Michael Judge Captures Crucible Return
Michael Judge defeated fellow Irishman Fergal O’Brien 4-2 in the third LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship qualifying event to book his place at the Crucible Theatre in May.
The victory means 2019 UK Seniors champion will return to the Crucible following a one-year absence from the LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship, having last played at the 2022 event.
The qualifying event, held in Carlow, Ireland, saw twenty-eight players from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland competing for a coveted spot at the most famous venue in the sport.
Judge, who made three appearance at the Crucible Theatre during his professional career, began his campaign with comfortable 3-1 victories over fellow countrymen James Darcy and Dylan Rees.
The 48-year-old then whitewashed Englishman Neal Jones before another comfortable victory over Tony Corrigan saw him book his place in the final.
On the opposite side of the draw, veteran professional O’Brien was in rampant form as he dropped just two frames on his way to the last four, with a stunning break of 135 completing a 4-1 quarter-final victory over Neil Craycraft. Despite losing the opener in the semi-final, a 4-2 defeat of Englishman Matt Wilson then set up a final meeting with Judge.
The final was a high-qualify affair that featured four half-centuries in six frames, but with breaks of 66, 68 and 71 it was Judge who secured his place at the showpiece event of the World Seniors Snooker calendar.
Super Seniors Success for Filtness
England’s Gary Filtness was victorious in the Super Seniors 3 event, open to all entrants over-55 years old, which was held alongside the main LLP World Seniors Championship qualifier in Carlow, Ireland.
Filtness, who was eliminted in the last eight of the qualifying event, whitewashed John Maher in the Super Seniors quarter-final before defeating Northern Ireland’s Gregory Cooke to reach the final.
There, he would meet John McCarthy, who had beaten Keith Thomas 2-1 to reach the Super Seniors title match.
Filtness, who reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Seniors Championship, proved too strong in the final and ran out a 2-0 victor to secure the title.
