The event will be shown live on Channel 5 in the UK with former world champions Ken Doherty and Stuart Bingham joined by four-time World Seniors champion Jimmy White, newly-crowned Shoot Out winner Alfie Burden and former UK and Masters victor Matthew Stevens.

Ranking event winners Joe Perry, Dominic Dale and Anthony Hamilton complete the eight-player line-up in Derby.

The Draw

• Quarter-Finals (Friday 26 December)
  • Alfie Burden (1) vs. Dominic Dale
  • Ken Doherty (4) vs. Jimmy White
  • Matthew Stevens (3) vs. Anthony Hamilton
  • Stuart Bingham (2) vs. Joe Perry
• Semi-Finals (Saturday 27 December)
  • Burden/Dale vs. Doherty/White
  • Stevens/Hamilton vs. Bingham/Perry
• Final (Sunday 28 December)
  • Winner of SF1 vs. Winner of SF2

The afternoon session begins at 13:00 on Boxing Day with 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham making his debut on the World Seniors Snooker Tour.

The 49-year-old, who also won the Masters in 2020, is the JenningsBet tournament favourite and will begin his campaign against ‘The Gentleman’ Joe Perry on Friday afternoon.

Jimmy White and Ken Doherty will conclude the afternoon session as two of the sport’s most popular stars go head-to-head at the Vaillant Live.

The quarter-final match is a repeat of the 2020 World Seniors Snooker Championship final, where ‘The Whirlwind’ came back from a 4-0 deficit to win 5-4 in an epic Crucible contest.

Anthony Hamilton and Matthew Stevens get the evening session underway in Derby as ‘The Sheriff of Pottingham’, a former German Masters champion, takes on the two-time World Championship runner-up on his World Seniors Snooker Tour debut.

The concluding match of the opening round features reigning World Seniors champion Alfie Burden, who won the first ranking event title of his career last month as a late entry at the Shoot Out. He will face ‘The Spaceman’ Dominic Dale – a former winner of the Grand Prix and Shanghai Masters.

Format

The format for the event is as follows:

• Quarter-Finals: Best of 7 Frames
• Semi-Finals: Best of 9 Frames
• Final: Best of 13 Frames

In an exciting and unique twist, should any match in the event go the distance then the deciding frame will be replaced by a respotted black.

Limited tickets remain available for the 2025 JenningsBet British Seniors Open which gets underway on 26 December with sessions at 13:00 and 19:00. Get your tickets here.

The post JenningsBet British Seniors Snooker Open 2025 | Tournament Preview appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

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.

The post Alfie Burden Confirmed for Champion of Champions appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Official Two-Year Ranking List
• Race to the Crucible Ranking List
• Super Seniors Ranking List
• Rankings FAQ

The top two players on the official WSS ranking list, as well as the top two on the ‘Race to the Crucible’ one-year list will earn their places in the World Seniors Championship.

One point is awarded for each frame won at an event and, should the same players sit in the top two of both rankings lists, then the official world rankings would take priority.

Canavan is World Number One

Aaron Canavan has maintained his position at the World Seniors Snooker (WSS) world number one following a run to the final in Reading last weekend.

The former World Seniors Snooker Championship winner was defeated by Alfie Burden in the title match but holds 29-point lead over second-placed Burden following an impressively consistent two-year run.

Last weekend’s semi-finalist Wayne Townsend sits in third, nine points behind Burden, while the remainder of the top five are made up of Andrew Norman and Dharminder Lily.

Burden Takes Early Lead

Alfie Burden tops the ‘Race to the Crucible’ ranking list following his success in the first World Seniors Tour event of the 2025/26 season.

The reigning World Seniors Snooker Championship winner defeated Aaron Canavan in Reading in a repeat of May’s Crucible final to give himself an early lead in the race to next year’s flagship event.

Jersey’s Canavan takes second place, just three points behind Burden, while semi-finalists Dharminder Lily and Wayne Townsend make up the top four at this early stage.

Hunter Leads Super Seniors

John Hunter remains at the top of the Super Seniors ranking list despite exiting to eventual champion John Rees in the last 16 of the first event of the new season.

