Posts by: Matt Huart

World Women’s Snooker Championship 2020 – Postponement Notice

By In News, World Women's Championship, WWS Updated: Comments Off on World Women’s Snooker Championship 2020 – Postponement Notice

World Women’s Snooker (WWS) and Hi-End Snooker can today jointly announce that we have taken the difficult decision to postpone this year’s World Women’s Snooker Championship, previously scheduled to take place in June, until later this year.

The safety of our players is our paramount consideration and therefore it has been decided that this step is a necessary one to minimise risk and provide certainty to everybody involved with the tournament.

Although there are still almost three months between now and the scheduled staging of the event, both parties are also mindful that it is extremely difficult for players and officials to make travel arrangements and potentially incur non-refundable costs at this uncertain time.

As was the case with the Festival of Women’s Snooker which we had previously postponed, as an international event, WWS further does not consider it to be fair to proceed with its showpiece tournament at a time when potentially a significant number of players from around the world may not be able to travel.

WWS remains committed to returning to the wonderful Hi-End Snooker Club for this year’s World Women’s Championship at a later date and is grateful to Hi-End and the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand for their continued support of women’s snooker.

Further information as to the 2020/21 season and our upcoming events will be available at www.womenssnooker.com in due course.

Festival of Women’s Snooker 2020 – Postponement Notice

By In Festival, General News, News, WWS Updated: Comments Off on Festival of Women’s Snooker 2020 – Postponement Notice

It is with regret that World Women’s Snooker (WWS) has today announced that the upcoming Festival of Women’s Snooker 2020 will not take place next month in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

WWS has closely monitored the situation over the past few days, taking into account UK government advice and anticipated restrictions on overseas travel which will inevitably impact our players during what is a fluid and unprecedented situation.

In the circumstances, having balanced our desire to allow as much time as possible for a clearer picture of the situation to emerge, against the need to act swiftly and decisively to make travel arrangements, the board unanimously agreed that it would be in the interests of all parties to postpone the event until further notice.

The health and well-being of our players and officials is of paramount importance to us and we hope that all concerned will understand the decision that has been reached.

All players who have currently entered the event will receive a full refund of their entry fees over the coming days.

We would like to thank everybody, in particular the Northern Snooker Centre for their support during this process and we will publish further information as to future events in due course.

Chucky Preston Q&A

By In Festival, General News, Interviews, News, WWS Updated: Comments Off on Chucky Preston Q&A

Prior to the Eden Women’s Masters last November few had heard of the name Chucky Preston, but after the Northern Irish potter reached the quarter-finals of her maiden ranking event in South London she had already established herself as one to watch on the World Women’s Snooker Tour.

We recently caught up with the 32-year-old, who is already up to number 43 in the world rankings, to talk about her experience on the circuit so far and her passion for snooker…

How much have you enjoyed being a part of the WWS circuit so far, having competed both at the Eden Women’s Masters and the recent Belgian Women’s Open earlier this month?

I have really enjoyed it. At the Eden Masters I was very nervous, I didn’t know anyone and it was all very new to me.

But in Belgium I was a lot more relaxed and it was a lot of fun. I am definitely looking forward to the Festival in Leeds now!

Your debut was particularly impressive as you qualified from your group and went on to reach the quarter-finals. What were your expectations heading into the tournament?

To be honest I did not expect much. I thought that I was way over my head even entering, but it was Rebecca Kenna who encouraged me over Facebook to just go for it and start to entering these events, and I did.

Now I am glad I did, I had not expected to get to the quarters so that was a bonus for me! I am currently receiving from coaching from [former professional] Joe Swail to know that he had a lot of confidence in me helped a lot.

In the last eight you faced 12-time world champion Reanne Evans. Although you lost out on that occasion, is it good to test yourself against the very best players like her?

Absolutely yes. I went into that match to have fun and gain experience. I relaxed a lot in that match as I knew that my chances of winning were slim to none so I watched a lot of her shots selections and positional play. I would say I learnt a few things in that match.

How did you get into snooker and how long have you been playing?

My dad first pushed me into snooker when I was seven and took me to our local club every week until I was old enough to go myself. I played until I was 15, but then quit due to women’s snooker disbanding in Northern Ireland.

