The victory means Doherty becomes the first player to win multiple titles under the World Seniors Snooker 900 format following his emotional success at Goffs earlier in the year.

Six players embarked on Epsom for the fourth edition of the unique and exciting event with Alfie Burden, Nigel Bond and Rory McLeod each making their debuts while Doherty, Drago and four-time World Seniors champion Jimmy White returned.

In a repeat of the final at Goffs last March, Doherty met White in the opening match of Group B. ‘The Whirlwind’ was looking to exact revenge after ‘The Darling of Dublin’ had defeated him in that title match and a 55 clearance saw White make the perfect start to the afternoon.

A win for 1995 world finalist and former British Open champion Bond over White on the final black then set up a dramatic conclusion to the group.

Doherty was able to advance to the semi-finals by overcoming the debutant and scoring a high break of two more points, while White topped the group courtesy of his half-century under the tie-break rules.

In Group A, Burden made a confident start to life under the World Seniors Snooker 900 format as he comfortably overcame both McLeod and Drago to reach the knockout stages as group winner. ‘The Tornado’ from Malta then beat McLeod to complete the semi-final line-up.

Both group winners were toppled at the semi-final stage as Burden was defeated by Doherty, while White was denied a fourth consecutive final by Drago.

Drago, who was competing in his maiden final under the format, made the perfect start to the best-of-three contest by firing in the day’s high break of 93 in the opener.

The Maltese cueist was in first in the second frame but broke down on 31, allowing Doherty to force a decider with a break of 56.

Another break of 56 saw Doherty take the initiative in the decider but Drago impressively held his nerve to clear the table and tie the frame – meaning a blue ball shootout would decide who took home the trophy.

The two players each potted the blue ball on their first attempt and it was Drago who was first to blink and he put his second effort wide of the target.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Doherty confidently fired home the title-winning blue ball to secure his second World Seniors Snooker 900 crown.

After the final, Doherty said: “I’m absolutely delighted! I wasn’t expecting it – I flew in this morning on a 7am flight. I love playing in the 900, I love the concept of it and it was a great final. To play Tony in the final was just amazing and to go down to the blue ball shoot out was was incredible.”

“I was just thinking when he potted the first blue in the shoot out – ‘just try and cue it, don’t twitch and put your elbow in the front row!’ Then, when he missed the second one, I was just thinking the same and it just went right in the middle and I said ‘yeah’ before it even went in. It was a lovely moment.”

Looking ahead to the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship, which has eluded Doherty so far in his illustrious career, he reflected: “I’ve been beaten in a couple of finals – last year against Igor (Figueiredo) and of course against Jimmy White when I was 4-0 up and I collapsed like a cheap tent but we won’t mention that! I’d love to win it but, if I don’t, it doesn’t matter – I’ve been very lucky and blessed in my life by playing the game that I love. I’m still playing it and I still love it!”

The post Ken Doherty Wins Second Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 Title in Epsom appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

World Seniors Snooker returns to the venue where seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry won the inaugural edition of the format by defeating long-time rival Jimmy White in the final twelve months ago.

‘The Whirlwind’ returns to Epsom next Monday aiming to avenge three consecutive title match losses under the ‘900’ format and he is joined by Goffs champion Ken Doherty, ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago and debutants Nigel Bond, Alfie Burden and Rory McLeod.

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

Malta’s Tony Drago is the only player in Group A with prior experience under the ‘900’ format having made his debut in the previous event in Hull, where he lost to eventual champion Igor Figueiredo in the semi-finals.

Alfie Burden, the 2023 World Seniors Championship runner-up and current World Snooker Tour (WST) professional, makes his ‘900’ debut in Epsom and will kick off the action on Monday afternoon when he meets Drago in the opening match.

The three-player group, from which the top two will advance to the semi-finals, is completed by fellow debutant Rory McLeod – a former professional of over 30 years who famously defeated Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre during the 2017 World Championship.

Group B

Ken Doherty arrives in Epsom as the only player in the line-up to have previously lifted a title at a World Seniors Snooker 900 event.

On an emotional afternoon in County Kildare, Doherty overcame Jimmy White in the final at the iconic Goffs to secure the crown in the same venue he used to work in as a boy.

