The defending champion was one of four players, along with ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago, Barry Pinches and Dechawat Poomjaeng, to book their places in the quarter-finals on the second day of action at the Crucible Theatre as the first round came to a dramatic conclusion.

‘The Whirlwind’ began the defence of his title in the second match of the afternoon session and it was former professional Norman, who was making his first ever appearance at snooker’s most iconic venue, who was standing in the way of the four-time and reigning champion.

Despite the occasion, Norman showed few signs of nerves as he took a scrappy opening frame before firing in a steely break of 65 when trailing by 48 points to double his lead and move one frame away from completing a first round upset.

White got in first in frame three and looked set to reduce his deficit before breaking down on a break of 54 and leaving Norman in the balls with a golden opportunity to earn a whitewash victory.

A missed black off the spot on 25 from Norman may haunt him for some time, as White capitalised to pull a frame back before winning a scrappy fourth frame to force a decider to close out the afternoon session.

Both players had their chances in the fifth, but after Norman missed a tricky final red with the spider while on 52, it was the defending champion who eventually cleared from brown to pink to salvage the win – much to the joy of the Crucible crowd who let out a roar as the winning ball found the pocket.

White, who was carrying with him a card from his grandson as a lucky charm, said: “I was very lucky to win the game. I was very glassy today, I was struggling and I didn’t feel good so I’m pleased.

“I’m playing some good stuff – that looked like a banana skin but I’m through now so hopefully I can play better next time.”

Drago Downs Judge

Drago booked his place in the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship quarter-final for a second consecutive year courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Michael Judge in the first match of day two.

The Maltese cueist, who reached the semi-finals last year, was averaging 13 seconds per shot after three frames but struggled to offer sizeable contributions in a scrappy affair against the Irish former professional.

A break of 46 in the opener was enough for ‘The Tornado’ to take an early lead, despite Judge’s best efforts to find snookers late in the frame, and Drago then doubled his advantage in frame two on the final pink to move one away from victory.

Frame three was also decided on the colours as Judge took it on the last blue to reduce the deficit. The Irishman, who made three appearances at the Crucible during his professional career, looked on course to force a decider but a dramatic moment late in the fourth saw a blue that looked certain to drop freakishly bounce off the leather at the back of the pocket and land back on the baize.

Drago was able to capitalise and secure the victory, reflecting afterwards: “I could have won comfortably but in the end I won in a freakish way. It’s not my fault and if I say I am not happy to go on to the next round then I will be telling a lie – but I would rather Michael had missed by miles than the blue coming back out of the pocket.

“I didn’t make centuries but I scored fifties and that’s all you need in best of fives. I’m just going to chill out and be ready for tomorrow.”

Pinches Powers Through

An impressive display from Pinches saw him set up a quarter-final meeting with James Wattana by overcoming the 1986 World champion Joe Johnson 3-1.

The former English Amateur champion was utterly dominant in the early stages of the match, forcing his opponent to go more than 30 minutes without potting a ball as he charged into a 2-0 lead with breaks of 54 and 50.

Pinches would ultimately go 203 points without reply before Johnson finally got back into the game in frame three, as the Norwich cueist began to show signs of trying to defend his lead. A dramatic frame eventually went the way of Johnson, who potted the final black with a cross-double to reduce his deficit to 2-1.

It was Pinches, however, who managed to get over the line in the fourth and he now meets Asian superstar Wattana in Friday’s last eight.

Post-match, Pinches said: “I was really pleased with my scoring. The third frame went a little bit more scrappy and Joe made some good pots to win that frame on the black but I managed to build and early lead in the next and finish it off.

“Best-of-five frame snooker is just so tough. You’ve only got to lose that one frame and you’re bang under it, even if you’re 2-0 up that’s 2-1 and you’re under the cosh.

“I haven’t played James for a few years – I think we played once or twice as professionals but we did have a couple of really big amateur matches so it’ll just be great to play him again. I’ve always admired James, he was the trailblazer for Asian snooker so it’ll be nice to play him.”