The 59-year-old won two Super Seniors titles last season as well as reaching two further finals and he currently holds a four-point advantage over second-placed David Brock.

The remainder of the top five places are made up by Karl Townsend, Dennis Tristram and Anthony Harris who sit on 32, 31 and 30 points respectively.

Event one champion Rees jumps to 20th following his maiden title while runner-up Andy Battams moves up to 13th position.

The second World Seniors Tour event of the 2025/26 campaign takes place on 26-28 September at The Crucible Club in Reading and entries are open via WPBSA SnookerScores.

The post WSS Rankings | Event One Update appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Results

The reigning World Seniors Snooker champion made the perfect start to the 2025/26 campaign by winning through a field of 57 cueists in the first of nine World Seniors Tour events which will offer a minimum of four qualification spots for the Crucible Theatre next May.

Burden dropped just two frames to secure his place in the final day as he overcame Paul Nightingale-Roffe and Daniel Ward each by a 4-1 scoreline.

Breaks of 106, 56 and 80 helped Burden to kick off the Sunday in style as he whitewashed Stuart Watson and then impressively fired in four further half-centuries to beat Wayne Townsend 4-1 in the semi-finals.

A World Seniors Snooker Championship final rematch was confirmed after Jersey’s Canavan swept aside Neil Craycraft (4-2) and Dharminder Lily (4-1) on the concluding day of action.

In a repeat of the Sheffield final back in May, it was Burden who looked the strongest as he raced into a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 frame contest.

Canavan did briefly rally, taking frame four by a comfortable margin, but Burden quickly bounced back with a contribution of 53 to secure the title.

Rees Wins Super Seniors Title

John Rees defeated Andy Battams 2-1 in the final of the first Super Seniors event of the new season at The Crucible Club in Reading.

• Results

The 70-year-old came through a field of 19 players aged 55 and over to win a Super Seniors title for the first time in his career.

His run to the final saw him drop just a single frame and included victories over former event winners John Hunter (2-1) and Karl Townsend (2-0) to set up a title match meeting with Battams.

Battams had whitewashed David Brock in his semi-final contest and took the opener in the best-of-3 frame final but Rees hit back to take the next two frames and secure the title.

The second World Seniors Tour event of the 2025/26 campaign takes place on 26-28 September at The Crucible Club in Reading and entries are open via WPBSA SnookerScores.

The post Alfie Burden Back On Top in Reading appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Results

The 48-year-old, who was the last player to qualify for the event via the Golden Ticket Play-Off last month, came through a strong field at the famous venue to lift the most prestigious title in seniors snooker for the first time.

Burden’s campaign began with a repeat of the 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship final and he exacted revenge on four-time winner Jimmy White, before showing his fighting qualities from 3-0 down against Maltese legend Tony Drago to advance to the semi-finals.

A comfortable 6-2 victory over Australian debutant Hassan Kerde then set up a title match meeting with 2018 champion Aaron Canavan from Jersey after he stunned Dominic Dale in the last four.

The best-of-15 frame final was split into three mini-sessions of five frames and the first of these saw a moment of history as Michaela Tabb, who became the first female referee to take charge of a World Snooker Championship final in 2009, took charge of her final frames at the Crucible Theatre.

It was Canavan who broke the deadlock but the Englishman quickly hit back to take four successive frames, with help from contributions of 74 and 54, to lead 4-1 at the first interval.

A 75 saw the cueist from Jersey reduce the deficit before Burden once again showed off his scoring prowess by hit consecutive breaks 65, 109 and 80 to move one away from victory at 7-2.

Canavan was able to avoid defeat before the second interval as he took frame 10 and further threatened a comeback by taking the next to put the scoreline at 7-4.

Burden admitted afterwards that, even at 7-3 ahead, he had told his coach Patsy Fagan that he “wasn’t fancying winning” but there were few signs of nerves in the title-winning frame as he fired in a flamboyant break of 76 to get over the line as an 8-4 victor.

Following the victory, Burden said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I thought I played well in the final. It’s been a massive journey with so many ups and downs. I think it’s been well documented that I think I’ve underachieved in my career but you’ve got to enjoy this moment.