Doherty and White will go head-to-head in the opening match of Group B on Monday afternoon and their group is completed by a debutant, Nigel Bond, who won the 1996 British Open and reached the final of the 1995 World Championship during an illustrious career that spanned more than 30 years.

Schedule

The action gets underway at 14:00 BST on Monday, broadcast live on Channel 5.

Limited tickets remain available – contact info@seniorssnooker.com

The post Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 | Epsom Preview appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

‘The Whirlwind’ and ‘The Darling of Dublin’ will be joined by Malta’s Tony Drago, who makes his second appearance under the format, as well as debutants Nigel Bond, Alfie Burden and Rory McLeod.

The event will see a return to the Epsom Racecourse, twelve months on from the inaugural Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 there which was won by Stephen Hendry, and will be broadcast live on Channel 5.

Learn more about each of the six competitors in Epsom below:

Jimmy White

The record-breaking four-time World Seniors Snooker champion Jimmy White will head to Epsom aiming to secure his maiden Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 title.

‘The Whirlwind’ has reached the final of all three previous events under the format, including in Epsom twelve months ago, but is yet to secure the title having suffered defeats to Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty and Igor Figueiredo respectively.

The ten-time ranking event winner and former Masters champion will be aiming to go one better and take home the title next month.

Ken Doherty

Former world champion Ken Doherty maintains his ever-present record at Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 events and will be looking for a repeat of his emotional victory on home soil back in March.

The 1997 Crucible winner, who still competes on the World Snooker Tour, defeated Tony Knowles, Fergal O’Brien and Jimmy White to earn a famous victory at the iconic Goffs venue in Ireland.

‘The Darling of Dublin’ will head to Epsom hoping to round off the year in style with another success.

Tony Drago

Malta’s Tony Drago will bring his remarkably fast-paced play to Epsom next month for his second appearance in a Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 event.

The man known as ‘The Tornado’ made his debut under the format in Hull back in September and will be looking to improve on a run to the semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Igor Figueiredo.

A former ranking event semi-finalist with a professional career spanning over thirty years, Drago has reached the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship at the Crucible Theatre in 2023 and 2024.

Nigel Bond

Nigel Bond is one of three players who will make their Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 debut in Epsom next month.

The 58-year-old from England maintained an unbroken spell as a professional between 1989 and 2022 and won a ranking event title in 1996 when he defeated John Higgins 9-8 in the British Open final.

Bond reached the World Championship final in 1995, losing to Stephen Hendry at the Crucible Theatre, and also made it to back-to-back World Seniors Championship finals – defeating Tony Chappel in the final in 2012.

Alfie Burden

Another Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 debutant, Alfie Burden will compete for the title in Epsom in December.

Burden reached the final of the 2023 World Seniors Championship at the iconic Crucible Theatre with impressive victories over former world champions Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry, before losing to Jimmy White in the title match.

A four-time ranking event quarter-finalist, the London cueist has competed on the World Snooker Tour for over 20 years and regained his professional status in 2021 via Q School.

Rory McLeod

Former professional Rory McLeod completes the line up in Epsom as another player making his Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 debut next month.

A professional over a spell of more than 30 years, McLeod reached the last 16 of ranking events on 11 occasions – including at the Crucible Theatre in 2017, where he famously defeated Judd Trump in the opening round.

The 53-year-old is a regular competitor on the World Seniors Snooker tour and won one of this season’s Race To The Crucible series events in Reading earlier this year.

Ticket Information

As well as the unique and exciting action on the table, there will also be a VIP Legends Lunch which will offer the chance to meet snooker legends Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, enjoy a two-course meal prior to the action getting underway in Surrey as well as a reserved seat, commentary ear piece, programme and more.

Tickets start from £50 with the limited VIP Legends Lunch tickets available at £147 per person. For ticket enquiries, please contact info@seniorssnooker.com.

The post Epsom Line-Up Confirmed for Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• View the draw and schedule
• How to watch

Lilley – aiming to become the first maiden winner to retain the title – survived a big scare, coming back from two down with three to play to oust Philip Williams. 

Qualifier Williams opened up a 2-0 lead (56 break, frame one) before Lilley responded with frames three (60 break) and four to level up. However, in a nervy deciding frame, Williams had the opportunity to counter-attack but rattled the final red along the top cushion. The mistake was capitalised on by a very relieved Lilley. 

