Posts by: Matt Huart

World Women’s Rankings – UK Women’s Championship 2018 Update

By In General News, News, Rankings, UK Women's Championship, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on World Women’s Rankings – UK Women’s Championship 2018 Update

The official world women’s rankings have been updated for the first time this season following the latest title triumph for Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee at the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship last weekend.

The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2016/17 to be removed during the course of this season. At this revision, points earned at the 2016 Paul Hunter Ladies Classic and 2016 UK Ladies Snooker Championship events have been removed from the ranking list and replaced by those earned last weekend at the Northern Snooker Centre.

On Yee extends her advantage

Following the successful defence of her UK title in Leeds, Hong Kong star Ng On Yee has significantly tightened her grip on top spot with her lead now stretching from 5,850 to 13,612 points to second placed Reanne Evans.

This significant swing is primarily the result of two factors, the first of course being On Yee’s victory combined with the surprise last 16 exit of record eight-time UK champion Evans to Rebecca Kenna.

The second reason is that as well as having more points going onto her total after this event, On Yee also had fewer points to defend with 12,300 coming off her total compared to 13,500 for Evans following their respective results two years ago. Interestingly this pattern will continue through until early next year with Evans defending winners points  from the Eden Women’s Masters (7,500) at which On Yee lost in the quarter-finals (3,750), as well as semi-final points from the 2017 Connie Gough Trophy (3,200) at which On Yee did not compete.

The tables will turn after that however with On Yee set to defend a further 20,000 points before the end of the season compared to just 6,400 for Evans, giving the Dudley star a chance to close down the gap.

The top 10

Keighley-based Rebecca Kenna has moved back up Maria Catalano into a career-best equalling third position following her run to the final at the UK Women’s Snooker Championship.

The two most consistent performers on the tour outside of the top two in recent seasons, the pair have enjoyed a competitive battle in 2018 which has seen them regularly swap places in the table and it will be interesting to see whether either player can make that position their own over the coming months or even mount a serious challenge to the top two.

There is no change in position elsewhere in the top ten, although Katrina Wan has closed the gap to fifth placed Laura Evans by reaching the quarter-finals, while Evans was not in action in Leeds.

Ranking risers

It was another successful event for Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai who climbs six places to a career-high 11th position following her run to the semi-finals. With no points to come off her total prior to next year’s World Women’s Championship, it would appear inevitable that the 18-year-old will soon break into top ten for the first time and could follow the example set in recent years by players like Rebecca Kenna and Laura Evans who have firmly established themselves inside the top six.

Other significant movers include Hong Kong’s Ho Yee Ki who climbs four places to 17th following her run to the quarter-finals, while there are new career-high positions for several players including Chloe White (23) and Connie Stephens (44), who reached the last 16 of an event for the first time in Leeds.

Of the five debutants in action this weekend Ploychompoo Laokiatphong enjoyed the most success by making it through to the last eight and is rewarded with an initial ranking of 59.

Under-21 rankings

Turning to the Under-21 rankings and 16-year-old Shannon Metcalf remains in top spot following her run to the final this weekend in Leeds. Interestingly however, second placed Emma Parker has closed the gap to just 300 points after her semi-final run because she had no points to defend having not competed at the event in 2016 while Metcalf was defending final points from that year.

Both players are now comfortably clear of third placed Stephanie Daughtery, who was defending champion’s points from the UK Under-21s Championship in 2016.

Elsewhere, this weekend’s champion Nutcharut Wongharuthai climbs one place to seventh and with two titles from three since joining the tour as a regular player earlier this year, it would again be no surprise to see her gain further positions over the coming months.

Next up will be the WLBS European Women’s Masters 2018, which will be held for the first time at De Maxx Snooker Club in Neerpelt, Belgium from 5-7 October 2018. Enter now online HERE.

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On Yee Defends UK Crown

By In News, UK Women's Championship, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on On Yee Defends UK Crown

Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee defeated Rebecca Kenna 4-1 to retain her LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship title at the Northern Snooker Centre on Sunday evening.

The world number one was competing in her fourth UK title match following comfortable wins against Ploychompoo Laokiatphong and Jaique Ip Wan In earlier in the day and was looking to maintain her 100% record with victory against the current world number four.

For Kenna it had been a tougher route to the final after she followed up her career-best triumph against Reanne Evans on Saturday evening with a 4-3 comeback victory from 3-1 down against 18-year-old Thai prospect Nutcharut Wongharuthai to reach her second women’s ranking final.

Having shared the opening two frames however it was On Yee who added the next three to complete a successful defence of the title for the first time in her career.