Dechawat Delights Crucible Crowd

Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng made a winning start to his maiden Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship campaign by defeating 2011 winner Darren Morgan 3-1.

Poomjaeng was making his first Crucible appearance since 2013, when he reached the last 16 of the World Championship, and he was determined to enjoy every second of the experience – arriving into the arena adorning two separate pairs of sunglasses to Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You” by Robbie Williams.

A break of 41 in the opener saw Poomjaeng take the frame and he quickly doubled his advantage with a solid performance in the second.

Despite missing the frame ball red, a whitewash looked inevitable when the Thai cueist compiled a 57 in the third. But Morgan, who up until this point had a high break of 9 and was visibly struggling with back issues, suddenly found a John Higgins style clearance of 68 from nowhere to keep his hopes alive.

Sadly for the Welshman, however, it wasn’t to be as Poomjaeng managed to reach the winning line in frame four and will now face 1997 World champion Ken Doherty on Friday afternoon.

“I really enjoyed it and I am very happy to see the crowd happy.” Poomjeng said after the match.

“(Darren) has pain in his back and he still played like this – I don’t believe it! I have had pain before and I cannot play like that. He’s a very dangerous player.

“(Ken) is an amazing player. I will just play and have fun and be happy to play with Ken tomorrow.”

Tomorrow will see all four quarter-finals played across two sessions and you can watch LIVE on Channel 5 and 5 Action in the UK.

Limited tickets remain available.

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The tournament sees a global field of 16 cueists head to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield aiming to secure the prestigious title at snooker’s most iconic venue. This year, for the first time, the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship will be broadcast live on Channel 5 in the UK from 8-12 May.

First Round Schedule

Wednesday 8th May

• 12pm
• James Wattana (Thailand) vs. Rodney Goggins (Ireland)
• Ken Doherty (Ireland) vs. Tyson Crinis (Australia)
• 7pm
• Tony Knowles (England) vs. Stuart Watson (England)
• Igor Figueiredo (Brazil) vs. Tessa Davidson (England)

Thursday 9th May

• 12pm
• Tony Drago (Malta) vs. Michael Judge (Ireland)
• Jimmy White (England) vs. Andrew Norman (England)
• 7pm
• Joe Johnson (England) vs. Barry Pinches (England)
• Darren Morgan (Wales) vs. Dechawat Poomjaeng (Thailand)

Jimmy White arrives in Sheffield looking to secure a record-extending fifth World Seniors crown and he will begin his campaign against Andrew Norman in the second match of the afternoon session on day two, following Malta’s Tony Drago against Michael Judge.

The honour of opening the event falls to qualifier Rodney Goggins and James Wattana, who is competing in the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship for the first time since 2019, who will be followed by 1997 World champion Ken Doherty against Australia’s Tyson Crinis on the first afternoon.

Wednesday evening sees former World number two Tony Knowles begin his campaign against Stuart Watson before Igor Figueiredo and World Women’s Snooker Seniors champion Tessa Davidson face off in the final match of day one.

Former World champion Joe Johnson then headlines the second evening, taking on veteran former professional Barry Pinches, before Darren Morgan and Dechawat Poomjaeng conclude the opening round of action.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May.

The 2024 Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship final will get underway at Sunday 12 May at 12 o’clock.

Tickets are now on sale from just £17.50 via the Crucible on 0114 2496000 or online at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

The post Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship 2024 | Schedule appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

The tournament will be held in Sheffield at snooker’s most iconic venue for the sixth consecutive year and will be broadcast live on Channel 5 in the UK for the first time.

A global field of 16 cueists will embark on the steel city where reigning champion Jimmy White, aiming for a record-extending fifth World Seniors title, will start his title defence against former World Snooker Tour professional Andrew Norman.

