Over 90 players entered the week-long competition at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Berkshire hoping to obtain one of the four remaining berths for the final stages of the championship that will once again be broadcast live on BBC platforms.

Following on from the year’s opening Seniors Q School in January, this second edition was split into two phases with 12 players emerging from the first six day’s action to contest ‘Judgement Day’ on Sunday.

The Qualifiers

Patrick Wallace is set to feature at the iconic Sheffield venue in this event for the second consecutive year.

The former world number 34 – who reached the quarter-finals of the world professional championship on debut in 2001 – got the better of current main tour player Gerard Greene whilst advancing from Thursday’s action. Returning a couple of days later, the 51-year-old from Dungannon was flawless, making breaks of 81 and 61 as he defeated Steve Crowley 4-0 before further runs of 100 and 73 in another 4-0 victory, this time over Stuart Watson.

Wallace will be hoping to go one better than 2018 when he lost to eventual champion Aaron Canavan in a deciding frame final in Scunthorpe.

Lee Walker was the only active professional to make it through this time in Reading, and he needed to endure deciding frame finishes in order to do so.

A graduate of the WST Q-School last summer, 45-year-old Walker came top of his initial group on Tuesday before having to win the final two frames of his playoff match with 2012 champion Nigel Bond in which he compiled runs of 91 and 89.

He recommenced his challenge with a 4-0 victory (breaks of 62 and 72) over Wayne Townsend, before crossing cues with Canavan in an all-or-nothing encounter.

Jersey national champion Canavan led the tie three times, crafting a 58 to move one away from qualification. However, faced with the same predicament he experienced earlier in the week, Walker constructed breaks of 62 and 55 to win 4-3.

It will be Walker’s first time in the main draw of the world seniors championship and he will return to the Crucible Theatre for the first time as a player since 2004.

Winner of this title in 2011, Darren Morgan will be back in Sheffield for the third year running after he eliminated another former champion in the shape of 2017 victor Peter Lines at the final hurdle.

The former world number 8 – who has made the final on two further occasions, including at the Crucible two years ago – finished top of his group on Tuesday before sweeping aside Alfie Burden 4-0 with breaks of 63 and 70 in the end-of-day playoffs.

On finals day he ousted Ant Parsons 4-3 on the final black – despite needing a snooker in the deciding frame – before efforts of 55 and 62 helped him deny main tour exponent Lines 4-2 in a winner-takes-all clash.

Qualification will be of relief to Morgan as he was pipped by Barry Pinches in the final round during January’s Q-School.

A former professional of nine seasons, Phil Williams will fulfil a lifelong dream when he plays at the Crucible Theatre for the first time next month.

The 53-year-old survived a deciding frame against Jonathan Bagley on Wednesday to reach the final day where he upset professional Rory McLeod 4-0 (75 break) and then defeated John Hunter 4-2 with a top run of 53 to head the group and secure his ticket.

It is the second time that Williams has qualified for the final stages of this championship – he did so in 2013 when it was held in Portsmouth under a different guise.

This successful quartet join January Q-School qualifiers David Lilley and Barry Pinches and the players automatically in the main draw for the championship.

Taking place from 6-9 May, the 2021 ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship features defending champion Jimmy White who is aiming to lift the trophy at the Crucible Theatre for a third consecutive year.

For the full results, please visit WPBSA SnookerScores.

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Following the success of the inaugural Seniors Q-School earlier this year at the same Crucible Sports and Social Club venue, this latest edition is the last opportunity for hopefuls to get their names into the main draw and step out onto snooker’s grandest stage in front of the BBC television cameras.

The field consists of former winners of this championship, current main tour professionals, legendary names from the sport and a large contingent of amateur cueists.

During each of the opening six days there will be four round robin groups. The top player from each group will advance to the end of day play-offs where two will progress to ‘Finals Day’ Sunday.

The 12 remaining contestants will then be split into four round robin groups of three (best of seven frames) with the winner of each group taking their place in Sheffield between the 6th-9th May for the final stages, where reigning champion Jimmy White will be defending the title again.

The Draw

The tournament breaks off on Monday and sees 2017 champion Peter Lines in the same group as amateur Wayne Cooper, who qualified for and won a match at last year’s event at the Crucible.

