The victory marks the greatest success of the 46-year-old’s career as he becomes the first player from outside of Europe to lift the prestigious World Seniors crown and secures the £20,000 winner’s cheque, the £2,000 high break prize and entry into the Champion of Champions.

For Doherty, the wait goes on to complete a unique ‘grand slam’ as the World Seniors title continues to elude the Irish former World Professional, World Amateur and World Under-21 champion.

Figueiredo qualified for the event as the Pan-American Seniors champion was unarguably a deserved champion, dropping just four frames as he defeated World Women’s Seniors champion Tessa Davidson, 4-time and defending champion Jimmy White and Tony Drago before overcoming 1997 World champion Doherty in the title match.

‘The Darling of Dublin’ had shown his grit and determination in making the final, coming from behind against both Tyson Crinis and Dechawat Poomjaeng before securing a 4-1 victory over Barry Pinches in the last four, and he made a dream start to the Sunday afternoon contest by firing in a break of exactly 100 to take an early lead.

The Brazilian, who wrapped up his semi-final match with back-to-back centuries, continued to show his break-building prowess as he compiled breaks of 72 and 93 to storm into a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.

The fifth frame saw a potential turning point when Figueiredo looking to be clearing up to take it but missed the green to allow Doherty a seemingly golden opportunity to reduce the deficit. However, the Irishman was unable to capitalise as he too jawed the green to leave his Brazilian opponent with the simplest of chances to move one away from victory.

Doherty briefly rallied in emphatic fashion with two half centuries in the sixth to make it 4-2, but it was too little too late as an emotional Figueiredo fired in an 88 clearance for glory before punching the air in front of a joyous Crucible crowd.

“I don’t have the words for this moment – I’m still sleeping or dreaming!” Figueiredo said after the victory.

“I think I played very well. I am very happy that people enjoyed it and for the people in Brazil. I have a lot of people behind me giving me support – thank you so much.

“I came in very confident but also nervous because it was a very important moment, not only for myself and my history but for the Americas – it is very important for current players and for the future generation.”

World Seniors Snooker would like to thank Channel 5, Mr Vegas Casino and everyone involved in making the 2024 World Seniors Snooker Championship a success.

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In support of Age UK Sheffield, around 600 residents from the aging population in the city were invited along to the afternoon session to watch Jimmy ‘The Whirlwind’ White and ‘The Darling of Dublin’ Ken Doherty compete in quarter-finals action at the Crucible Theatre.

Prior to the session, the residents met with snooker legends including John Virgo, Dennis Taylor, Cliff Thorburn and Neal Foulds in the foyer to have a chat and take the opportunity to get pictures and autographs – with one lady bringing along her programme from the first ever World Championship at the Crucible in 1977 where she watched the semi-final between Taylor and Thorburn live!

Rohit Sagoo, a Non-Executive Director on the World Seniors Snooker Board, said: “We dreamed up the concept two years ago thinking than on our Friday sessions we just want people to come along and have a really good time!”

Foulds, one of the legends invited along the meet the local residents, said: “The people of a certain age remember me more so than the younger people. A lot of them say ‘I remember watching you back in the day!’. So from my point of view – that’s good!” while fellow snooker star Taylor added: “This is wonderful. We did it last year and it is wonderful to see some people back again.”

Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman, said: “We have an aging population in this country that needs to be cared for and looked after. We need to provide entertainment and opportunities for them so this is a wonderful day for all involved.”

World Seniors Snooker was delighted to welcome Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh to the Crucible Theatre during Seniors of Sheffield Day

Learn more about Age UK

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Both players are aiming to lift the World Seniors title for the first time in their career and they will face off on Sunday afternoon in a best-of-nine frame title match.

Doherty is now one victory away from the completion of an historic ‘grand slam’ which would see him add the Seniors crown alongside the World Under-21, World Amateur and World Professional titles he won in 1989 and 1997 respectively.

Meanwhile, Figueiredo becomes the first ever cueist from outside of Europe to reach the final of the tournament and success against Doherty would represent the biggest victory of the 46-year-old’s career.