Former World champion Ken Doherty, who is looking to complete a unique grand slam by adding the Seniors crown to his World Under-21, World Amateur and World Professional titles, faces Asia-Pacific Seniors champion Tyson Crinis in the opening round while fellow former Crucible king Joe Johnson begins his campaign with a tough tie against veteran Barry Pinches.

One of the ties of the opening round sees 2011 World Seniors champion Darren Morgan face tournament debutant Dechawat Poomjaeng, while Asian superstar James Wattana meets Ireland’s Rodney Goggins to complete the bottom half of the draw.

Joining White and Norman in the top half are ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago’ and former world number two Tony Knowles – who contest opening round ties against Ireland’s Michael Judge and England’s Stuart Watson.

The first round draw is completed by Pan-American Seniors champion Igor Figueiredo taking on World Women’s Snooker Seniors champion Tessa Davidson – with the winner set to potentially meet ‘The Whirlwind’ in the quarter-finals should he make it that far.

First round matches will take place on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 May, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals taking place on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May before the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship final takes place on Sunday 12 May.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased from just £17.50 at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

The post Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship 2024 | Draw Announced appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

The tournament will take place at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from 8-12 May with a global 16-player field representing five continents competing for the coveted World Seniors Championship crown at the home of snooker.

Channel 5, which has shown live coverage of the two Mr Vegas Snooker 900 events staged this season, will provide live coverage of the World Seniors Championship for the first time.

Defending champion Jimmy White will be searching for a record-extending fifth World Seniors title while former World champions Ken Doherty, winner of the recent Mr Vegas Snooker 900 event at Goffs, and 1986 Crucible king Joe Johnson among those aiming to stop the Whirlwind.

Other notable names include former world number two Tony Knowles, ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago from Malta and Asian superstar James Wattana – who returns to the event for the first time since 2019.

Asia will be further represented by Dechawat Poomjaeng, who competes in a World Seniors Championship for the first time, while reigning European Seniors champion Darren Morgan will be looking to regain the crown he won back in 2011.

Regional seniors champions Igor Figueiredo (Brazil), Mohammed Khairy (Egypt) and Tyson Crinis (Australia) will also compete at the Crucible, as will two-time and reigning World Women’s Seniors champion Tessa Davidson.

The line-up is completed by veteran former professionals Barry Pinches, Michael Judge, Rodney Goggins and Andrew Norman, who earned their spots via qualifying events held across the season.

The winner will take home £20,000 and earn a spot in the Champion of Champions event later in the year.

Jason Francis, Chairman of World Seniors said “It is fantastic to welcome Mr Vegas as our title sponsor for the World Championship following our partnership on the two recent Mr Vegas Snooker 900 events. We are also delighted to secure a major free to air broadcaster in Channel 5.”

Ulle Skottling, deputy CEO of Videoslots, the UKGC-licensed online casino company running the Mr Vegas brand, said “We are pleased to continue our partnership with World Seniors Snooker. We like to bring a bit of Vegas in our sponsored events and we’re sure that the snooker at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield will rock and roll.”

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

To find out more about Mr Vegas please visit www.mrvegas.com

The post Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship To Be Shown Live on Channel 5 appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Results

The victory means 2019 UK Seniors champion will return to the Crucible following a one-year absence from the LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship, having last played at the 2022 event.

The qualifying event, held in Carlow, Ireland, saw twenty-eight players from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland competing for a coveted spot at the most famous venue in the sport.

Judge, who made three appearance at the Crucible Theatre during his professional career, began his campaign with comfortable 3-1 victories over fellow countrymen James Darcy and Dylan Rees.

The 48-year-old then whitewashed Englishman Neal Jones before another comfortable victory over Tony Corrigan saw him book his place in the final.

On the opposite side of the draw, veteran professional O’Brien was in rampant form as he dropped just two frames on his way to the last four, with a stunning break of 135 completing a 4-1 quarter-final victory over Neil Craycraft. Despite losing the opener in the semi-final, a 4-2 defeat of Englishman Matt Wilson then set up a final meeting with Judge.