“It was a strong field this week and I felt like I played the best snooker and deserved to win the tournament. Jimmy White texted me this morning and so did Ken Doherty – we are all great friends and players get behind each other. Only one person can win and this was my week.”

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The two former finalists reached the title match by overcoming Hassan Kerde and Dominic Dale respectively on a memorable semi-final Saturday at the iconic Crucible Theatre.

Canavan heads into the title match aiming to become only the second multiple champion of the most prestigious event in seniors snooker, after four-time winner Jimmy White, while Burden hopes to go one step further than he did in 2023 when he ended as runner-up to ‘The Whirlwind’.

Former professional Burden and Asia-Pacific Seniors champion Kerde, from Australia, kicked off a bumper session with a best-of-11 frame contest.

Burden was in fine form and he wasted no time in racing into a 4-0 lead with breaks of 57 and 65. The Australian briefly rallied, taking back-to-back frames to half the deficit, but a rapid-fire contribution of 97 put Burden back in the acendency and he secured his place in the final by taking the next frame.

Post-match, Burden said: “It was a tough game but I was pleased with the way I played and it stands me in good stead for the final. I’ve prepared well, practiced hard and I feel confident. I feel really strong – I’m going out and expecting to win tomorrow.”

The second semi-final of the afternoon saw Canavan face Dale and, after sharing the first four frames of the contest, ‘The Spaceman’ appeared to step up a gear and fired in back-to-back century breaks of 109 and 131 before moving one frame from victory by taking the seventh.

The man from Jersey refused to go away, however, and managed to take the next three frames with a top visit of 65 to force an unlikely deciding frame.

The decider was a nervy affair with both players spurning golden opportunities for the win. Ultimately, it was Canavan who took it on the colours to complete a famous comeback and set up a final meeting with Burden.

Canavan said: “It was tough. After last night, I was really tired but I gave myself a good talking to in the dressing room and came out fighting. It’s dream, you never think that you will get there and then all of a sudden something happens and you’re actually living the dream.”

The final takes place on Sunday 11 May from 12:00 BST  live on Channel 5.

The post Burden and Canavan Set Up World Final Meeting appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

Former World Seniors Snooker champion Aaron Canavan and 2023 runner-up Alfie Burden will be joined by tournament debutants Dominic Dale and Hassan Kerde on semi-final Saturday at the sport’s most iconic venue.

The afternoon session began with a mouthwatering tie between recently-retired former professionals Dale and Joe Perry.

‘The Spaceman’ made an unforgettable arrival into the arena, donning a trilby and faux-fur coat for his entrance in a nod to the late Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins, and his performance lived up to expectations as he fired in stunning breaks of 97 and 99 before completing his 4-1 victory with a current tournament high break of 128.

Dale said: “I’ve been practicing hard here and I’ve found some form. I was confident going into the match. I was trying to enjoy it and express myself.”

A seven-frame battle filled with drama followed as Burden and Tony Drago went all the way to a deciding frame.

The Maltese cueist raced into a 3-0 lead in unusual circumstances as he won back-to-back respotted blacks to move one frame away from the last four.

Drago began to show signs of nerves, however, missing opportunities in each of the next two frames and Burden took full advantage by forcing a decider with help from breaks of 53 and 51.

The final frame was filled with tension as both players spurned multiple opportunities but it was Burden who was able to take it on the colours before letting out a roar to the Crucible crowd.

Burden said: “I am very proud of the determination I showed from a really bad position which I put myself in. I made a lot of errors early on but I showed good spirit, dug in and refused to be beaten.”

A contest between two continental seniors champions kicked off the evening session as Australia’s Kerde faced South Africa’s Charl Jonck.

The first four frames of the match were shared between the two players with a break of 70 from Jonck being the highlight. From there, however, the Australian pulled away and a contribution of 85 in the sixth frame was enough to secure a 4-2 success.

Kerde said: “I’m over the moon, I feel like I’m shaking on the inside. I’m the first person to come from Australia and reach the semi-finals of the World Seniors Snooker Championship and hopefully I can do the country proud.”

There was late-night drama at the Crucible as the quarter-finals reached a conclusion with a meeting between qualifiers Canavan and Wayne Townsend.