Victory for the reigning world champion ensures that she remains at the head of the world ranking list, while beaten finalist Kenna climbs one place to equal her career-high ranking of third position.

Elsewhere in the side-events, Leeds-based youngster Shannon Metcalf claimed her first ever WLBS title with victory against world number 7 Suzie Opacic to win the Challenge Cup. It was a busy day for the 16-year-old who also reached the final of the under-21s event, losing 2-1 to Nutcharut Wongharuthai.

The seniors competition meanwhile saw Jenny Poulter complete the successful defence of the title that she won 12 months ago with victory against first-time finalist Yvette Greenway.

World Ladies Billiards and Snooker would like to thank all of the people who supported the event, including the referees, players, our hosts at the Northern Snooker Centre and of course our wonderful title sponsor LITEtask.

The World Women’s Snooker Tour returns with the inaugural European Women’s Masters on 5-7 October 2018. The deadline for entries remains open until Friday 28 September – enter HERE.

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LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship: Tournament Information

By In News, UK Women's Championship, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship: Tournament Information

The 2018 LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship runs this weekend on 15-16 September at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.

Follow all of the action from the first ranking event of the new season via the following links:

As always, you can follow regular updates from the event via our social media platforms:

LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship: Tournament Preview

By In General News, News, UK Women's Championship, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship: Tournament Preview

The World Women’s Snooker Tour will return this weekend with the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship in Leeds and with the draws for the tournament now out, today we take a look at a few of the key themes to follow throughout the event.

The top two

Having shared last season’s silverware between them, current world number one Ng On Yee and 11-time world champion Reanne Evans will once again head into the tournament as the players to beat.

On Yee, who last season won the event for a third time with a 4-1 victory against Evans in the final, will be looking to extend her advantage at the top of the current world rankings with the gap currently standing at 5,850 points at the close of last season. In fact, with Evans defending maximum points from the corresponding event two years ago when she defeated On Yee in the semi-finals, the Hong Kong player will only need to complete her first match to guarantee retaining top spot following the event.

Record eight-time UK champion Evans however comes into the event having won three of the past four singles competitions on the tour and with 5,450 fewer points to be removed from her total during the course of this season will be keen to start closing the gap this weekend in Leeds.

Group draw

With the top two seeded through to the knockout rounds the remaining 26 players will contest Saturday’s group stage with the top two guaranteed to progress from each of the seven groups.

There is a real feeling of variety to this event with nine of the world’s top ten joined by five players who will be making their first appearances on the women’s circuit in Leeds, including players from the USA and Thailand.

Group A is headed by two-time UK Championship semi-finalist Suzie Opacic who will be aiming to go one match further this weekend and reach the final for the first time. The current world number seven will be joined by Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai, fresh from her appearance at last week’s SangSom 6-Red World Championship in Thailand, as well as Elizabeth Black and Heidi De Gruchy.

Grimsby’s De Gruchy will be making her return following a year off the tour since the corresponding event in 2017 at which she qualified for the knockout stages for the first time before losing out to Reanne Evans.

Over in Group B we have a real mix of youth and experience with top seed Aimee Benn joined by fellow junior Steph Daughtery and seniors competitor Dorothée Rapp of Germany. The group is completed by Hull’s Kate Longworth, the first of five debutants at the Northern Snooker Centre.

On paper one of the most eye-catching groups is Group C which will see world number four Rebecca Kenna looking to progress beyond the quarter-final stages of this event for the first time.

She will be up against former world women’s under-21 champion Emma Parker, Claire Edginton and Thai debutant Ploychompoo Laokiatphong. Coached by professional player Mike Dunn, the Thai youngster is well-regarded as a player and like each of the newcomers this weekend, a welcome addition to the circuit.

Two players from Hong Kong have found themselves paired in Group D with world number six Katrina Wan paired with compatriot Ho Yi Kee. Joining them will be two-time under-21 event winner Chloe White and 13th ranked Shannon Metcalf.

The final four-woman group is Group E with 2012 champion Maria Catalano its seeded star. Winner of the Connie Gough Trophy in 2017, Catalano is the last player other than Ng On Yee or Reanne Evans to claim silverware on the circuit and will of course look a little different this weekend following the completion of her ‘brave the shave’ challenge on Friday evening.

Set to challenge her on the baize will be Maureen Rowland together with two more newcomers to the circuit in the form of Jessica Connolly and Frances Eames Noland, the latter becoming our first active player from the United States of America.