The final was a high-qualify affair that featured four half-centuries in six frames, but with breaks of 66, 68 and 71 it was Judge who secured his place at the showpiece event of the World Seniors Snooker calendar.

Super Seniors Success for Filtness

• Results

England’s Gary Filtness was victorious in the Super Seniors 3 event, open to all entrants over-55 years old, which was held alongside the main LLP World Seniors Championship qualifier in Carlow, Ireland.

Filtness, who was eliminted in the last eight of the qualifying event, whitewashed John Maher in the Super Seniors quarter-final before defeating Northern Ireland’s Gregory Cooke to reach the final.

There, he would meet John McCarthy, who had beaten Keith Thomas 2-1 to reach the Super Seniors title match.

Filtness, who reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Seniors Championship, proved too strong in the final and ran out a 2-0 victor to secure the title.

The post Michael Judge Captures Crucible Return appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

You can follow the event on WPBSA SnookerScores at the links below:

• Draw
• Schedule
• Results
• Player List

Twenty-eight players from the United Kingdom and Ireland, including notable names such as Fergal O’Brien, Michael Judge and Patrick Wallace, will battle it out over the weekend aiming to secure a coveted spot at the Crucible Theatre for the World Seniors Championship in May.

The post World Seniors Championship Qualifying 3 | How To Follow appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Tournament Draw
• Tournament Schedule
• How to Watch

A winner of the world professional championship on seven occasions, Hendry moved a step closer to a maiden world seniors final appearance as he dispatched 1977 UK Champion Patsy Fagan 3-0.

‘The King of the Crucible’ compiled a break of 44 on his way to claiming the first frame but he needed a few slices of good fortune to double his advantage in the second; eventually taking it on the black.

Hendry raised his game in frame three, crafting a break of 81 to complete the victory, although the Scot was downbeat about his performance in a post-match interview with Rob Walker. “Another day I lose that match – in the second frame I was very lucky. In the third frame my cueball was social distancing,” said a bemused Hendry.

When asked who he’d like to play in the quarter-finals, Hendry quipped “Let’s play JP!” John Parrott – his BBC commentary co-worker – plays Brazilian Igor Figueiredo on Friday night.

Wallace Wins

A close friendship of 25 years was put on hold for a few hours in the evening’s second match as Wallace ousted Michael Judge via a deciding frame.

In a meeting of cueists from either side of the Irish border, Dungannon’s Wallace made an impressive start, registering a run of 67 to go 1-0 up.

Current UK Seniors champion Judge was unable to settle in the second frame – squandering a golden opportunity to tie the match up – and his opponent fully capitalised with a cool clearance of 36 to move further ahead.

It seemed as if Wallace was going to record a straight frames win but he failed to get position whilst on a break of 36 in frame three and Judge – with his back against the wall – produced an effort of 71 to get a foothold. The Dubliner then also chalked up the fourth to force the tie all the way.

However, a determined Wallace went on the attack in the decider, staying positive throughout a classy break of 85 to clinch a 3-2 triumph.

Over two decades on from his run to the last eight at the world professional championship here, Wallace can look forward to another Crucible quarter-final on Saturday against either fellow countryman Dennis Taylor or Barry Pinches.

The post Victories in Sheffield for Hendry and Wallace appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• View the updated draw
• View results in full

The pair will meet over the best of nine frames for the £15,000 first prize and a lucrative spot at the Champion of Champions after coming through their respective semi-finals during this afternoon’s session.

Over 32 years on since their first meeting here, White and Stephen Hendry added a new chapter to their legendary Crucible rivalry, and for the first time it was the Englishman that bested his nemesis at the one-table set-up in Sheffield.

After an edgy start White took the opener on the colours but a 64 break from Hendry – consisting of eight reds and blacks at the start of the second frame – helped him settle down and level.

