The six-time ranking event winner, known as ‘The Captain’, will make his World Seniors Snooker (WSS) Tour line-up as part of a star-studded field that also includes Mark Williams, Stuart Bingham, Reanne Evans, Anthony Hamilton and Matthew Stevens.

The flagship event will be broadcast live on Channel 5 in the UK and also features established WSS Tour stars such as Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, Tony Drago, Dominic Dale and recently crowned British Seniors Open champion Joe Perry. Meanwhile, reigning Snooker Shoot Out winner Alfie Burden returns to defend his World Seniors Championship title in 2026.

WSS Chairman Jason Francis said: “We promised everyone our biggest ever World Seniors Championship and we are delivering. The WSS Tour continues to provide an opportunity for great servants of the game to compete on television at the home of snooker – the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Ali Carter is a very welcome addition to what was already our strongest-ever field, and we are not finished yet. Make sure you grab your tickets now as I expect many sessions will sell out!”

Tickets for the 2026 World Seniors Snooker Championship are available from just £17.50 plus booking fee. Fans are encouraged to secure their seats early for what promises to be the biggest WSS event to date. Click here to secure your tickets now.

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The Champion of Champions features winners of major events from the preceding 12 months and Burden will feature in the line-up alongside the likes of defending champion Mark Williams and reigning world champion Zhao Xintong.

The draw was confirmed last week and Burden is part of Group 1, facing three-time world champion Williams in the opening round with the winner set to play either Mark Selby or Stephen Maguire.

Burden, who competed on the World Snooker Tour (WST) for a total of 28 years across three spells, lifted the World Seniors Snooker Championship at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield after defeating Jersey’s Aaron Canavan 8-4 in the title match.

Tickets for the 2025 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions are available now from just £15 per session. With limited seats remaining for the semi-finals and final, fans are encouraged to book early to secure their place for one of the season’s most anticipated events.

Don’t miss your chance to see snooker’s elite go head-to-head for the prestigious Champion of Champions title, live at the Mattioli Arena, Leicester. Purchase your spectator ticket here.

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The Champion of Champions features winners of major events from the preceding 12 months and Brazil’s Figueiredo will feature in the line-up alongside the likes of defending champion Mark Allen and reigning world champion Kyren Wilson.

The 46-year-old claimed an historic victory for South American snooker in May at the Crucible Theatre as he defeated Ken Doherty to lift the World Seniors Snooker Championship title for the first time.

Having qualified as the Pan American Seniors champion, he defeated Tessa Davidson, defending champion Jimmy White and Tony Drago to set up a final meeting with Doherty.

Figueiredo, who featured on the professional tour in spells between 2010 and 2022, then defeated the 1997 world champion 5-2 to take the title.

The 2024 Champion of Champions will take place at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, Bolton on 11-17 November.

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Contested at the former home of the UK Seniors Championship, the event features a new and exciting format where anything can happen. Each match will last 15 minutes (900 seconds) and has a 20-second shot clock in play at all times, allowing for unmissable action that has proven a hit with fans and players alike.

Among those in action are seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, who won the inaugural staging in Epsom in December, and 1997 world champion Ken Doherty – who lifted the Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 title on home soil at the iconic Goffs venue earlier this year.

They are joined by reigning World Seniors champion Igor Figueiredo, four-time World Seniors champion Jimmy ‘The Whirlwind’ White, Malta’s Tony ‘The Tornado’ Drago and former ranking event winner Barry Pinches.

How It Works

All matches throughout the tournament are just a single frame and each of these frames has a time limit of just 15 minutes. Should the frame not be complete at the end of the allocated 15 minutes, whoever is leading the frame claims the win. 

Played with a spotted cueball, cueists have just 20 seconds per shot and there are no extensions or time-outs (unless at the discretion of the referee). 

For every shot played, either a ball must be potted, or a cushion must be struck with the cueball or an object ball. 

All fouls result in cueball in hand for the opponent. 

At the end of the 15 minutes, should the players be tied on points, a blue-ball shoot-out will be used to determine the winner. 

The six players will compete in two round-robin groups of three players, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals. The winner of Group A will face the runner-up in Group B, and the winner of Group B will face the runner-up in Group A in the last four.

Group A

Sunday’s action will begin with a rematch of May’s World Seniors Championship final between Ken Doherty and Igor Figueiredo.