There is also an international flavour to Group F with Germany’s top ranked player Diana Schuler set to be joined by former world number three Jaique Ip Wan In of Hong Kong and England’s Jackie Ellis.

Lastly, Group G is headed by the experienced Jenny Poulter, who will take on Connie Stephens and our final newcomer for this event, Michelle Baker. The wife of World Disability Billiards and Snooker player David Baker, Michelle has caught the snooker bug and will be looking to make a name for herself starting in Leeds.

Side events

The weekend will also see side-events played across both days of snooker.

The under-21s competition will see eight players begin at the quarter-finals stage in a straight knockout draw with Shannon Metcalf and Emma Parker kept apart as the top two seeds based upon their positions on the current Under-21 ranking list.

First up for home player Metcalf will be a clash with Claire Edginton with either Chloe White or two-time UK under-21s champion Steph Daughtery awaiting in the semi-finals. In the bottom half of the draw Parker will begin her defence of the title that she claimed a year ago against Aimee Benn, while there will also be an all-Thai clash between Nutcharut Wongharuthai and Ploychompoo Laokiatphong.

With six entries received into the seniors competition, both Jenny Poulter and Jackie Ellis have been randomly drawn straight through to the semi-finals and will each await the winner of a preliminary round match. Playing for the right to face two-time defending champion Poulter will be last year’s runner-up Maureen Rowland and Germany’s Dorothée Rapp, while Yvette Greenway faces newcomer Michelle Baker in the bottom half of the draw.

In addition to these two side-events there will also be a Challenge Cup tournament held for players who have not qualified to play during Sunday’s final stages.

Tournament updates

As always, the latest results and draws from the 2018 LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship will be available to view throughout the weekend at MySnookerStats, with regular updates and photos to be posted at our Facebook and Twitter pages.

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LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship 2018: Draw and Format Released

By In News, UK Women's Championship, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship 2018: Draw and Format Released

The draw and format for this weekend’s LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship is now available:

The event returns to the Northern Snooker Centre as the curtain raiser for the new World Women’s Snooker Tour season following the summer break.

Won last year by current world number one Ng On Yee, this year’s event will see nine of the world’s top ten among a bumper 28-player field set to compete for the title, including five newcomers to the women’s circuit.

Alongside the main tournament there will also be side-events for Under-21 and Seniors players, with players to note that both of these competitions will begin on Saturday. There will also be a Challenge Cup event for players who have been knocked out of the main competition before Sunday.

Players are reminded that you will be required to wear a LITEtask sponsorship logo for this event, patch to be provided on arrival.

If you have any questions please contact a member of the team via our website.

Catalano to ‘Brave the Shave’ at UK Women’s Snooker Championship

By In General News, News, UK Women's Championship, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on Catalano to ‘Brave the Shave’ at UK Women’s Snooker Championship

If you are planning on coming to the Northern Snooker Centre for the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship next month, you might notice one of our leading players looking a little differently than normal.

World no.3 Maria Catalano will be ‘braving the shave’ on the eve of the tournament in support of Macmillan Cancer Support, a registered charity based in the UK which provides support for people affected by cancer.

Maria has decided to undertake the challenge in memory of her late father Antonio who very sadly passed away following a short battle with cancer earlier this summer and has been overwhelmed by the support that she has received.

“I would like to thank everybody for the support with my challenge and focus of supporting Macmillan,” said Catalano. “My reasoning for this is all about saying thank you. I’m not going to say I’m not scared because I am, but there are always woolly hats and hopefully my Italian roots will make my hair grow back quickly!

Maria Catalano plays snooker

“What this has taught me is to never ever take life for granted. It is a cliché I know but you really can be here today and gone tomorrow. I want to turn my heartbreak into a positive and give something back and just to raise awareness of the great man my dad was. I am so grateful for the donations and the awareness, it is deeply appreciated.”

Catalano, who earlier this year reached the final of the 2018 World Women’s Championship in Malta, is also known for being the cousin of five-time world professional champion Ronnie O’Sullivan who has today given his backing to her challenge.

“Antonio was my uncle and I used to spend a lot of time up there when I was youngster in particular,” said O’Sullivan. “He was the kindest, most gentle, lovely human being you can imagine meeting. He was very hard working with the ice cream business and a big family man. He will be forever missed.

“I know how close Maria was to her dad and how painful it was for her, so all credit to her for doing something like this.”

All of us at World Ladies Billiards and Snooker are of course fully supportive of Maria and are delighted that she will be undertaking the challenge surrounded by her snooker family at approximately 7:00pm at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds prior to the start of the new season.