The ever-popular Londoner then compiled efforts of 37 and 39 to move back ahead before a scintillating contribution of 130 – the highest of this year’s tournament so far – in the fourth frame put him one away from progression.

White looked like getting the job done in the next when on a break of 52, but after misjudging a tight pot on a red, Hendry later pounced with a typical match-saving 43. However, this would only prove to be a stay of execution for the seven-times world professional champion as runs of 36 and 55 got White over the line as a 4-2 winner.

“I played really well. It’s great to see Stephen practising and playing well again; he will be a big part of the seniors in the next five or six years. He’ll be back for revenge, no doubt.” White said after the game.

‘The Whirlwind’ is looking to become the first player in history to retain this title and win it for a third time in total.

Doherty is also on course to create a piece of snooker history as he aims to become a world champion in four different categories throughout his illustrious career.

In all-Irish affair between two practice partners, ‘The Darling of Dublin’ also put in a classy performance, producing a string of breaks as he overcame UK Seniors champion Michael Judge 4-1.

The 1997 world professional champion made breaks of 46 and 47 to go one up, but the former world number 24 squared it with the aid of a 49 in the next.

However, Doherty largely froze out his opponent for the remainder of the match, racking up further runs of 60, 80 and 57 to triumph with change to spare.

Speaking after the game Doherty said “I’m delighted to get through. I was delighted with how I played when I was in and amongst the balls. I scored pretty good, I felt very calm.”

“I’m just so excited to be in the final; Jimmy is a hero of mine, he’s a great mate of mine, it will be a pleasure and an honour to play him in the final of a world seniors here at the Crucible. It doesn’t get much better than that. It’s a dream come true.”

Fans around the world can watch the event live. For the first time the 16-player event will be broadcast live on BBC digital platforms with selected matches available on the ‘Red Button’. Coverage in China will be shown on major digital TV platforms and elsewhere the event will be available on the  Matchroom.Live network.

Go to Matchroom.Live to register. The Matchroom Live platform was launched in May, giving fans across the planet the chance to watch live content from the outstanding portfolio of Matchroom sports, including snooker, darts, boxing, pool and many more. There is also a wealth of classic archive content featuring great moments from the past 40 years.

The post White and Doherty to Meet in World Seniors Final appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• View the updated draw
• View results in full

Seven-time world professional champion Hendry continues to roll back the years in Sheffield. Fresh from a brilliant recovery against Nigel Bond on Thursday night, the Scot produced another eye-catching display to defeat Aaron Canavan 4-1 in the afternoon session’s first match.

Hendry did have to bounce back from an early setback, though. On a break of 60 in the opening frame he missed a straightforward red and was made to sit as 2018 winner Canavan pounced with efforts of 39 and a 32 clearance to steal it.

However, ‘The King of the Crucible’ quickly rediscovered his stride, looking more like his old-self here as he registered runs of 75, 81 and 53 to claim four consecutive frames and seal a 4-1 victory with a near 95% pot success rate.

“There was some good stuff in there. I’m lacking match composure, but I’ve been working on some good stuff and my long game was great today. I am happy to still be in.” Hendry said to Rob Walker after the match.

Hendry would face career rival Jimmy White in a romantic semi-final clash should ‘The Whirlwind’ defeat Peter Lines later today. Asked about the prospect Hendry added “Magnificent. It would be amazing to play Jimmy out here again”.

Later in the afternoon session reigning UK Seniors champion Judge stayed on course for a unique seniors circuit double after dispatching Wayne Cooper 4-1.

Both players struggled to settle early on, but it was Dubliner Judge who adapted best in establishing a 3-0 advantage. Yorkshireman Cooper managed to avoid the whitewash with a swift effort of 59 in frame four, but Judge decided the outcome in the next – a break of 48 helping him get across the line.