Brazil’s Figueiredo ran out a 5-2 victor at the Crucible Theatre to lift the prestigious trophy and will be looking to repeat the feat on his Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 debut in Hull.

The two recent World Seniors Championship finalists are joined by former ranking event winner Barry Pinches, who is also making his debut under the fast-paced and exciting format.

Group B

Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White will renew their storied rivalry at the Connexin Live in Hull as the two meet in the group stages.

The two contested the first ever Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 final in December, with Hendry coming out on top in Epsom, before White gained revenge at Goffs by eliminating the seven-time world champion at the semi-final stage.

Hendry and White are joined in the group by Malta’s Tony Drago, who reached the semi-finals of this year’s World Seniors Championship in Sheffield.

Schedule

The action gets underway at 13:00 BST on Sunday, broadcast live on Channel 5.

• Group Stages (Single-Frame Shootout)

• • (A) Igor Figueiredo v Ken Doherty
  • (B) Jimmy White v Tony Drago
  • (A) Barry Pinches v Winner of Match 1
  • (B) Stephen Hendry v Winner of Match 2
  • (A) Barry Pinches v Loser of Match 1
  • (B) Stephen Hendry v Loser of Match 2

• Semi Finals (Single-Frame Shootout)

• • Winner of Group A v Runner-Up of Group B
  • Winner of Group B v Runner-Up of Group A

• Final (Best of 3 Frames)

• • Winner of Semi-Final 1 v Winner of Semi-Final 2

Limited tickets remain available via the Connexin Live website – click here.

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In partnership with Age UK Sheffield, the day will bring 600 local residents from the aging population in the city to the Crucible Theatre to watch the event and meet some legends of the snooker world.

The number of over 50’s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6. This compares to around 1.4 million in 2016/7 – a 49% increase in 10 years and Age UK reported in 2016 that there are 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK.

Jason Francis, Chairman of World Seniors Snooker and creator of the initiative, said “According to our partners Age UK half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all. Loneliness, living alone and poor social connections is hugely detrimental to people’s health”

Rohit Sagoo, World Seniors Director said “It’s about getting those who are in the aging population in Sheffield out of their seats, out of their homes to come and watch some snooker at the Crucible.”

John Parrott, 1991 World Snooker Champion said “It’s a brilliant idea, everyone’s excited to see the snooker and meet some of the legends. It’s a wonderful initiative for the event and the city”

Lucy Sharp from Age UK Sheffield said “Last year was such an amazing success and we have been inundated with requests for tickets this year. Giving the people of Sheffield a day out to meet the stars, meet each other and see some snooker has been so well received”

The Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker Championship which will be played between 8-12 May and be shown live in the UK on Channel 5.

Tickets are now on sale via the Crucible on 0114 2496000 or online at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

To find out more about Age UK please visit https://www.ageuk.org.uk/

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The new deal will see up to five events staged year around the world by WSS, which will continue to be governed by snooker’s world governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

During the current 2023/24 season, events will be open to all amateur players aged 40 or over, as well as professionals who are 45 or over as of 1 June 2024 and ranked outside of the top 64 at the start of this season. From next season, all players must be aged 45 or older.

The first event under the new agreement is planned to take place in December 2023 and will be broadcast on mainstream television.

Jason Francis, World Seniors Snooker Chairman said: “Following today’s announcement I am pleased to be able to continue our important work alongside the WPBSA which has seen us provide vital opportunities for older players to be able to extend their snooker careers.

“I would like to thank both organisations for their cooperation and support and look forward to the announcement of a number of exciting events soon.”

Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “As a members association the WPBSA sees the organisation of a successful World Seniors Tour as a fundamental element of our events structure.

“We have seen in recent years with performances by greats including Jimmy White and Ken Doherty, as well as seasoned professionals such as David Lilley, Lee Walker and Peter Lines, that these players still have a great deal to offer our sport as they reach the end of their WST careers.

“It has also been pleasing to see the growth of seniors snooker around the world, which has seen many continental champions earn their place at World Seniors already in recent years and this will continue to play a major role in our strategy moving forwards.”