I have only recently got back into snooker during the last two years. I found it hard getting back into it as I used to be quick and my game flowed as a kid, but now it is all about thinking and the tactical side is very important.

You have been involved in establishing the Northern Irish Ladies Tour back home. How is this growing and how can you get more women involved in snooker?

Yes I started up the NI Tour in October 2019 and was pleased that we had great numbers for it. It is growing slowly but we are advertising it and pushing it all over social media to encourage more girls to come forward to play.

I will always push it and I will help every player we have on the tour to become better and gain confidence to come to bigger events.

I also created my ‘Chucky Preston all about snooker’ Facebook page to help the girls with routines and drills.

Are there opportunities for women to compete against men in amateur snooker in Northern Ireland?

Yes in the Northern Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association (NIBSA) tour which I play in. It is tough, but you can’t give up. The only way to get better is to keep competing, even if you are getting beat every time.

I urge the girls to play in these and over the next year I hope we have at least three girls playing on the NIBSA tour.

You are also friends with former Masters champion Mark Allen back home and played in his pro-am last year. How did you get to know him?

Yes I have played in his pro-cam tournament on a couple of occasions, which is an excellent tournament to be part of. I have known both Mark and Jordan Brown from my younger days, but not very well back then.

More recently I have got to know Mark more from being in the club and we have just got on well. He couldn’t do enough for people, for example before I played at the Eden Women’s Masters he gave me a little pep talk which also helped me there.

We have also seen that you have recently introduced your wife Avril to snooker – could we see a Preston double act at the upcoming World Women’s Pairs Championship in Leeds?

Haha I hope so! But I don’t think so just yet, but it would be great though!

She said maybe next year, but in the meantime I will try to change her mind. Her excuse is she is my bigger fan and wants to be standing by all my matches to watch!

What would your message by to any other women and girls who are considering picking up a cue and joining the WWS circuit?

Absolutely do it. Why not, what have to got to lose?

No matter the level of your ability, the WWS events are fantastic to play in. You get plenty of table time and you gain a lot of experience and confidence. If anything, these events will help you to progress even further!

Finally, what are your interests and hobbies away from the table?

I am a business owner of a tattoo studio where I am the solo artist there.

I also like to go out on my motorbike which I find to be relaxing and de-stressing. I am also taking flying lessons at the moment and hope to gain my pilot’s licence.

I am also a big gamer and I could spend hours on my Xbox. There are just not enough hours in the day!

Chucky will next be in action at the Festival of Women’s Snooker, which takes place from 3-6 April 2020 at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds. Entry for the event is open online HERE.

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Festival of Women’s Snooker 2020: Enter Now

By In Festival, General News, News, WWS Updated: Comments Off on Festival of Women’s Snooker 2020: Enter Now

Entries are now being accepted for the 2020 Festival of Women’s Snooker as the World Women’s Snooker Tour returns to Leeds, England.

The event will take place across four days from 3-6 April 2020 at the Northern Snooker Centre and as in previous years will incorporate five world championship competitions:

  • Friday 3 April – World Women’s Under-21 Championship / World Women’s Seniors Championship
  • Saturday 4 April – World Women’s 10-Red Championship
  • Sunday 5 April – World Women’s 6-Red Championship
  • Monday 6 April – World Women’s Pairs Championship

A year ago it was world no.1 Reanne Evans who for the second successive year was able to claim a hat-trick of titles with individual victories in the 10-Red and 6-Red competitions, as well as in the pairs tournament together with Maria Catalano. There was also success for Ploychompoo Laokiatphong and Jenny Poulter who claimed silverware in the Under-21 and Seniors events respectively.

The closing date for entries and payment of entry fees is 4:30pm BST on Friday 27 March 2020.

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WWS Retains Key Venues For 2020/21

By In Australian Women's Open, Belgian Open, Eden Women's Masters, General News, News, UK Women's Championship, WWS Updated: Comments Off on WWS Retains Key Venues For 2020/21

World Women’s Snooker (WWS) is today pleased to be able to announce the renewal of our agreements with several key venues which will remain a part of the World Women’s Snooker Tour for the 2020/21 season.

Following a successful first half of the current season which has seen five events staged and several new players join the circuit, we can already confirm that we will be returning to each of the venues visited so far this season over the next 12 months.