Canavan, a former winner of the most prestigious title in seniors snooker, started off the stronger and took a 3-1 lead before Townsend hit back with a break of 85 to reduce the deficit.

The man from Jersey was able to hold his nerve, however, and took the next to win 4-2 and set up a semi-final meeting with Dale.

The semi-finals take place on Saturday 10 May from 12:00 BST  live on Channel 5.

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The quarter-final line-up in Sheffield was completed by the close of play on Thursday as Burden and Jonck were joined by Tony Drago, who dramatically defeated Gerard Greene in a deciding frame, and Hassan Kerde – who whitewashed Tony Knowles on his Crucible debut.

A blockbuster afternoon session saw four-times World Seniors Snooker champion White and 1997 world champion Doherty in action in front of a buzzing Yorkshire crowd at snooker’s most iconic venue.

An all-London affair saw ‘The Whirlwind’ taking on Burden in a repeat of the 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship final and it was the ‘Golden Ticket’ play-off qualifier who made a strong start to move into a 2-0 lead.

White hit back with an 82 break to reduce the deficit but never truly got going in his pursuit of a record-extending fifth title and it was opponent who comfortably got over the line a 4-1 victor with a concluding break of 92.

Post-match Burden reflected: “I first practiced with Jimmy when I was a 15-year-old boy. We’ve had this amazing friendship for many years and I don’t get any pleasure in beating Jimmy but I was focused on winning and I had to blank out who I was playing. I know he wants me to win it now.”

In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Championship, South African qualifier Jonck overcame former world champion Doherty 4-2 on his Crucible debut.

The opening exchanges were scrappy but Doherty was able to move into a 2-0 lead before Jonck hit back and a break of 64 restored parity at 2-2.

From there, the reigning African Seniors champion visibly grew in confidence and ran out a 4-2 winner with a further contribution of 63 in the penultimate frame.

“That was surreal. It was the lifelong ambition becoming a reality” Jonck said, adding: “The crowd were electric and it was the best feeling ever. Everybody loves an underdog story, don’t they?”

After defeating White in the opening match of the afternoon, Burden will next face Malta’s Drago in the quarter-finals after ‘The Tornado’ came through a dramatic encounter with Greene in the evening session.

The Maltese cueist took the opener with a break of 75 and looked set to double his advantage before Greene managed to get two snooker’s and steal the second with a calm colour clearance.

The next four frames were shared, resulting in the tournament’s first decider, and it was Drago who fired in a break of 68 to reach the last eight.

Drago said: “At one time it looked like I might win easily and have an early night but then I collapsed in nearly every frame. I couldn’t have done this before, missing so many balls and then coming back from 3-2 down to win, so I think in my old age I am doing something right that I didn’t do before!”

The quarter-final line-up was completed by Australia’s Kerde as he impressed on debut to whitewash former world number two Knowles.

The Asia-Pacific Seniors champion will now face Jonck on Friday in a international clash after breaks of 53, 62, 66 and 59 gave Kerde victory in one of the finest performances of the opening round.

“I’m over the moon. I’ve watched the Crucible for the last 20 years and to just come and watch a match would have been awesome. This is everything, I consider myself one of the top amateur players in Australia and this is a world stage so to go all the way would mean everything for my life.” Kerde said following his victory.

The quarter-finals take place tomorrow from 12:00 BST  live on Channel 5 and 5Action.

The post White and Doherty Downed on Day of Upsets at the Crucible appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Results

The 48-year-old Englishman will face Jimmy White at the Crucible Theatre in a repeat of the 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship final after coming through a field of 16 players in Reading last weekend.

The Play-Off line-up was made up top eight ranked players who did not qualify automatically for the flagship event in each of the official two-year world ranking list and the one-year ‘Race to the Crucible Series’ ranking list.

Burden had missed out on an automatic place at the Championship by just a single frame in the concluding qualification event of the season but bounced back in the Golden Ticket Play-Off event.

Victories over Andy Lavin (4-2), Irish former professional Rodney Goggins (4-1) and Stuart Watson (4-1) saw Burden book his place in the final where he faced compatriot Ford.