Further announcements about upcoming events will follow shortly at seniorssnooker.com

The post New Agreement to Boost World Seniors Snooker Tour appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

For the draw and ticket details click here and here are the broadcasters:

UK
BBC iPlayer and Red Button

China
Superstar online and partners

All Other Territories
Matchroom.Live

The post How to Watch the 2023 World Seniors Championship appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

World Seniors champion David Lilley has set his sights on making it through Q School and proving that he belongs on the World Snooker Tour, after a demoralising two-year spell on the circuit.

Lilley turned pro for the first time in 2019 at the age of 43. His first few months on tour were ruined by a shoulder injury, and he was eventually relegated at the end of the 2020/21 season. But an “overwhelming” triumph at the World Seniors earlier this month has given Lilley the motivation to make a fresh start.

The 45-year-old from Tyne & Wear worked as an insurance claims controller, playing snooker on the amateur circuit, before deciding to make the leap to the pro game after qualifying through Q School two years ago.

“In my first season on tour I started getting pain in my shoulder,” he said. “It would only come on certain shots and I would get a shooting pain through my neck. Then I was quitting on those shots to avoid the pain. I spent fortunes with physiotherapists and chiropractors trying to solve the problem but nothing worked. That led to anxiety. Mentally I was gone, ruined. I would go into matches very apprehensive, then get embarrassed when I played badly.

“The first lockdown was a blessing because I stopped playing snooker, and with rest my shoulder got better. I think it was a repetitive strain injury as I had gone from playing eight hours a week to eight hours a day. Luckily it doesn’t bother me any more.”

Lilley won just five matches in his first season on tour, and though he improved in his second year – notably beating Shaun Murphy on his way to the last 32 of the English Open – it was not enough to keep his card.

“It was only when I got to the final weekend of the seniors event that I decided to enter Q School again and try to get my place back,” he said. “I feel I have unfinished business. I know how well I can play, but I can count the number of times I have done that on the tour on the fingers of one hand. I called my wife and she agreed, she said I need to get it out of my system. I am fully focussed on Q School now, hopefully I can get through and give it a proper two years on the tour, injury free.”

Lilley earned a place in the Seniors event by coming through the qualifying rounds. “I arrived at the Crucible with no expectations and no targets other than to play well,” he reflects. “I found the television lights hard to adjust to at first, then started to get on a roll. It all just came out of the blue.”

After knocking out Philip Williams, Ken Doherty and Patrick Wallace to reach the final, Lilley scored a 5-3 victory over Jimmy White, sealing the £15,000 top prize with a break of 69.

“It was a massive high, overwhelming,” he said. “The most pleasing thing was to finish the match in one visit rather than crawling over the line. The money is nice, but I’m just glad to have showed what I can do when it mattered.”

Lilley’s one regret was that he wasn’t able to share his triumph with a man who had a huge influence on his career. Stan Chambers was a widely respected coach in the North East, having helped countless juniors learn the game over more than 50 years. He sadly passed away earlier this month.

“When I started playing, my dad was tough on me, he would shout at me if I missed an easy ball. Stan was the one who would stick up for me. And he was my coach for many years,” recalls Lilley. “He was always the main man around the North East and he will be massively missed. I was at his funeral on Thursday and it was great to see so many faces there, old and new.”

Article by WST.

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Many of you will be aware that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has seen a number of activities and events postponed which were scheduled to have been staged by WPBSA group organisations in the coming weeks.

The professional World Snooker Tour represents the pinnacle of our sport and information on this will be circulated separately directly from WST. Alongside the professional game the WPBSA is also responsible for and has established a group of organisations to promote grassroots development and opportunities for our sport at amateur level, encompassing over 200 days of WPBSA group events each season.

The unprecedented situation in which the world currently finds itself in has had a significant effect on the sporting calendar globally and snooker at all levels is no exception. The health and welfare of our players, officials, fans and everyone else involved with our activity is of paramount importance, therefore a number of difficult decisions have already been taken.