Unstoppable Igor Fires Through

Figueiredo gave the finest performance of the tournament so far to wrap up a 4-1 victory over ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago with back-to-back century breaks.

The high-scoring nature of the contest may have come as a surprise to those watching the opening frame which was a nervy affair and saw neither player able to build up any rhythm as the Brazilian took it on the final blue.

The break-building quickly arrived for both players as Drago levelled the game with a break of 69 before Figueiredo restored his advantaged with his first half-century of the afternoon.

A stunning break of 110 from Figueiredo, the first century break of this year’s tournament, moved the Brazilian one frame away from the final and he charged over the line in emphatic fashion by firing in a 119 to complete the victory with impressive back-to-back centuries.

After reaching Sunday’s final, Figueiredo said: “I am very happy – I played very well in the last two frames. Two century breaks is not bad for myself! I am very happy to get into the final.

The Brazilian credits his wife Camilla for his upturn in form and he said after the victory: “My wife is my heart, she inspires me a lot and gives me power and support. My life changed after my wife and I do everything for her.”

Crafty Ken Into Second Seniors Final

Doherty booked his place in a first Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship final since 2020 by defeating Barry Pinches 4-1 in the semi-final.

The Irishman offered his best performance of the event so far and will be aiming to quash the memories of his last World Seniors final, when he led Jimmy White 4-0 at the Crucible before succumbing to a 5-4 defeat.

There was clear tension early on in the contest with the first frame taking over half an hour before Doherty crucially took it on the final black.

The 1997 World champion ultimately needed three visits to take the second frame, but eventually got over the line, before an unexpected miss from an out-of-sorts Pinches allowed Doherty to move one away from victory at 3-0.

The Englishman briefly rallied to pull a frame back at 3-1, but it was too little too late as ‘The Darling of Dublin’ completed the victory in frame five to set up a Sunday afternoon final meeting with Figueiredo.

“I got off to a good start by winning that black ball game and I’m thrilled to bits to get through to the final” Doherty reflected post-match.

“It was a really tough match and I’m a bit jaded but just so excited about tomorrow and the final against Igor Figueiredo.

“I’m not going to count any chickens, I’m just going to go out and play my best and give it all I can. I definitely want to win this tournament, it’s one I want to tick off my list, but I have a very tough opponent in front of me.”

The final will take place on Sunday from 12pm and you can watch LIVE on Channel 5 in the UK.

Limited tickets remain available.

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The Brazilian will now face ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago in the last four after he overcame Stuart Watson in the evening session, while Ken Doherty survived another scare against Dechawat Poomjaeng to set up a meeting with Barry Pinches on Saturday afternoon.

Figueiredo previously reached the last four at the Crucible Theatre in 2021, when it was ‘The Whirlwind’ who denied him a place in the title match, and so the Brazilian was out for revenge as he charged into an early lead without allowing his opponent a chance at a pot.

The second frame looked pivotal as White needed a snooker on the blue, but managed to get it, only to allow Figueiredo back in to pot a decisive pink and double his advantage.

White had managed to come from 2-0 behind in his opening match against Andrew Norman the previous day, but this time it wasn’t to be as the visibly frustrated 62-year-old missed a black off the spot to allow his Brazilian opponent in and he duly took advantage of the opportunity to wrap up the whitewash win.

The result means the event is guaranteed a new champion for the first time since 2022 after both former champions White and Darren Morgan fell within the first two rounds.

“It’s a very big victory and important both for myself and for the Americas” a delighted Figueiredo reflected post-match.

“I didn’t play fantastic and it was a nervous game but I think I played solid. I hope to win (the tournament), it would be very important for myself and my history, but also it would help a new generation in the Americas. I want to give this support and this belief to those players.”

Ken Survives Again

Doherty had to once again dig deep to keep his dreams of a maiden Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship crown alive as he came from 2-1 down to defeat Poomjaeng 3-2 and reach the semi-finals for the first time since his heartbreaking final defeat to White in 2020 from 4-0 ahead.

The Irishman, who fell at the first hurdle last year, got off to a slow start as his charismatic Thai opponent took the opener in two visits – but the 1997 World champion hit back in the next with a break of 45 to level the contest.

