seniors Championship brings together stars of the modern game and past eras.

Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £10, but fans must book fast because they are selling out. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

World Snooker Seniors Championship: Doherty Expects Tough Guild Hall Test

The full draw and format is:

January 30th
From 1pm

Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond
Mark Williams v Anthony Hamilton
Tony Drago v Robert Milkins
Joe Johnson v Darren Morgan

From 7pm
Ken Doherty v Mark Davis
John Parrott v Dominic Dale
Rory McLeod v Fergal O’Brien
Jimmy White v Gary Lees

January 31st

From 1pm
Quarter-finals

From 7pm

Semi-finals

Final

Line Up Confirmed For World Seniors Snooker

The draw for snooker’s World Seniors Championship in Preston has taken place, with legends including Jimmy White, John Parrott, Ken Doherty and Mark Williams among the line-up.

The popular tournament runs on the weekend of January 30-31 and will be staged at the iconic Guild Hall in Preston for the first time.

The Sky-Sports televised event will see Welshman Williams defending the title against 15 other players aged 40 or over, having captured the title and £18,000 top prize on his debut last year.

Williams faces qualifier Anthony Hamilton in a tough first round draw, while crowd favourite Whirlwind White will meet Gary Lees. The full draw and schedule is below.

Tickets are ON SALE NOW and are selling rapidly so fans are urged to book quickly. Tickets make a brilliant Christmas gift for anyone who enjoys live sport!

For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

Jimmy White

January 30th
From 1pm

Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond
Mark Williams v Anthony Hamilton
Tony Drago v Robert Milkins
Joe Johnson v Darren Morgan

From 7pm

Ken Doherty v Mark Davis
John Parrott v Dominic Dale
Rory McLeod v Fergal O’Brien
Jimmy White v Gary Lees

January 31st

From 1pm

Quarter-finals

From 7pm

Semi-finals

Final

All matches are best of three frames.

Dafabet To Sponsor Gibraltar Open

World Snooker is delighted to announce Dafabet as the new title sponsor of this week’s Gibraltar Open.

The televised stage of the Dafabet Gibraltar Open will run from December 11 to 13 at the Tercentenary Sports Hall and will feature top stars including Mark Selby, Judd Trump, John Higgins, Jimmy White and Ding Junhui.

The tournament, which will run for the next three years, is supported by the Ministry of Sports, HM Government of Gibraltar and will receive extensive live coverage from Eurosport. It’s the fifth event on this season’s Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour series.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “Dafabet already sponsor the Masters and we’re thrilled that they have decided to add to their portfolio of snooker events. Through Eurosport’s extensive live coverage they will receive outstanding exposure.

“This will be the first tournament we have staged in Gibraltar and every time we host an event in a new territory it’s another step towards snooker’s global expansion. It’s a strong field and I’m looking forward to seeing great support from local crowds.”

Jimmy White

John Cruces, Head of sports marketing and sponsorships at Dafabet, added: “Having worked with World Snooker for a number of years now, we are delighted to be title sponsors for this new tournament as they continue to grow the sport worldwide. As always we are sure it will be a successful event and look forward to seeing who will lift the first Gibraltar Open trophy.”

Tickets for the tournament are on sale, visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

Snooker’s World Seniors Line-Up Announced

Jimmy White, John Parrott and defending champion Mark Williams will be among the snooker favourites competing in the World Seniors Championship at the Guild Hall in Preston in January.

The Sky Sports-televised tournament runs on the weekend of January 30-31 and brings together green baize kings of the past three decades, together with current players, aged 40 or over.

Eight players have already been awarded places in the popular tournament:

Mark Williams – two time World Champion who won the Seniors crown on his debut in the event last year
Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White – crowd favourite and winner of ten ranking events
John Parrott – 1991 World Champion
Ken Doherty – 1997 World Champion
Joe Johnson – 1986 World Champion
Peter Ebdon – 2002 World Champion
Nigel Bond – 2012 World Seniors Champion
Darren Morgan – 2011 World Seniors Champion

The field will be made up by eight more players who come through qualifying rounds to be staged in Wigan from December 21 and 22.

Mark Williams

Welshman Williams, who beat Fergal O’Brien in the final last season, said: “I really enjoyed the World Seniors, especially lifting the trophy. It’s a lot of fun for the players and fans. I’ve had some special moments at the Guild Hall, it’s a fantastic venue and I’m looking forward to being back there.”

Tickets start at just £10 and fans are advised to BOOK FAST to see this celebration of snooker, as seats are selling rapidly. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com.tickets

Tickets for the qualifying rounds at Robin Park in Wigan are free, with fans encouraged to come and watch.

Date: Friday December 4, 2015

Wigan To Host Snooker Stars

Robin Park Arena and Sports Centre in Wigan will once again host many of snooker’s top names in December, with FREE entry for fans.

The qualifying rounds of the German Masters world ranking event will run from December 17 to 20, followed by the World Seniors Championship qualifiers on December 21 and 22.

The same events were staged in Wigan last season, with the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jimmy White, Judd Trump and Mark Selby in action.

Once again World Snooker will be offering free access to the arena for fans.

Jimmy White

A spokesman for World Snooker said: “We are delighted to bring the qualifying rounds of two tournaments back to Robin Park in Wigan. It’s a fantastic opportunity for fans in the area to see top class sporting action for free.

“We saw a good level of support last year and we hope to see even more people coming to the venue this time to see the world’s best players live.”

The draw and format for both events will be announced soon.

Betway UK Snooker Championship Draw: World Champion Bingham will face amateur Jordan Brown

World Champion Stuart Bingham will face amateur Jordan Brown in the first round at the Betway UK Championship at the York Barbican later this month.

The draw for the prestigious world ranking event, one of snooker’s Triple Crown tournaments, has been made, with all 128 players starting in round one. The BBC-televised tournament runs from November 24 to December 6.

Bingham won the World title for the first time last May and he’ll be the number one seed in York. His opening match will be on Thursday November 26 at 2.30pm, against Northern Ireland’s Brown.

In the same session, world number one Mark Selby will be up against fellow Leicester cueman Joe O’Connor.

Local favourite Ashley Hugill, a 21-year-old amateur from York, will make his debut in the tournament when he takes on former World Champion Shaun Murphy on Wednesday November 25 at 2.30pm.

Judd Trump, the 2011 UK Champion, meets Hammad Miah while legend Jimmy White will face Stephen Maguire. John Higgins’ first opponent is Leo Fernandez while China’s top player Ding Junhui will meet Sheffield’s Adam Duffy.

Stuart Bingham

For the full draw and format see http://www.worldsnooker.com

All matches are best of 11 frames, up until the final which is best of 19.

Tickets for the final session on December 6 have already sold out, and other sessions are selling fast so fans are urged to BOOK SEATS NOW. Tickets start at just £6, visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets