ROKiT Phones World Seniors Q School – Draw Released
The draws for the inaugural ROKiT Phones World Seniors Q School which takes place at The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Reading from 4-10 January 2021 have been released.
Announced during last summer’s World Seniors Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, the qualifying school is open to all worldwide amateurs aged 40 or over and – for the first time – current World Snooker Tour card holders who meet that age criteria and are ranked outside the world’s top 64.
Originally due to be held in Jersey in November, the week-long event was forced to move venues and dates due to changes surrounding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It will be the first open-entry WPBSA group competition to be played since March. All entrants and officials will be tested for Covid-19 prior to play.
The Format and The Field
The Q School concept consists of four different qualifying competitions being played in Reading – World Seniors Championship, UK Seniors Championship and Masters qualifiers, as well as a Super Seniors tournament for those aged 55 and above.
There are a number of berths available in each event, with those successful earning a place alongside some of the sport’s all-time greats at the main venue stages in the future. These are:
- 2021 ROKiT Phones World Seniors Snooker Championship – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 6-9 May, 2021 (two qualification places available)
- 2021 ROKiT Phones UK Seniors Snooker Championship – Bonus Arena, Hull, 12-15 August, 2021 (four qualification places available)
- ROKiT Phones World Seniors Masters – venue and date to be confirmed (one qualification place available)
A field of nearly 90 players are scheduled to feature, all vying for those coveted championship spots.
There are no fewer than nine current World Snooker Tour card holders in the mix – Gerard Greene, Andy Hicks, Rod Lawler, David Lilley, Rory McLeod, Barry Pinches, Lee Walker and former World Seniors champions Nigel Bond and Peter Lines.
A plethora of former professionals and well-known names from the WSS Tour will also be cueing up in the new year. Patsy Fagan, Tony Knowles and Dean Reynolds will be hoping to rekindle past glories, whilst the 2011 World Seniors champion Darren Morgan will be aiming for more silverware at this level.
Aaron Canavan – World Seniors champion in 2018 – will make the trip over from Jersey, and the Republic of Ireland’s reigning UK Seniors champion Michael Judge will be trying to get back to the Crucible having reached the last four in August.
Other notable names involved include Jonathan Bagley, Alfie Burden, Leo Fernandez, Dave Finbow, Mark Gray, Andrew Norman, Patrick Wallace and last season’s Super Seniors number one ranked player Gary Filtness.
All events are straight knockout and unseeded, meaning there are already a number of high-profile match-ups in the early rounds.
To view all the draws please visit WPBSA SnookerScores.