The 49-year-old had dropped just three frames in as many matches en route to the final and a break of 67 in frame five put Ford just one away from victory and a Crucible debut.

Burden refused to be beaten, however, forcing a decider before getting over the line by a 78-46 scoreline to complete the victory and earn a return to snooker’s most iconic venue.

Tickets remain available for the World Seniors Championship and start from just £17.50.

The post Alfie Burden Secures Crucible Spot appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Results

A dramatic weekend in Berkshire saw four places at the Crucible Theatre secured as Aaron Canavan, Andrew Norman, Wayne Townsend and Gerard Greene each qualified for the 2025 JenningsBet World Seniors Snooker Championship in May.

Burden required just two frames in the final to overtake Greene at the last moment but he was denied by McLeod and both will now have to settle for a place in the last chance Play-Off event later this month.

A total of 36 players from five countries contested the competition with the field narrowed down to the final eight heading into the Sunday.

By the end of the opening day, three players had confirmed their place at this year’s JenningsBet World Seniors Snooker Championship.

Canavan and Norman, who won two and three events respectively during the campaign, each reach the quarter-finals and confirmed their qualification by the official two-year ranking list as a result.

Canavan, from Jersey, ends the campaign as world number one and will compete at the Crucible for the fifth time in his career.

It is an event that holds great memories for the 49-year-old, who won the flagship title in Scunthorpe in 2018.

“I think the experience will definitely benefit me, I know what to expect. The first time was so daunting walking out and you look up and see the starry lights and everyone is looking down on you. It can be overwhelming but I’ve experienced it so I know what to expect and I am going to take that with me and use it to my advantage” Canavan said.

Meanwhile, Norman returns to snooker’s most iconic venue for a second consecutive year after just losing out to Jimmy White 12 months ago.

“I feel fantastic. This has been a totally different season – last year I won one qualifying event and then had to wait ten months for the World Championship to come around. This year, I’ve played in nine events – I won event three and then went on a roll of winning three on the bounce and losing in the final of the next” Norman said.

He added: “The biggest thing I can do going back in there is just take a little bit more time on my shots because the excitement and adrenaline does push you round. A rush of blood to the head cost me a fatal black off the spot against Jimmy last year.”

Despite a deciding frame defeat to McLeod in the last 16, Townsend already knew that he had finally fulfilled his dream of qualifying for the Crucible next month via the one-year list.

Townsend is a highlight of the new qualifying format, with his consistency shining through during the campaign.

He said: “It’s the best day of my life, it doesn’t come much better than this. This is what you dream of as a snooker player ever since I started playing. It’s a dream come true. I’ve been so consistent this year so I would’ve been devastated to have just missed out so I’m just happy that I’m over the line – it’s a weight off my shoulders.”

Greene, Burden and Philip Williams all remained in contention for the last spot heading into the semi-final stage on Sunday.

Williams’ hopes were ended by McLeod, who defeated him 4-2, while Burden hung on courtesy of a dramatic final frame victory on the pink against Canavan to reach the final.

The 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship finalist knew he needed just two frames in the final to leapfrog Greene but he struggled to get going in the best-of-seven frame contest and quickly found him 3-0 behind to McLeod.

Burden kept his hopes alive by taking a nervy fourth frame on the colours but it wasn’t enough as McLeod fired in a break of 85 in the next to secure the title.

TOWNSEND WINS SUPER SENIORS

Karl Townsend defeated Richie Howson 2-0 to win the concluding Super Seniors event of the season in Reading on Sunday.

• Results

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 former professional dropped just a single frame all day as he defeated Edward Folly (2-0), Dennis Tristram (2-1) and Anthony Harris (2-0) to reach the title match against Howson.

Howson, who is better known for his darting ability and is a former World Seniors Darts Championship runner-up, impressed on the baize as he overcame Richard Pipe (2-0) and David Brock (2-1) to set up a final meeting with Townsend.

The 58-year-old Townsend proved too strong in the final however as he ran out a 2-0 victor to secure the title.

The ‘Golden Ticket’ Play-Off will take place on 19-20 April at The Crucible Club in Reading with 16 players competing for the final place in the 2025 JenningsBet World Seniors Snooker Championship. The draw for this event will be published in due course.

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