Speaking after the result the former world number 24 said “I kind of put a bit of pressure on my myself because I really didn’t want to miss out on the semi-finals. I felt good coming in, but as I went on even though I was ahead, I started feeling more and more nervous so I was just glad to get over the line and hopefully I can relax tomorrow and play a bit better. I have nothing to lose.”

If Ken Doherty can overcome Darren Morgan later there would be an all-Irish last four affair on Saturday afternoon. Judge practices with Doherty on his table in Dublin and thinking about a potential meeting said “It would be great to play Ken here at the Crucible. It would be an honour, but I think Darren will have something to say about that first.”

Fans around the world can watch the event live. For the first time the 16-player event will be broadcast live on BBC digital platforms with selected matches available on the ‘Red Button’. Coverage in China will be shown on major digital TV platforms and elsewhere the event will be available on the  Matchroom.Live network.

Go to Matchroom.Live to register. The Matchroom Live platform was launched in May, giving fans across the planet the chance to watch live content from the outstanding portfolio of Matchroom sports, including snooker, darts, boxing, pool and many more. There is also a wealth of classic archive content featuring great moments from the past 40 years.

The post Hendry, Judge Advance at World Seniors appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• View the updated draw
• View results in full

A quarter of a century on from their world final meeting here, Hendry and Nigel Bond dished up an entertaining first round encounter that went all the way.

It was 1996 British Open champion Bond who started the better as he established a 2-0 lead before the Scot responded with a classy 71 break to cut the deficit in half. Hendry then looked like levelling the match up, but a 37 clearance from Bond – featuring a fluke on the pink – put him one away from victory.

The Englishman was in the ascendancy, but an unexpected missed red with the rest when only a few pots away from progression proved to be the start of a momentum shift.

At a venue he made his own throughout his illustrious career, ‘The King of the Crucible’ crafted a determined clearance of 45 to save the match and begin his recovery. With further glimpses of his heyday attributes, Hendry then constructed a run of 77 to force a decider which he came through to set up a date with the 2018 winner of this title, Aaron Canavan.

In an interview with Rob Walker after the match, Hendry admitted to thinking about quitting the tour following a defeat at the UK Seniors Championship in Hull last year. However, he will be encouraged by his performance against Bond, which was arguably his best on the World Seniors circuit to date.

Later in the evening session, one of the pre-tournament favourites Peter Lines comfortably dispatched former world number two Tony Knowles 4-0 to stay on course for a second world seniors crown.

Lines won this competition in 2017 without dropping a single frame and he continued that remarkable sequence here as an effort of 85 helped him book a eye-catching all-professional clash with defending champion Jimmy White.

Earlier in the day reigning UK Seniors champion Michael Judge top scored with 60 as he overcame 1985 world professional champion Dennis Taylor 4-1.

Despite some courageous potting from Taylor – including a fantastic blue that aided him in taking frame four – former world number 24 Judge was relatively untroubled as he kept alive hopes of a unique world and UK double.

Previously in the afternoon session Wayne Cooper made the most of his late call-up to the event as he eventually toppled this season’s Super Seniors number one ranked player Gary Filtness in a meeting of two Crucible debutants.

Playing in his home county, Yorkshireman Cooper registered a high break of 53 and claimed the final two frames to emerge a 4-2 victor. He will face Judge for a place in the final four.

All four quarter-finals will be played on Friday at the Crucible, with the subsequent semis and final bringing the championship to a close on Saturday.

Fans around the world can watch the event live. For the first time the 16-player event will be broadcast live on BBC digital platforms with selected matches available on the ‘Red Button’. Coverage in China will be shown on major digital TV platforms and elsewhere the event will be available on the  Matchroom.Live network.

Go to Matchroom.Live to register. The Matchroom Live platform was launched in May, giving fans across the planet the chance to watch live content from the outstanding portfolio of Matchroom sports, including snooker, darts, boxing, pool and many more. There is also a wealth of classic archive content featuring great moments from the past 40 years.

The post Vintage Hendry Bests Bond at Crucible appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.