Reigning Super Seniors number one Gary Filtness – the player Cooper defeated in round one last summer – will be trying to top Group C, while the experienced Rory McLeod is in Group B.

Several well-known names enter the fray on Tuesday with former ranking event winner Tony Knowles placed in the same group as Alfie Burden.

Darren Morgan and Nigel Bond – winners of this title in 2011 and 2012 respectively – also begin their campaigns on this day, as does Lee Walker.

Former world seniors number one ranked player Jonathan Bagley is one of Wednesday’s headline draws; Kuldesh Johal and Stuart Watson – a Crucible qualifier for this event in 2019 – are highlights on Thursday.

Northern Irish duo Gerard Greene and 2018 runner-up Patrick Wallace will face each other in the same group on Friday. Elsewhere, 1977 UK Championship winner Patsy Fagan and Rhydian Richards – another qualifier from two years ago – will also be on the baize.

The last day of first stage play on Saturday will feature Jersey’s Aaron Canavan, winner of this title three years ago in Scunthorpe.

For further information, scores and results throughout the week in Berkshire, please visit WPBSA SnookerScores.

The final day’s action will be livestreamed on the World Seniors Snooker Facebook page.

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To be held from 27 March – 4 April 2021 at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading, the event follows the successful staging of Seniors Q School back in January which saw eight places at upcoming major tournaments decided.

As in January, the event will be run strictly in accordance with guidelines from the DCMS and the EPSB with full COVID-19 testing protocols in place. All players are required to receive a COVID-19 test, even if they have already received one or both doses of the vaccination.

How to Enter

Entry for the event is now open with up to 128 spaces available.

• Click HERE to enter the event online
• Click HERE to view the full entry pack

The closing date for entries is Monday 15 March 2021 – or when 128 confirmed entries are received.

For more information about the ROKiT Phones World Seniors Snooker Tour visit their Facebook page.

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• View full results at WPBSA SnookerScores

The event, which represented the first open-entry competition organised by the WPBSA following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, ran across seven days at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading. Eight places at four tournaments were to be won, with a mix of current professionals and amateur players taking part.

World Seniors Championship

Barry Pinches and David Lilley both successfully came through an 86-player draw to secure their places at the venue stages of the World Seniors Championship this May.

Pinches secured his place at the Crucible following a dramatic 4-3 victory against former World Seniors champion Darren Morgan in his final qualifying match. Welshman Morgan had led 2-0 and 3-2, but it was Pinches who claimed the last two frames to secure his return to a venue at which he competed three times as a professional, memorably reaching the last 16 in 2004.

Three-time English Amateur Championship winner Lilley meanwhile produced a high-quality performance to defeat Wayne Townsend 4-2. Breaks of 72, 63, 60 and 60 were enough to see the 45-year-old prevail and earn a debut at snooker’s most famous venue in just a few months time.

UK Seniors Championship

Four places at the UK Seniors Championship in Hull were decided with Barry Pinches, David Lilley, Phil Williams and Kuldesh Johal all making it through to the final four of this week’s qualifying tournament.

For Pinches and Lilley their victories ensured that it was a near-perfect week of snooker as the pair qualified for two of the three available events, with 4-1 victories against Stuart Watson and Mark Gray respectively enough to secure their places at the Bonus Arena.

Both Williams and Johal however were pushed all the way, Williams defeating former world number 42 Andrew Norman in a deciding-frame, while Johal was also a 4-3 winner against Wayne Cooper.

Seniors Masters

Also up for grabs last week were two places at the upcoming Seniors Masters tournament, scheduled to be held at the Alexandra Palace.

The first was claimed by Darren Morgan, who won seven matches, including four against current professional players to win the Masters qualifying tournament. Having defeated Peter Lines, Nigel Bond and Andy Hicks to reach the final, he would deny David Lilley a qualification hat-trick by coming through a deciding-frame to claim the place.

He will be joined there by Gary Filtness, who overcame recent back problems in recent weeks to defeat Ashley Beal 4-0 in the final of the Super Seniors tournament for players aged 55 or over.

Further Information

For further information on the ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Tour please visit the official Facebook page. You can also view the latest WPBSA Group Events Calendar at this website.

The WPBSA and World Seniors Snooker would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this week’s tournament during these most challenging of times, including the players, officials and venue staff, without the cooperation of which the event would not have been possible.

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