England

Our two English stops prior to Christmas will therefore see the tour return to the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds and Frames Sports Bar in London for prestigious ranking events.

Home of the UK Women’s Snooker Championship since 2015, the Northern Snooker Centre has provided significant support to women’s snooker for many years and will retain the event in its now traditional September slot.

The tour will also return to the capital and Frames Sports Bar for the Women’s Masters after the event was successfully staged there last November for the first time and received strong support from owner Tony Thompson and his team at the venue.

Australia

Won in previous years by Ng On Yee of Hong Kong and earlier this season by Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai, the Australian Women’s Open will once again be held at the Mounties Club this October in Sydney, Australia.

Providing players in the Oceania region with an opportunity to become a part of the World Women’s Snooker Tour, the event will remain an integral part of our calendar as we continue to develop women’s snooker in Australia and beyond.

Belgium

After our hugely successful visit to The Trickshot Snooker Club in Bruges earlier this month we are also pleased to confirm our return to the venue in February 2021.

Having seen a 50% increase in event entries from 2019 the event has established itself as an easily accessible and popular stop on the World Women’s Snooker Tour.

Additional events

The full World Women’s Snooker Tour calendar for the 2020/21, to include further events such as the 2021 World Women’s Snooker Championship, will be published in due course.

We are currently inviting interest from new venues to stage events which will form part of the proposed new Women’s Challenge Series of events. For more information about how your club can stage a WWS event and our requirements please click HERE.

2020/21 Provisional Dates So Far:

12-13 September 2020

UK Women’s Snooker Championship – Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds, England

10-13 October 2020

Australian Women’s Open – Mounties, Sydney, Australia

21-22 November 2020

Women’s Masters – Frames Sports Bar, London, England

5-7 February 2021

Belgian Women’s Open – The Trickshot, Bruges, Belgium

All dates are provisional and subject to change.

Evans and Wongharuthai to Star at Snooker Shoot Out

By In Eurosport, General News, News, World Snooker, WWS Updated: Comments Off on Evans and Wongharuthai to Star at Snooker Shoot Out

WST has today announced that England’s Reanne Evans and Nutcharut Wongharuthai of Thailand will both compete at this season’s BetVictor Shoot Out which will be staged at the Watford Colosseum from 20-23 February 2020.

The pair, who last June contested the final of the World Women’s Snooker Championship, won 6-3 by Evans in Thailand, have been selected for the professional event among eight wildcard players including players recognised for their achievements at World Snooker Federation and Challenge Tour events.

Both Evans and Wongharuthai, the latter who will make her debut at a main tour ranking event, will join 126 other players looking to take home the £50,000 top prize live on Eurosport.

Read the full announcement via WST HERE.

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World Rankings – Belgian Women’s Open 2020 Update

By In Belgian Open, General News, News, Rankings, WWS Updated: Comments Off on World Rankings – Belgian Women’s Open 2020 Update

The official world women’s rankings were updated for the first time this calendar year following Ng On Yee’s triumph at the Belgian Women’s Open last weekend.

The WWS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2017/18 to be removed during the course of this season. At this revision points earned at the 2018 British Open were replaced by those earned at this year’s Belgian Women’s Open.

There are now over 150 players from 29 countries currently ranked on the circuit after a further eight new players joined the tour in Bruges.

Evans Retains Advantage

Following her title victory in Bruges, Ng On Yee of Hong Kong, China has closed the gap to England’s Reanne Evans at the top of the world rankings, but it is the 12-time world champion who retains a significant advantage with two events still to be played this season.

Having entered the tournament with a lead of 22,850, runner-up Evans has seen her lead trimmed to 17,900, with the points from her British Open triumph in February 2018 replaced by those earned this week in Belgium.

With On Yee set to defend a significant amount of points over the next six months however, the victory is nevertheless important to her as she looks to keep hold of second position ahead of the ever-improving Nutcharut Wongharuthai, who missed out on the chance to close the gap following her semi-final defeat to On Yee last weekend.

The Top Ten

While the top four remains unchanged, there have been a number of movements elsewhere within the world’s top 10.