To read Maria’s story and to help her to smash her £2,000 target donate now at: https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/maria-catalano

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European Women’s Masters 2018: Enter Now

By In European Women's Masters, News, WLBS Updated: Comments Off on European Women’s Masters 2018: Enter Now

Entries are now being accepted for the inaugural European Women’s Masters organised by World Ladies Billiards and Snooker (WLBS).

The event will be played over three days on 5-7 October 2018 at the De Maxx Club in Neerpelt, Belgium. The club is owned by 12-time European champion Wendy Jans and is easily accessible for players travelling from nearby Germany and the Netherlands.

The tournament will be the second stop on the 2018/19 World Women’s Snooker Tour and is set to welcome women players from across Europe and beyond who will battle it out to become champion. There will also be side-events staged for under-21 and senior players, subject to enough entries being received.

Players will also have the opportunity to watch the world’s leading professional stars who will be competing in the final stages of the D88.com European Masters in nearby Lommel.

Judd Trump prepares to play snooker shot in Belgium

Enter online

To enter the event please complete the online entry form HERE.

The full tournament entry pack, which includes hotel information and details of shuttle services is also now available to download HERE.

The closing date for entries and payment of entry fees is 4:30pm BST on Friday 28 September 2018.

Free Entry for New and Returning Players

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We are today pleased to announce a new policy which is to apply at selected World Women’s Snooker Tour events from the start of the 2018/19 season aimed at encouraging new and returning players to pick up a cue.

Beginning with the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship, people who have either never played at one of our events before or have not entered an event since the start of the 2015/16 season, will receive free entry to the main competition at their first event.

This will apply to the following events:

Mandy Fisher, WLBS president said: “As we continue to expand the women’s tour with new tournaments being added to our calendar, it is equally important that our existing events continue to grow and welcome new players.

“For women and girls who have not played in one of our events before and are perhaps tempted to give it a try, or to players who have been away and are toying with a comeback, we hope that by offering this free entry it will help encourage them to give snooker a try.”

“Women of all levels of snooker experience are encouraged to get involved, meet new people and have fun at one of our competitions. We look forward to welcoming you soon!”

Key points:

  • Free entry will count only for the main event at their selected tournament. An entry fee will still apply for Seniors side-events.
  • The offer is open to people who have not competed in one of our events since the start of the 2015/16 season.
  • Any qualifying players who have already entered an upcoming tournament will be refunded their entry fee.
  • To enter people must still be a member of their national federation (learn more).

Enter now

To view the events currently open to enter please visit our Tournament Entry page.

Australian Women’s Open: Enter Now

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Entries are now open for the first ever Australian Women’s Open to be run as part of the World Women’s Snooker Tour.

The world ranking event will take place at the Mt Pritchard District and Community Club, known as “Mounties” in Sydney, Australia from 25-28 October 2018 and the entry form for the tournament is now available to download at the Australian Billiards and Snooker Council website.

Following the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship and the European Women’s Masters, the event will be the third event of the 2018/19 season and the first WLBS ranking event to be held in Australia.

The event will be sponsored by Mounties and will carry a total prize fund of AUD$8700.00, including a top prize of AUD$3000 for the champion. Entry will be open to players of all nationalities who are members of their respective national federation.

The closing date for entries is 13th October 2018. For more information please contact Frank Dewens of the ABSC directly.

LITEtask to Sponsor UK Women’s Championship

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We are today delighted to announce that LITEtask will once again sponsor the WLBS UK Women’s Snooker Championship this year.

Specialists in the design and distribution of commercial lighting, the Leeds-based company has developed a strong association with the event since it first took over title sponsorship in 2015.

The event, which will again be known as the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship, was won last year by Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee, who defeated Reanne Evans 4-1 to capture the title for a third time.

On Yee with UK Trophy

Entries for the event opened earlier this week, with side-events for Under-21 and Seniors players also set to be staged subject to entries.

Mandy Fisher, WLBS president said: “I am really happy that LITEtask will sponsor what is our flagship UK event once again this season. Mark Pears [owner] has been a fantastic supporter of the women’s game for many years now and we are all pleased to be able to continue our relationship with him and LITEtask in 2018.”

Mark Pears, owner of LITEtask said: “Once again we are pleased to continue our sponsorship of the LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship next month. Year on year we are continuing to see the standard of play on the World Women’s Snooker Tour increase and I can only see a bright future for the women’s game both here in the UK and overseas.”

Learn more about LITEtask online: www.litetask.co.uk

Learn more about our current partners: www.womenssnooker.com/about/partners

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