Mark Selby Wins Inaugural Virtual Betfred World Snooker Championship

Mark Selby, represented by Scott Edwards, won the inaugural Virtual Betfred World Championship, beating John Higgins 3-2 in the final.

The new tournament featured 16 of the best gamers from snooker’s official video game Snooker 19, each representing one of the sport’s actual top 16.

Edwards, age 40 from Gloucester, steered Selby to victory and his prize includes a trip to the actual Crucible Theatre in Sheffield to receive the trophy. He knocked out Ding Junhui, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams to reach the final, before getting the better of a dramatic clash with Higgins, who was represented by Belgium’s Benny de Nayer.

After losing the opening frame at the virtual Crucible, Selby took the second with an excellent break of 92. Higgins regained the lead with a run of 65, then Selby’s 74 clearance in frame four made it 2-2.

Both players had chances in a marathon 70-minute decider. The key moment came when Selby, leading 57-43, trapped his opponent in a tough snooker with two reds remaining. From the chance that followed, Selby built a lead of 33 points which proved enough.

“I am just relieved because it was such a tough match, and the last frame was incredible,” said Edwards. “It was draining but I had set my mind on keeping it safe and waiting for him to make a mistake. I ground it out in the end.”

Virtual Mark Selby in action

Selby himself, a three time actual World Champion, sent a message to Edwards: “I watched it from start to finish and thought you played really well in the final. It was nerve-racking towards the end, a lot like my games! I hope we can meet at the World Championship if it goes ahead so I can say congratulations in person.”

The tournament ran on the original dates of the Betfred World Championship, with matches broadcast on WST’s YouTube and Facebook channels. WST, Ripstone and Lab42 teamed up to run the virtual tournament, which featured gamers competing on PlayStation 4 consoles.

As well as a trip to the Crucible (which may happen next year if this year’s event is played behind closed doors), Edwards’ prize package also includes a cue signed by the world’s top pros and a copy of the Snooker 19 Gold Edition on PlayStation 4.

Snooker19, developed by Lab42, was released last year as the first official WST video game in a generation and received widespread acclaim, as the most true-to-life snooker game ever made.

The full match can be watched at https://bit.ly/3dcES3C

Snooker 19, First Licensed Snooker Game Launches Spring 2019 For PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

First gameplay trailer revealed for the most authentic depiction of the sport ever created

Ripstone Games, in collaboration with Lab42 and World Snooker, today announced that Snooker 19 is launching in Spring 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The announcement has been accompanied by the first gameplay trailer for Snooker 19, showcasing the Unreal Engine 4 powered visuals, incredible physics and 3D facial scanning technology, bringing the game to life like never before. Furthermore Snooker 19 will be playable to consumers at the ‘Powered by Unreal Engine’ booth for the first time at EGX Rezzed at Tobacco Dock, London from April 4th – 6th.

Developed by Leamington Spa based Lab42, Snooker 19 will feature 128 of the world’s top players including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Ding Junhui as they take to the table at iconic venues including The Crucible and Alexandra Palace. In the most in-depth simulation of snooker ever seen, players can choose from a full suite of offline and online modes to master every official tournament. These include global online tournaments that link in real-time with the live World Snooker calendar, quick play online match-making, and fully customised matches of full snooker, 6-red snooker and fast-paced Shoot-Out snooker.

Made in Unreal Engine 4, Snooker 19 is the most authentic depiction of the sport ever created, and players can expect a full TV-style presentation in the game alongside evocative visual details of the players, arenas and equipment. Player likenesses have been meticulously created using 3D facial scanning technology while the subtle yet detailed wood grain of the cues and tables is rendered impeccably. With the glare of the spotlights reflecting accurately off the polished balls, Snooker 19 sets a new visual standard for the snooker video game. Players can soak up its atmosphere while the advanced physics and AI engines ensure the action remains tense, thrilling, and most importantly, true to real life.

Snooker 19

“It’s been way too long since the last flagship snooker title,” said Justin Forrest of Lab42. “We’re hugely excited to finally give players a snooker simulation worthy of this increasingly popular sport. The combination of official World Snooker licensed content, high quality, authentic gameplay and TV-style presentation, Snooker 19 is the complete package for both newcomers and hardcore fans.”

“Partnering with Lab42 and World Snooker to bring players Snooker 19 marks a significant step-change for us,” said Phil Gaskell of Ripstone. “The sport has grown exponentially in the years since the last official snooker title. Our game is built from the ground up for new and old fans alike, and we feel it’s the right time to create a game that reflects where snooker and the gaming industry is today.”

Snooker 19 will be launching in Spring 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Betway Hoping For 147 Or 100 Centuries To Trigger Charity Donation

UK Championship title sponsor Betway are hoping for a centuries blitz or a maximum break at this year’s tournament, with a £10,000 donation to Jessie May Children’s Hospice At Home on the line.

The tournament at the York Barbican starts today and runs until December 9th, with 128 players battling for one of snooker’s Triple Crown titles.

Star names in the field include Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui and defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.

And a 147 maximum break OR a total of 100 centuries in the whole tournament would trigger the £10,000 donation to World Snooker’s official charity Jessie May.

Since 2015, Betway has donated a total of £48,788 to World Snooker’s charity partners.

Alan Alger, PR Manager at Betway, said: “We’re looking forward to a fantastic two weeks of action in York. The best 128 players in the world are in the field and so there is no doubt the standard of play will be incredibly high.

“There have been five 147s made in the UK Championship since 2012 so there’s a good chance of another this year. And on the century count, last year there were 99 and in each of the previous two years there were 105 so we’re confident the players we’ll get to 100 this time.

“We’d love to make this donation to a wonderful cause in Jessie May so it’s over to the players to show their skills on the table!”

Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home, based in Bristol, provides a hospice at home service for terminally ill children, offering care to families in the Bristol area.

Lindsey Horton, Corporate Partnerships Officer for Jessie May, added: “We can’t believe this amazing and generous offer from Betway and on behalf of all our families and Nurses we send a HUGE thank you for your ongoing support. We’re always cheering on the players and we know that they’ll do us proud! Bring on the centuries.”

Pocket Money…Cash Boost For World Snooker Tour

Mark Selby earned almost £1 million last season while the number of players earning at least £30,000 grew by 20 percent, as the sport continues to thrive.

Total prize money has grown from £3.5 million just seven years ago to last season’s £10 million, with another boost to £12 million in 2017/18.

And players across the World Snooker Tour have benefited from the growth of the sport.

A prize money list which includes sanctioned invitational events, high breaks and 147 prizes shows Selby setting a new record for the most earned by one player in a single season.

The World Champion’s total of £933,428 is a huge increase on his own figure of £510,909 with which he topped the same list in 2015/16, and Stuart Bingham’s £571,436 in 2014/15.

John Higgins sits second on the 2016/17 list with £654,425 followed by Ronnie O’Sullivan (£472,750), Judd Trump (£454,650) and Ding Junhui (£416,081). In the previous season, only two players earned over £400,000.

Total prize money topped £10 million for the first time in 2016/17 and this is demonstrated by increases in every section of the money list:

– The player in 16th place (Ryan Day) earned £162,990 compared to £147,083 in 2015/16 and £138,890 in 2014/15.
– The player in 32nd place (Dominic Dale) earned £68,625 compared to £64,367 in 2015/16 and £62,283 in 2014/15.
– The player in 48th place (Andrew Higginson) earned £47,925 compared to £44,400 in 2015/16 and £40,166 in 2014/15
– The player in 64th place (Sam Baird) earned £36,500 compared to £26,875 in 2015/16 and £26,916 in 2014/15
– The number of players earning over £30,000 was 72 in 2016/17 compared to 60 in 2015/16 and 55 in 2014/15.

Mark Selby

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “These figures show the extent to which our increases in overall prize money have affected players at all levels. The stars at the very top are now earning vast sums but there is also significant growth in the money available to players lower down the list.

“We are committed to growing our sport at all levels and this means offering more tournaments and more prize money to all tour players. In the 2017/18 season we will see a further increase in total prize money to £12 million, with higher earnings to be spread out across the tour. We have also scrapped entry fees for all tour players which will save each of them £4,000-£5,000 per season.

“At the top end we will see some huge first prizes this season, including a record £425,000 for the winner of the Betfred World Championship. But we recognise the importance of sharing our commercial success as a sport with players across the tour and all of them will benefit.

“The sky is the limit and we will continue to develop as a global sport.”

SNOOKER’S CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS RETURNS TO RICOH ARENA

Snooker’s Champion of Champions returns to Ricoh Arena, Coventry this November 6-12 with tickets on sale from 10am on Wednesday (March 22) at http://www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk.

With the likes of defending champion John Higgins, UK Championship winner Mark Selby and The Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan already among those who have earned an invite, the tournament is set to build on its status as one of the season’s must-see events.

Mark Selby

Broadcast throughout by ITV4 in the UK and on networks around the world, the Champion of Champions marks its fifth year in 2017 and pits tournament winners from the previous 12 months head to head for the prestigious title and the £100,000 winner’s prize.

The action gets underway on Monday, November 6. The tournament starts with a quartet of four-man groups, with one group played out on each of the first four days. The draw and fixtures for the group stage will be announced in the autumn.

The four group winners proceed to the semi-finals, one of which is played on the evening of Friday, November 10 with the second on Saturday evening. The final will place over 19 frames and two sessions on Sunday, November 12.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, March 22 at http://www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk, with an early bird offer pricing tickets at as little as £7.50. Premium tickets are available for all sessions with VIP Hospitality tickets on sale for the semi-finals and the final.

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Qualifying events take order of precedence with the defending champion and ‘triple crown’ winners at the top of the list, followed by the major ranking events on the World Snooker Tour. The four Home Nations tournaments are next on the list, followed by the World Championship runner-up, the remaining ranking events on the World Snooker Tour, the World Cup winning duo, and the 6 Reds World champion.

The full list of qualifying events can be found at http://www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk.

O’Sullivan And Selby Among Star Names Set For Ladbrokes World Snooker Grand Prix

World Champion Mark Selby, crowd favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, John Higgins and defending champion Shaun Murphy are among snooker’s cue kings who have already confirmed their participation in next month’s Ladbrokes World Grand Prix in Preston.

The world ranking event will take place at the iconic Guild Hall for the first time, from February 6 to 12. It will feature 32 players from a one-year ranking list which has been running throughout the season.

There is still one counting event to go – the German Masters which runs from February 1 to 5 – after which the final line up will be confirmed.

But several top stars already assured of qualification have entered the tournament and the following matches have been scheduled in order to give fans the chance to buy tickets for their favourite players in advance.

Monday February 6
7pm
Judd Trump v opponent
John Higgins v opponent

Tuesday February 7
1pm
Stuart Bingham v opponent
Shaun Murphy v opponent

7pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan v opponent
Marco Fu v opponent

Wednesday February 8
1pm
Mark Selby v opponent
Neil Robertson v opponent

O’Sullivan And Selby Among Star Names Set For Ladbrokes World Snooker Grand Prix

A spokesman for World Snooker said: “It’s shaping up to be an amazingly strong field at the Guild Hall, with so many great champions in line to qualify. And there will be a few exciting up and coming players in the mix as well. It will be all to play for at the final qualifying event in Germany to see who can nail down a spot in Preston.

“We have so much history at the Guild Hall, going back to 1978 when the UK Championship was staged there for the first time. It’s a wonderful venue and we’re looking forward to bringing the World Grand Prix there. For the fans in the arena it’s going to be a thrilling experience as the atmosphere at live snooker is totally unique.”

The event will receive extensive live coverage each day from ITV4.

Fans can book tickets, which start at £13, for every session including the showpiece final on Sunday February 12, but seats MUST BE BOOKED FAST as certain sessions will sell out soon. For full details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

Snooker’s Betway UK Championship Peaks At 2.5m On BBC

The final of snooker’s Betway UK Championship scored a peak viewing figure of 2.5 million on BBC Two earlier this month.

The titanic clash between Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan, which Selby won 10-7, attracted a peak audience which was 800,000 higher than last year’s peak of 1.7 million.

The average audience during the final session was 1.7 million – an increase of 300,000 on 2015.

There was also an increase on online traffic on snooker content on the BBC Sport website, with 2.9 million browsers during the tournament, up 300,000 on last year.

Selby beat O’Sullivan 10-7 in a superb final

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “These figures underline the growing popularity of our sport in the UK. The Betway UK Championship final in York was an all-time classic with an incredibly high standard so it’s no surprise that the figures are so high. We look forward to working closely with the BBC on bringing our sport to an ever expanding audience.”

Snooker World Ranking: Selby Determined To Stay On Top

Mark Selby believes he has produced the most consistent form of his career in 2016 and has no intention of letting slip snooker’s world number one spot.

Over the past eight months Selby has won 39 out of 46 matches on the pro tour, winning the Gdynia Open and Paul Hunter Classic in that period as well as his second World Championship crown.

And he goes into next week’s Coral English Open in Manchester full of confidence as he looks to extend a 20-month spell at the top of the rankings.

“I have been more consistent than at any other time in my career this year,” said the 33-year-old, who is through to the semi-finals of the European Masters in Romania after a 4-0 win over Alfie Burden today. “I went through a phase of getting to finals and not converting them into wins. The difference this year is that I have been winning finals, other than the one against Ding Junhui in Shanghai last month.

“When I kept losing finals it really hurt and made me more hungry to work harder to get that extra edge. I have not changed anything technically, I have just become more determined. And I know that when I’m not on my A game I can still scrap out wins and that’s a great thing to have in my locker.

“There are always young guns coming through trying to knock me off the perch, like Kyren Wilson and Anthony McGill who have won tournaments. I have will to win and keep going, rather than getting complacent.”

The Coral English Open runs from October 10-16 at Event City in Manchester and it is the first of the new Home Nations series of tournaments. Leicester’s Selby is up against Gary Wilson in his opening match on Tuesday.

The tournament will be televised live by Eurosport and Quest. Home Nations events will follow in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with any player winning all four to receive a massive £1 million bonus.

Tickets for next week are still available and start at just £10.

Mark Selby

There are 32 matches in all on Tuesday including Ronnie O’Sullivan v Jimmy Robertson, Judd Trump v Ken Doherty and Selby v Gary Wilson.

There are also 32 matches on Monday including Jimmy White v Zhou Yuelong and Stuart Bingham v Robert Milkins.

For the full draw and format visit http://www.worldsnooker.com and for ticket details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

Home Nations events
Coral English Open – Event City, Manchester, October 10-16
Northern Ireland Open – Titanic Exhibition Centre Belfast, November 14-20
Scottish Open – Emirates Arena, December 12-18
Welsh Open – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, February 13-19

See Rocket Ronnie And Co At Snooker’s Iconic Preston Guild Hall

Top snooker stars including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson will be playing in the qualifying rounds of two world ranking events at the Guild Hall in Preston later this month.

The European Masters qualifiers run from September 26 to 28 with all 128 players aiming to get through to the final stages in Romania.

Then the International Championship qualifiers take place from September 29 to October 1, with players needing to win one match to make it to the final stages in China.

Five time World Champion O’Sullivan will be competing in professional tournaments in the UK for the first time since the World Championship last April.

In the European Masters he faces Chinese cueman Lyu Chenwei on Tuesday September 27 at 7pm. Then in the International Championship he takes on Blackpool’s James Cahill on Thursday September 29 at 7.30pm. For the full draw and format see http://www.worldsnooker.com

Ronnie O’Sullivan

The Guild Hall is one of snooker’s most iconic venues having hosted many tournaments including the UK Championship. And the multi-table set up gives fans the chance to watch several big matches during the same session.

Tickets cost just £5 per day – incredible value to see the best cue kings on the planet. BOOK NOW by visiting http://www.prestonguildhall.com/tickets

Mark Selby Wins Paul Hunter Snooker Classic in Fürth Germany.

Mark Selby won his first title of the season by beating Tom Ford 4-2 in the final of the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany.

Selby got the better of an all-Leicester final to cement his position as world number one and collect his first trophy since winning the World Championship in May.

It’s an eighth career ranking title for 33-year-old Selby, who earned the top prize of 25,000 Euros at the tournament in Fürth.

Selby failed to get beyond the last 32 of his first two events of the season but went all the way this time by winning seven consecutive matches.

In the final, he took the opening frame with a break of 85 then world number 40 Ford, who was aiming for his first ranking title, won the second. Frame three came down to the colours and Selby nicked it by potting pink and black.

Ford’s run of 67 made it 2-2, but Selby regained the lead with a break of 72 before clinching victory in frame six with a run of 58.

“It’s always great to win a tournament and I can take a lot of confidence from it,” said Selby, who also won the Paul Hunter Classic in 2011 and 2012. “It wasn’t a good final, Tom missed a few balls. But it’s always a great tournament here in Germany with fantastic crowds.”

Ford added: “I’m disappointed by the way I played in the final because I had been scoring heavily all week but it wasn’t there today.”

In the semi-finals, Ford beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-2 while Selby saw off Dominic Dale by the same scoreline.

Other highlights of the tournament included Thailand’s Un-Nooh making a 147 on Saturday, the first maximum of his career and worth a £40,000 bonus, as well as veteran Jimmy White reaching the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time in 12 years before his run was ended by Dale.

Mark Selby

Results (Last 16 onwards)

Last 16

Mark Davis 4-3 Liam Highfield

Mark Selby 4-2 Sam Baird

Jimmy White 4-2 Michael White

Dominic Dale 4-1 Yan Bingtao

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-3 Mark Allen

David Grace 4-0 Robbie Williams

Jamie Jones 4-0 Gerard Greene

Tom Ford 4-1 Zack Richardson

Quarter-finals

Selby 4-1 Davis

Dale 4-2 White

Un-Nooh 4-3 Grace

Ford 4-1 Jones

Semi-finals

Selby 4-2 Dale

Ford 4-2 Un-Nooh

Final
Selby 4-2 Ford