Despite her quarter-final defeat to Nutcharut Wongharuthai, five-time former world finalist Maria Catalano rises one place to fifth position ahead of Welsh cueist Laura Evans.

It was also another strong weekend for 20-year-old Emma Parker, who reached the semi-finals of a ranking event for only the second time in her career and is rewarded with a new career-high ranking of number 7 ahead of Suzie Opacic who drops one position to eighth.

Rounding out the top 10, home player Wendy Jans climbs five places to number nine, her last 16 run allied to the fact that she did not compete in the corresponding event two years ago meaning that she gained points relative to a number of players around her on the ranking list. Similarly Thailand’s Waratthanun Sukritthanes also moves up on place into the top 10 for the first time, despite not having competed this weekend in Bruges.

Notable Moves

Outside of the top 10 there were notable gains for a number of players who were competing at the weekend, including Chloe White who moves up three positions to a career-high 21st in the rankings, while Belgium’s Caty Dehaene is up 10 places to 37th after finishing third in her round-robin group.

Also ascending the list are several players who have joined the circuit this season including Chucky Preston (43), Harriet Haynes (48), Bennani Hind (55) and Kate Le Gallez (56). Our most notable new entries are 15-year-old Albina Liashcuk of Belarus and Belgium’s Belinda Focquaert, who are straight in at 74th position after both players progressed to the last 16 on their return to the circuit.

Under-21 / Seniors

Emma Parker remains at the head of the Under-21 ranking list following her sixth career Under-21 victory ahead of Nutcharut Wongharthai, who Parker edged out in the semi-finals. Runner-up Albina Liashcuk is a new entry at 11th following a sensational run which including wins against English pair Steph Daughtery and Chloe White.

In the new for 2019/20 Seniors ranking list, Belgium’s Caty Dehaene moves straight into fourth position after she successfully defended the title that she previously won 12 months ago with victory against third placed Jackie Ellis. Deahene is one of five new additions to the Seniors rankings following the event.

Please note that for this season ranking points in the Under-21 and Seniors rankings will be awarded in accordance with the new side-events points schedule available HERE.

The World Women’s Snooker Tour will return with the Festival of Women’s Snooker from 3-6 April 2020. Entries for the event will open shortly.

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On Yee On Top In Bruges

By In Belgian Open, General News, News, WWS Updated: Comments Off on On Yee On Top In Bruges

Ng On Yee has defeated Reanne Evans 4-2 in a reverse of last year’s final claim her first ranking title of the season at the Belgian Women’s Open in Bruges.

The victory represents a first ranking event triumph of the season for Asia’s number one player and ends a ranking title drought that had stretched back to the 2018 Australian Women’s Open.

World number two On Yee progressed to the semi-final stages with comfortable victories against Albina Liashcuk of Belarus and England’s Steph Daughtery, where she would face third seed Nutcharut Wongharuthai. Having lost her previous three encounters against the Thai youngster, On Yee recovered from 1-0 and 2-1 behind to secure a 4-2 victory with top runs of 71, 60 and 58.

Awaiting her was top seed Reanne Evans, who entered the tournament looking to extend an unbeaten run dating back to October 2018 and capture her third title of the season. Following a 3-0 victory against Harriet Haynes on Saturday evening, the 12-time world champion survived a valiant comeback from compatriot Rebecca Kenna in the quarter-finals to win 3-2, before dispatching Emma Parker in the last four to reach the final.

There it was Evans who would make the stronger start as she claimed the opening frame with an impressive clearance of 76, before On Yee turned the tables by taking two close frames to lead with a top break of 41.

Defending champion Evans responded with a green to pink clearance to level again at 2-2, but from there it was On Yee who added the final two frames to secure a confidence-boosting victory.

“It feels really good to win this title,” said On Yee. “The last time was 15 months ago and I have been questioning myself in the last year because I wasn’t doing so well in tournaments. Of course Reanne, Mink and other players are getting better so I have to improve myself too.”

“I didn’t play well in the first two rounds until I played Nutcharut, then I started to play a bit better. There were a few frames in the final where Reanne was 30-40 in front and I came back which were important.”

“There is a lot of negative news in Hong Kong and around the world so hopefully this is good news for Hong Kong!”