Poomjaeng moved within one of victory with a break of 50 in the third after Doherty was caught out by the shot clock when using the long spider on an awkward black, but Doherty once again showed his fighting spirit to force a deciding frame with a break of 51.

Just as he had in his opening round victory over debutant Tyson Crinis, the Irishman once again saved his best for last as a superb break of 70 put Doherty into the last four where he will face Pinches.

Following his victory, Doherty said: “I’m so relieved to be honest. Dechawat was playing really well and at 2-1 down it was looking a little bit dodgy but I’m delighted to come back and show a bit of character.”

The Tornado Weathers The Storm

An emotional Tony Drago reached the semi-finals of the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship for a second consecutive year in dramatic fashion.

His meeting with Stuart Watson, who had beaten Tony Knowles in the previous round, saw the oldest and youngest competitors left standing in the competition go head to head and it was the Maltese cueist who made a dream start with a current tournament high break of 91 in the opener at an average of just 11 seconds per shot.

The next two frames were defined by crucial missed browns as both came down to the colours.

Watson looked set to level in the second, but a missed brown allowed Drago to force a respot and it was him who potted the black to double his advantage to 2-0. The roles were then reversed in the third, as Drago jawed a tricky brown to the middle pocket to allow Watson to clean up and keep his hopes alive.

It was a tight affair and the fourth frame also came down to the final colours.

The Englishman looked certain to be forcing a decider in the opening match of the evening session but he somehow missed a relatively simple black to the green pocket, leaving Drago the simplest of pots to wrap up the victory.

Drago was visibly emotional after the match and, with tears in his eyes, reflected: “It feels great but I am just a bit disappointed because I know I am playing well but all of a sudden you make a mistake and it’s game on.

“I’m one of those people – unfortunately, the performance means more to me than winning. I shouldn’t be going through the way I am playing, I should make it easier because it was all over the place – I was on top and then all of a sudden, if he didn’t miss that black, he probably would have won.”

Pinches Denies Wattana To Reach Last Four

Pinches battled through a late night contest against James Wattana to reach the semi-finals of the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship.

Both players had chances to take the opener – Wattana opening with a 44 break before Pinches hit back with a 40 of his own, but it was the man from Norwich who eventually took it on the colours courtesy of an excellent long green.

The Englishman, who lost to Wattana in the 1988 World Amateur Championship final, doubled his lead with a break of 54 in the second frame but missed a pink off the spot in the next to allow the Thai cueiest to keep the match alive.

Ultimately, however, it was Pinches that was able to get over the line by the winning margin of 3-1 and he will now face 1997 World champion Doherty in the semi-finals.

Pinches said: “I think it was a decent performance. I missed a few balls, but not too many easy ones, but I just tried to make it difficult for James because I know he’s had a long trip from Thailand so if you can keep him off the table and not let him in the balls then that always helps and I think I did a fairly good job of that.”

Four nations will be represented in the semi-finals which take place on Saturday from 12pm and you can watch LIVE on Channel 5 in the UK.

Limited tickets remain available.

The post Figueiredo Blows Away The Whirlwind to Join Doherty, Drago and Pinches in Semi-Finals appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

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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Doherty was one of four victors on a dramatic opening day of the event – as Asian superstar James Wattana, England’s Stuart Watson and Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo also booked their places in Friday’s quarter-finals stage.

The Irishman arrived at the Crucible Theatre aiming to complete a unique grand slam by adding the World Seniors crown to the World Professional, World Amateur and World Junior titles already in his trophy cabinet.

His first round opponent was 41-year-old Crinis, who earned a maiden appearance at snooker’s most iconic venue by winning the Asia-Pacific Seniors Championship earlier in the year.

Despite a nervy start that even saw Crinis unsure of where to go during his entrance into the arena, it was the Australian who took a nervy opening frame on the blue.

The 1997 World champion, who joked post-match that he would be “sleeping under the practice table” in order to get in as much preparation in as possible ahead of his quarter-final, will have been relieved to level the contest and went on to steal a vital third frame on the final black after requiring a snooker.