Elsewhere in the morning session, Ken Doherty ended the challenge of Wayne Cooper, 3-1. 

A quarter of a century on from his glory in the professional championship here, Doherty recorded breaks of 70 and 73 to dispatch his opponent and stay on course for a unique quadruple having also claimed the world junior and amateur accolades early in his prestigious career. 

The afternoon began with Lee Walker producing arguably the performance of the event so far as he eliminated Stephen Hendry, 3-0. 

The Welshman hit the ground running, crafting a magnificent 121 clearance in the opening frame – the first century of this year’s championship. Further breaks of 63 and 49 helped Walker stifle Hendry and move into the last eight for the first time. 

Michael Holt will also feature in the quarter-finals but the tournament favourite didn’t have it all his own way as he defeated 2011 winner Darren Morgan. 

Holt comfortably won the first frame with an effort of 63, but the experienced former world number eight struck back with a 51 to level up before appearing to look good for a lead in frame three. 

However, whilst on a break of 63, Morgan missed a pot down a side cushion and Holt punished, pinching the frame on the final black with a clearance of 34. With momentum now on his side, former Shoot Out winner Holt – competing in his first world seniors event – wrapped the match up without reply in the fourth. He will face Lilley next in a tasty clash. 

Crowd favourite and three-time champion White got his campaign off to a pleasing start as he eliminated African seniors champion Wael Talaat from Egypt, 3-0. 

White, who recently celebrated his 60th birthday, made a clutch break of 38 to secure the opener before finding his scoring groove with contributions of 67 and 79. Since the championship moved here in 2019, the Londoner has lost just once in 13 matches – last year’s final to Lilley. 

The day was rounded off with a routine 3-0 success for 2012 winner Bond over John Parrott. Bond top scored with 57 in the second frame. 

Following his appearance, 1991 World Professional Champion Parrott announced his competitive retirement from the seniors circuit. 

Parrott was given a standing ovation by the crowd in the Crucible Theatre as he paraded the world trophy he first lifted there over three decades ago. 

Action resumes on Saturday morning with the final two last 16 fixtures before the quarter-finals are played and completed across the afternoon and evening sessions.

Coverage is live on BBC digital platforms for those in the UK and Matchroom.Live for everyone else.

The post Quarter-Finals Line-Up Taking Shape in World Seniors Championship appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

• View the draw and schedule
• How to watch

Rory McLeod was the first player to advance as he defeated Frank Sarsfield, 3-0. The European Tour event winner made breaks of 51 and 73 during his victory and is set to face Joe Johnson next. 

In what was the tie of the preliminary round, 2011 winner Darren Morgan was made to sweat as he ousted former finalist Patrick Wallace in the tournament’s first deciding frame finish. 

Morgan claimed the opening frame but Wallace responded well by levelling and then taking the third frame on the final black to lead. The Northern Irishman manufactured a 51 break in frame four to put himself on the brink, but Morgan came back to square the match on the final pink. 

Now with the momentum, the former world number eight crafted an effort of 51 in the decider which helped him get across the line and earn a date with tournament favourite Michael Holt. 

In the afternoon session, Bradford-based Wayne Cooper was cheered on by local support as he impressively racked up runs of 54, 70 and 58 on his way to defeating the reigning Pan-American Seniors champion Ahmed Aly, 3-1. New Yorker Aly created history by becoming the first American to play at Crucible Theatre. Cooper comes up against Ken Doherty in the next round.

The 1995 world professional championship runner-up Nigel Bond is no stranger to winning on the one-table set-up in Sheffield, and he notched up another victory under those conditions as he dispatched Stuart Watson 3-0 with the aid of 61 and 67 breaks. Bond, winner of this title in 2012, goes on to challenge John Parrott.

More history was made during the evening session as former world women’s number one Maria Catalano became the first woman to feature in the final stages of a world seniors tour event.  

The five-time world women’s championship finalist gave a fine account of herself – registering a half-century break in the iconic arena – but it was Egypt’s Wael Talaat who was celebrating after a 3-0 win.

The African Seniors champion set his stall out early on with breaks of 40 and 81 in the first frame. Talaat’s prize is an encounter with three-time champion Jimmy White on Friday night.

Three-time London champion and Super Seniors event winner Gary Filtness was the final cueist to book a berth in the last 16 as he caused the upset of the round with a 3-1 success over current main tour professional Michael Judge.