The 29-year-old, who also revealed that she has been suffering from a skin allergy during the past few days, added that despite her previous title drought on tour, that she feels that she is continuing to improve a player.

“I do feel like I am improving from last year but it has not shown in the results,” added On Yee. “I have to still try to do the simple things, trust myself, believe in myself and hopefully the results will follow.”

Victory for On Yee represents not only her first win on tour for 15 months but also her first win against top ranked Evans since the 2017 Eden Masters.

Her success sees her join Evans and Nutcharut Wongharuthai as ranking event winners this season and also consolidates her position in second place in the world rankings.

Side-tournaments

Emma Parker claimed her sixth-career junior title with a 2-0 victory against Albina Liashcuk in the final of the Under-21s competition in Bruges. The 20-year-old booked her place in the final with wins against Zoe Killington and Nutcharut Wongharuthai, before seeing off debut finalist Liashcuk who had impressed many at just 15-years-old with wins against Steph Daughtery and Chloe White.

It was a weekend to remember for Belgium’s Caty Dehaene who successfully defended her Seniors title, as well as adding victory in the Challenge Cup side-event to secure a title double.

Her Seniors success came against England’s Jackie Ellis with a 2-0 win, while she won a dramatic contest 2-1 against Northern Ireland’s Chucky Preston to win the Challenge Cup as all three frames were decided by the final black ball.

The World Women’s Snooker Tour returns with this year’s Festival of Women’s Snooker, an event which features five individual tournaments, to be played over four days from 3-6 April 2020 at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds, England.

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Belgian Women’s Open 2020: Tournament Information

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Tournament information for this weekend’s Belgian Women’s Open to be held at The Trickshot Snooker Club in Bruges is now available:

The Belgian Women’s Open will be the fourth ranking event of the 2019/20 World Women’s Snooker Tour season and our first in mainland Europe as we return to The Trickshot following our successful first event at the venue last year.

To be held over three days, the event has seen an incredible 50% rise in entries with 36 players set to contest four tournaments, including the main competition and side-events for Under-21 and Seniors players. During a season which has seen a significant interest in new players on the circuit, we are delighted to welcome a further six debutants to the Tour this weekend.

Last year’s final saw world number one Reanne Evans claim the title with a 4-1 win against Ng On Yee in the final, while fellow Englishwoman Steph Daughtery claimed a brace of titles with success in the Under-21 and Challenge Cup tournaments. Belgium’s Caty Dehaene claimed victory in the Seniors competition.

Format

The top two seeds have been seeded straight through to the last 16 stage, with the remaining 33 players drawn in seven round-robin groups of 4/5 players. The top two players from each group will progress to join Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee in the last 16 stage.

There will be live streaming of the event during Saturday and Sunday, available to watch via our Facebook page.

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

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Host a WWS Tour Event

By In News, WWS Updated: Comments Off on Host a WWS Tour Event

World Women’s Snooker (WWS) is inviting expressions of interest from venues and national federations interested in hosting a WWS event during the 2020/21 season.

Over the past four years the WWS Tour has seen new events staged in countries including England, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Belgium, Germany and Malta with prize money and media exposure having increased significantly during the same period.

The tour currently has 145 ranked players and an established calendar of major events spanning three continents, including our biggest World Championship held for a generation earlier this year in Bangkok. This season also saw women’s snooker return to the iconic Crucible Theatre for the first time in 16 years as Reanne Evans claimed glory at the Women’s Tour Championship.

With more and more women and girls around the world being inspired to pick up a cue and take up snooker, we are actively looking to add further events to our calendar to provide more playing opportunities for all.

Women’s Challenge Series

In addition to our existing major tournaments we are currently evaluating the potential introduction of a new tier of events to provisionally be known as Women’s Challenge Series.

Events forming the series will be open to women and girls of all ages and will form part of the overall World Women’s Snooker Tour calendar. They will also carry both ranking points and prize money, at a lower level in comparison to our existing major events.

With lower entry fees and potentially different formats, these events will require fewer tables to run, allowing more clubs to be able to host a tournament globally.

To learn more about our requirements to host an event under this structure please click HERE.

If you are potentially interested in working with us to host such an event, or would like more information about our requirements to host a major tour event, please contact us via our website HERE to register your interest.