A break of 68 was enough for Doherty to reach the last eight where he will meet the winner of 2011 World Seniors champion Darren Morgan and Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng.

Post-match, Doherty reflected: “I was rusty, I didn’t get off to a good start at all. Tyson potted some great balls and it was nerve-wracking, but I managed to hold myself together and won third frame after needing a snooker.

“I’ve been here for three weeks commentating on other players, giving it out about other players – I was out there and they must have been laughing their heads off watching me play!”

Wattana Wins on Crucible Return

Thailand’s Wattana battled to victory on his first appearance at the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship since 2019, when he reached the semi-final stage.

The three-time ranking event winner took on Irish qualifier Rodney Goggins and stormed into a 2-0 lead in a rapid fashion that highlighted why he is known to many as ‘The Thai-phoon’.

Goggins, who earned his place at the Crucible via one of the four qualifying events held across the year, was determined to leave his mark on the tournament and fought back with a break of 68 to reduce his deficit before potting a mid-distance final pink under monumental pressure to force a decider.

There was no sign of nerves from the Thai cueist in the decider, however, and a break of 55 was enough for Wattana to set up a last eight meeting with either Joe Johnson or Barry Pinches.

“Anything can happen but I said if I can get rid of my first match, then I can enjoy the rest of the tournament” Wattana said after the match.

“Nothing can be expected (in the quarter-finals) because it is only best of five but I hope I can get in and score heavily. I hope I can do it like I did today.”

Watson Whitewashes Knowles

Watson made a dream start to the 2024 Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship with a whitewash victory over three-time World Championship semi-finalist Tony Knowles.

The Englishman, who is ranked top of the World Seniors ranking list, was a last-minute replacement for Egypt’s Mohamed Khairy but made it count as he secured a quarter-final place at the Crucible Theatre.

Pre-match, Watson had described his opponent as his “my hero growing up”, but he didn’t appear phased by the occasion as he took a tight opening frame and followed this up with a magnificent break of 82 to move one away from the last eight.

The third frame was a more nervy affair but it was Watson who took it by a scoreline of 64-26 to get over the line and he will now face either Tony Drago or Michael Judge on Friday.

“Once I wont the first frame, I calmed down a bit and made a good break.” Watson reflected after the contest.

“I started to feel quite good and I’m just so pleased to win. (Tony) is not only a legend, he’s a character, so playing him out here – it’s something special.”

Brilliant Brazilian Denies Defiant Davidson

Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo was the final player through on the opening day of the Championship as he overcame World Women’s Seniors champion Tessa Davidson 3-1.

Davidson arrived at the event as only the second female player, after Maria Catalano in 2022, to play in the televised stages of the Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship and she made further history in the second frame as a break of 47 helped her to level the scoreline at 1-1 and become the first female player to win a frame at the event.

Figueiredo, who reached the semi-finals in 2021, managed to hold his nerve to move 2-1 ahead before taking the fourth frame on the colours to get over the line. He now faces the prospect of playing either Andrew Norman or Jimmy White, the player who eliminated him in 2021, in the quarter-finals.

Following his victory, the Brazilian cueist said: “I am very happy to be back and to have won my first match. I was nervous but I hope to improve in the next game.

“(Tessa) played very well, she’s a very good player – very smooth and I like her technique.”

Reflecting on a return to snooker’s most iconic venue, Figueiredo said: “It’s a sensation, my heart nearly stopped! The people have seen the best time of my life!”

The Mr Vegas World Seniors Championship returns tomorrow at 12pm for the conclusion of the opening round and you can watch it LIVE on Channel 5 and 5 Action in the UK.

Limited tickets remain available.

The post Doherty Survives Opening Day Scare to Join Wattana, Watson and Figueiredo in Last 8 appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• Draw
• Schedule

Sixteen cueists from eight nations will compete from Wednesday 8 May with the champion to be crowned on the afternoon of Sunday 12 May. For the first time, the Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker Championship action will be broadcast live on Channel 5 and 5 Action, as well as on Huya TV in Asia.

How To Watch:

UK

• Channel 5 and 5 Action

Asia

• Huya TV

The post Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker Championship 2024 | How To Watch appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

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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