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Snooker Q School

Postby snoopy2608

Hi

Does anyone know when the draw is being released? Entry says it would be as soon as possible after closing date.
Clearly they had to wait until top 64 was finalised - which was last Friday.

Are they waiting until after Q Tour play off - or will it be out in next few days?

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby chengdufan

I was wondering this too. It makes sense to wait until after the play-off, but I'm sure participants would also like to know asap when their first games will be, so those who are travelling can make arrangements.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby HappyCamper

who qualifies for from the q tour sport could affect the seedings for q school.

though 11th of may for the play-offs to 16th of may for event one is a quick turn around.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby HappyCamper

interesting, looks like a few hong kong and china players have opted for ponds forge over bangkok.
Last edited by HappyCamper on 28 Apr 2022, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby Yanfan

snoopy2608 wrote:they obviously read this forum as they've now been published

https://wst.tv/q-school-draws-4/

I recognise quite a few recent professionals in that draw. I did not realise there would be so many. :shock:

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby The_Abbott

Heather Clare back for more

Dean Reynolds trying his luck again. Tony Knowles too


There is also a Mickey Joyce. Could this be Mark's brother? Maybe his mum wants a son on tour she likes? :chuckle:

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby GeF

If I'm not mistaken, there are 173 entries.
Less than previous years (over 200)

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby The_Abbott

GeF wrote:If I'm not mistaken, there are 173 entries.
Less than previous years (over 200)


Maybe some Chinese players are going to play in the China Q-School event so there will be more players over the two events.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby SteveJJ

Yes are any of the relegated Asian players not entered into this? Surprising that some of them didn't try Thailand... in particular Sunny Akani.

Any of the amateur Asian players (not just relegated) entered in this got any pedigree? Other than Lucky Vatnani, Wang Yuchen, Sohail Vahedi, Bai Langning and Andy Lee (if that is the former pro).

Unless I'm missing his name, Kamihasi of Japan isn't listed so maybe he's off to Thailand.

Brutal first rounder for Fergal and Liam Davies considering it will scupper one of their order of merit chances

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby HappyCamper

SteveJJ wrote:Yes are any of the relegated Asian players not entered into this? Surprising that some of them didn't try Thailand... in particular Sunny Akani.

Any of the amateur Asian players (not just relegated) entered in this got any pedigree? Other than Lucky Vatnani, Wang Yuchen, Sohail Vahedi, Bai Langning and Andy Lee (if that is the former pro).

Unless I'm missing his name, Kamihasi of Japan isn't listed so maybe he's off to Thailand.

Brutal first rounder for Fergal and Liam Davies considering it will scupper one of their order of merit chances


Goa Yang, Zhao Jianbo, and Sunny Akani all entered the Ponds Forge event. Also Farakh Ajaib too, although he was born in England and represents Pakistan from his parents iirc. The original announcement did state it was for entrants resident in Asia Pacific, not sure how WST interpreted that for recent pros who were based in the UK. Or maybe the extra cost and hassle of travel to Thailand wasn't worth it.

Cheung Kawai won a challenge tour event a couple season ago, he qualified for the playoffs but couldn't participate when the pandemic started. Be interesting to see what he can do.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby HappyCamper

Is there a unified order of merit for the two Q schools. Or does the Sheffield one get priority?

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby The_Abbott

HappyCamper wrote:Is there a unified order of merit for the two Q schools. Or does the Sheffield one get priority?


They have to have a fight in the playground and the winners qualify

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby Wildey

snoopy2608 wrote:Hi

Does anyone know when the draw is being released? Entry says it would be as soon as possible after closing date.
Clearly they had to wait until top 64 was finalised - which was last Friday.

Are they waiting until after Q Tour play off - or will it be out in next few days?

Who ever wins through Q Tour will be removed from Q School Draw giving Buys the Draw for Q Tour Play off not out yet.

I Know the players that should be there Who knows some might not enter for other reasons not to mention that C Word

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby Yanfan

Wildey wrote:
snoopy2608 wrote:Hi

Does anyone know when the draw is being released? Entry says it would be as soon as possible after closing date.
Clearly they had to wait until top 64 was finalised - which was last Friday.

Are they waiting until after Q Tour play off - or will it be out in next few days?

Who ever wins through Q Tour will be removed from Q School Draw giving Buys the Draw for Q Tour Play off not out yet.

I Know the players that should be there Who knows some might not enter for other reasons not to mention that C Word

Who is the C Word? I don't know what's going on. Is there some kind of controversy or something?

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby Yanfan

McManusFan wrote:Cliff Thorburn is rumoured to make a comeback

There's a OAP who occasionally goes in the club when he's well enough. Lovely old guy, loves his snooker. And he sometimes talks about legends like Cliff Thorburn and a few others.


But, instead of calling him CLiff Thorburn, he calls him CRiff Thorburn.

I thought the other day, he must have been calling him CRiff Thorburn for 40+ years. <laugh>

Mind you, I didn't bother to correct him. He's not hurting anyone and we all know who he means.

He has some great stories about the olden days. Lovely guy. :-)

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby lhpirnie

HappyCamper wrote:
SteveJJ wrote:Yes are any of the relegated Asian players not entered into this? Surprising that some of them didn't try Thailand... in particular Sunny Akani.

Any of the amateur Asian players (not just relegated) entered in this got any pedigree? Other than Lucky Vatnani, Wang Yuchen, Sohail Vahedi, Bai Langning and Andy Lee (if that is the former pro).