In order to provide clear information to all involved, the following links provide more details:

WPBSA Group Statements (as of 19/03/2020)

• WST – Coral Tour Championship Postponed
• World Women’s Snooker – Festival of Women’s Snooker – Postponement Notice
• World Disability Billiards and Snooker – Derby Open – Cancellation Notice
• ROKIT Phones World Seniors Snooker – Statement on upcoming events
• World Billiards – Statement from the Board: COVID-19
• English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards – 2019/20 Season Postponed
• Challenge Tour Play off Postponement

The latest information on the World Snooker Tour can be found at: https://wst.tv/

For further information as to WPBSA group events please visit each relevant website:

• English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards
• World Billiards
• World Disability Billiards and Snooker
• World Snooker Federation
• World Women’s Snooker

The WPBSA board and management team would like to make it clear that we are not cancelling operations and that we will continue to work on strategic development for our sport and plan for an exciting return to full event capacity at the appropriate time.

Our thoughts remain firmly with those directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We have travelled millions of miles across the globe in the pursuit of the greater development of snooker and billiards and have made many friends around the world during this time.

On behalf of the WPBSA Board of Directors, senior management team and staff, we would take this opportunity to encourage everybody to stay safe and look after each other.

The post WPBSA Statement: COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• View the latest provisional seedings list
• View the provisional end of season rankings
• View the latest Race to the Masters
• View information on amateur tournaments staged by the WPBSA Group via the WPBSA Tournament Manager

Challenge Tour 5 (2-3 November)

The 2019/20 Challenge Tour season reaches its halfway point this weekend as the amateur circuit heads to Castle Snooker Club in Brighton.

• View the tournament draw and format

Two players from the Challenge Tour will earn two-year tour cards from the start of the 2020/21 season.

ManBetX Champion of Champions (4-10 November)

The ManBetX Champion of Champions returns to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena for the seventh time next month with defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan looking to claim the title for a record-extending fourth time.

• View the official website for more information
• View the latest qualification update

Among those looking to stop O’Sullivan will include previous winners John Higgins, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy, while 12-time world women’s champion Reanne Evans will be making her debut in the prestigious invitational competition.

ROKiT World Seniors Championship Qualifier 2 (8-10 November)

The race to qualify for next season’s ROKiT World Seniors Championship continues with the latest qualifying event to be staged at the Crucible Sports & Social Club in early November.

• View the tournament draw
• View the Super Seniors draw

Alongside the event will also be the third event of the Super Seniors circuit, previous tournaments having been won by Gary Filtness and Tony Knowles.

19.com Northern Ireland Open (11-17 November)

The 2019/20 Home Nations Series continues with the return of the Northern Ireland Open won last season by Judd Trump and the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

The draw for the tournament will be made following the conclusion of this week’s Yushan World Open, with the top 32 ranked players following that event to be seeded in Northern Ireland.

Following his victory at the English Open earlier this month, three-time world champion Mark Selby is the only player remaining in the hunt to claim the £1,000,000 bonus if he can go on to win all four of this season’s Home Nations Series events.

WDBS Hull Open (15-17 November)

The final event of the 360Fizz World Disability Billiards and Snooker Tour is set to take place at the Tradewell Snooker Club in Hull, as the Hull Open sponsored by the Humber Fish Co. returns for a fourth successive season.

• Enter the event online now

People with all disabilities are welcome to attend the regular Friday Open day for practice and coaching, ahead of the two-day competitive tournament for deaf players and those with visual impairments.

Challenge Tour 6 (16-17 November)

The 2019/20 Challenge Tour season continues with its sixth event to be held in Budapest, Hungary.

• View the tournament draw and format

Two players from the Challenge Tour will earn two-year tour cards from the start of the 2020/21 season.

Eden Women’s Masters (23-24 November)

World Women’s Snooker will stage its third ranking event of the 2019/20 season as the Eden Women’s Masters takes place at Frames Sports Bar in Coulsdon, England for the first time.

• Enter the event online now

Reanne Evans and Nutcharut Wongharuthai head to the event as this season’s champions so far following their victories in Leeds and Sydney respectively and will be looking to add further silverware at the final women’s event of the calendar year to crown what has been a fantastic year for both.

The event is open to players of all ages and ability with entries remaining open until 15 November 2019.

Betway UK Championship (26 November – 8 December)

The biggest ranking event of the professional season to date will begin at the end of the month as the Betway UK Championship returns to the York Barbican once again.

As well as carrying a top prize of £200,000 for the winner, the event also represents the final chance for all players to add to their prize money total in the race to qualify for this season’s Dafabet Masters in January.

The draw will be finalised following the conclusion of the Northern Ireland Open, with the ranking list following that event used to seed the competition.

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