Former UK Seniors champion Judge went 1-0 ahead but Filtness made a 67 break in frame two whilst levelling, before controlling the remainder of the match to record a memorable victory. He’ll look to further his run against current UK Seniors champion Peter Lines in the next round.

Friday sees the start of the last 16 where the seeded players enter the fray. Live coverage can be found on BBC digital channels and Matchroom.Live. 

The post Last 16 Confirmed in 2022 World Seniors Snooker Championship 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.

• View knockout draw
• View match schedule

Played behind closed doors, 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 across the USA via the Matchroom.Live network.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on major sporting schedules all over the globe and although the World Seniors Snooker Tour (WSST) has not been immune either, it is able to stage its annual flagship tournament, building on the success of recent editions.

With certain international competitors unable to travel and qualifying events cancelled, this year’s qualification process has changed, but there is no substitute for the drama, entertainment and quality we expect throughout the four days in Sheffield.

The Top Half

Defending champion Jimmy White has been the dominant force on the seniors scene in recent years having collected several titles including the big one last summer at the Crucible after a tense 5-3 victory over Darren Morgan in the final. Aiming for a hat-trick of world seniors crowns – he also won it in 2010 – White begins against fellow Eurosport colleague Joe Johnson.

The pair last met here in 2019 during the Seniors Masters where Johnson won via a black ball tiebreaker. Like his 1986 world professional triumph, the Yorkshireman went on to defy the odds by lifting the trophy on that occasion too.

Former world number two Tony Knowles will strut his stuff on snooker’s grandest stage again when he faces Peter Lines. In a recent change to tour eligibility, world number 120 Lines earns his spot here by virtue of claiming this accolade in Scunthorpe in 2017 when he didn’t drop a frame en route.

Aaron Canavan was the somewhat unexpected victor in 2018 following a memorable comeback in the final. The Jersey cueist will be out for revenge when he faces Leo Fernandez in the first round. Attempting to retain the title here 12 months ago, Canavan was dethroned by former professional and English amateur champion Fernandez in the last eight.

Another duo with Crucible history are seven-time world professional champion Stephen Hendry and Nigel Bond, who is the fourth person in this half to have this title already on his resume.

Known as the ‘King of the Crucible’, Hendry owned this venue in the 1990s, denying Bond in the 1995 final and also getting the better of him in the semi-finals the subsequent year. Despite being a WSST regular, Hendry has yet to reach a final on it and there would be no better time to end that run than here.

World Seniors champion in 2012, 54-year-old Bond is still enjoying the sport’s top tier – an unbroken 31 years on since his debut debut – and will have fond memories of their last Crucible clash in 2006 when he memorably won 10-9 on a dramatic re-spotted black.

The Bottom Half

The first match in a distinctly Irish themed bottom half of the draw is an all-Republic clash between Ken Doherty and former main tour exponent Rodney Goggins.

Doherty – winner of the UK Seniors Championship in 2018 – will be looking to add a fourth segment to his world junior, amateur and professional championships portfolio. Second in the world seniors rankings, Goggins will be making his Crucible debut.

In yet another hard-to-call opening round affair, Wales’ 2011 champion and last year’s runner-up Darren Morgan will be seeking to go one further here but first has to negotiate 2018 defeated finalist Patrick Wallace. The Northern Irishman will be setting foot back in the arena for the first time since his run to the world professional quarter-finals over 19 years ago – his only previous appearance.

Two players ready for a big opportunity and their maiden Crucible berths are this season’s Super Seniors number one ranked player Gary Filtness and Sheffield’s own Wayne Cooper, who recently replaced Tony Drago after the Maltese legend made the difficult decision not to travel on health grounds.

Number two seed for this event, but number one in the world seniors rankings, Michael Judge will be a serious contender for this crown having won the UK Seniors Championship at the Bonus Arena in Hull back in October. Judge’s bid to complete a unique world and UK double starts with a meeting against 1985 world professional champion Dennis Taylor.

All matches throughout the championship are the best of seven frames, except for the final which will be the best of nine.

Follow updates here at wpbsa.com, or view tournament information online via WPBSA SnookerScores.

Article by Michael Day.

The post ROKiT Phones World Seniors Snooker Championship 2020: Tournament Preview appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.