Unless I'm missing his name, Kamihasi of Japan isn't listed so maybe he's off to Thailand.

Brutal first rounder for Fergal and Liam Davies considering it will scupper one of their order of merit chances


Goa Yang, Zhao Jianbo, and Sunny Akani all entered the Ponds Forge event. Also Farakh Ajaib too, although he was born in England and represents Pakistan from his parents iirc. The original announcement did state it was for entrants resident in Asia Pacific, not sure how WST interpreted that for recent pros who were based in the UK. Or maybe the extra cost and hassle of travel to Thailand wasn't worth it.

Cheung Kawai won a challenge tour event a couple season ago, he qualified for the playoffs but couldn't participate when the pandemic started. Be interesting to see what he can do.

Yes, it did say that it's for entrants 'primarily resident in Asia', but it would be ridiculous to consider professionals from Asia as primarily resident in the UK. If that were to be the case, then players who qualify from the Asian Q School who got relegated 2 years later would have to play in the UK Q School, meaning that all the qualifiers from Asia would be rookies. Considering how most of the qualifiers from UK Q Schools tend to be previous professionals, it creates an imbalance between the two different routes.


With most of the best Asian 'amateurs' (Sunny Akani, Gao Yang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Wang Yuchen, Cheung Ka Wai, Liu Hongyu, Deng Haohui) playing in the UK, it looks like the Bangkok qualifiers could be very weak. Of course it would be great to have Kei Kamihashi on tour, and I assume Luo Honghao will be in the running. But we're going to have enough weak players on tour next year anyway, and some very good players who don't make it through Q School.

Do we know if the Asian Q School has an Order of Merit for top-up places? Do they get to play on Q Tour? It's beginning to look like this whole venture is a shambles. Not for the first time, WST have created a mess of a system.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby gninnur karona

Only 94 players earned 19000 ranking points or more on tour this season including four amateurs for whom the points only counted towards the one-year list.

Of those 94 eleven are playing QSchool whilst it appears that Simon Lichtenberg has called it a day.

Meanwhile 13 professionals earned less than 10000 ranking points 2021-22. Sean Maddocks has entered QSchool, Nigel Bond has retired, the other eleven are free to continue their professional careers next season if they so wish.

It doesn't have to be like this.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby SteveJJ

gninnur karona wrote:Only 94 players earned 19000 ranking points or more on tour this season including four amateurs for whom the points only counted towards the one-year list.

Of those 94 eleven are playing QSchool whilst it appears that Simon Lichtenberg has called it a day.

Meanwhile 13 professionals earned less than 10000 ranking points 2021-22. Sean Maddocks has entered QSchool, Nigel Bond has retired, the other eleven are free to continue their professional careers next season if they so wish.

It doesn't have to be like this.


Are you suggesting if you have done particularly rubbish you should be blocked from trying to qualify for the tour again?

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby gninnur karona

SteveJJ wrote:
Are you suggesting if you have done particularly rubbish you should be blocked from trying to qualify for the tour again?


No.

In the Tour Logistics section I've posted that WST should scrap two-year tour cards and decide which players remain on tour on an 80-16-32 basis (for a 128 player tour, the solution is scaleable).

With all players retaining points earned over the two-year period I've also posted a practical example of how that would have worked end 2021-22.

The current WST system results in a number of players having to attempt to re-earn a tour card via QSchool when on sporting merit they have earned their place on tour, whilst retaining some players who've earned less ranking points both over last season, and cumulatively over two seasons.

Gao Yang, Michael Holt, Akani Songsermsawad and Kurt Maflin to name but four shouldn't be playing QSchool because they should already have been granted tour cards for next season.

The knock-on effect is that QSchool is artificially stronger than it should be which makes the task of a young player to break through that much harder.

In a nutshell I believe in many cases the wrong players are being relegated from the tour.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby vodkadiet1

Knowles and Reynolds cannot seriously expect to get back on the tour. It's a joke.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby mick745

vodkadiet1 wrote:Knowles and Reynolds cannot seriously expect to get back on the tour. It's a joke.


They're allowed to try.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby cupotee

vodkadiet1 wrote:Knowles and Reynolds cannot seriously expect to get back on the tour. It's a joke.


No one explains where they get their incredulity from about older players qualifying onto the tour in a game where physicality and age are negligible , i’ll wait…….

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby GeF

Someone knows how the seeding works?
I saw that 64 players gets a "bye" in all the 3 events, 9 in 2 events and 38 in one.

My thoughts were that these 64 are the seeds, and they came from the relegated players, completed by the Q school order of merit.
All relegated are there, but Brian Ochoiski is also among the 64 while ranked only 59 in QOM.

And another question : There is a player named "Liu Hongyu". Could it be Luo Honghao? If not, is he retired?

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby Yanfan

Is there going to be any streaming coverage of Q School? Maybe on Facebook or Youtube or similar?

I know it won't be on Eurosport ot the BBC.

Re: Snooker Q School

Postby chengdufan

GeF wrote:Someone knows how the seeding works?
I saw that 64 players gets a "bye" in all the 3 events, 9 in 2 events and 38 in one.

My thoughts were that these 64 are the seeds, and they came from the relegated players, completed by the Q school order of merit.
All relegated are there, but Brian Ochoiski is also among the 64 while ranked only 59 in QOM.

And another question : There is a player named "Liu Hongyu". Could it be Luo Honghao? If not, is he retired?

Liu Hongyu is a different player. He's better than Luo Honghao amd should be one of the favourites to qualify. He's very good to watch, but I don't think he's played outside China before.