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**hotpot** · 23 March 2010, 09:06 PM

Congratulation to the wee lad and i wish him all the best in the future

**Terry Davidson** · 23 March 2010, 11:23 PM

snookerdad:

Just in case I happen to be over in the UK during one of these events, can anybody enter? I mean, does one have to be a UK resident?

I just like to play in tournaments and sometimes when I come over to see Nic in Milton Keynes we have some spare days. Maybe I can convince him to come along now that he's back playing competitively

Terry

**MattWilson** · 23 March 2010, 11:29 PM

Funny you should say that Terry, I played Nic in the Thames Vally league tonight! He taught me a lesson, although giving him 16 start was always gonna be tricky!

Anyone can play, you just have to join Cuestars on the day (£5) and then pay £15 entry fee and away you go. All players of all standards can play, but it's all off levels.

With regards to Shane, well done to the kid. I hope he is advised well by the people close to him and that he keeps on the right track. It's so hard for kids not to get sidetracked and go down the wrong paths in their teenage years. Shane has a great chance to be very very good - I hope he grasps that opportunity.

Most of all though, well done.

MW

**noel** · 24 March 2010, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by MattWilson View Post

I hope he is advised well by the people close to him and that he keeps on the right track. It's so hard for kids not to get sidetracked and go down the wrong paths in their teenage years. Shane has a great chance to be very very good - I hope he grasps that opportunity.

Well said Matt...
puts me in mind of just how does one not hamper or hinder the primary joy that propelled Shane to be... in this discussion?

It is rare.
That gift is so bloody fickle and fleeting and to be nurtured...

Please Do Not Scare Off the Gods of Snooker.
It matters.

Noel

**Terry Davidson** · 24 March 2010, 11:39 AM

matt:

OK, I need clarification on that post. The way I read it you had to give Nic a 16 start? I figured since he is a pro and played in the World's this year he would have to give up the start.

I don't remember your name from the list of pros in SnookerScene. Are you a pro and ranked higher than Nicf (since he is above 100 somewhere I imagine)

Terry

**MattWilson** · 24 March 2010, 12:24 PM

No Terry, you read correctly. Here is the full story:-

I am the lowest handicapped player in our league at -50, next lowest is my teammate (ex-pro 15 years ago) who is on -34. Nic was introduced to the league initially (or so I thought) for a one-off match to help out one of the teams who were short of players. Therefore, we had to give him a "fair" handicap... I was not told that he was practicing again, or that he was entering the World Championships this year. I advised the League to put him off -34 as this was a normal handicap for former pro's who did not play as much anymore.

It soon became quite obvious that Nic was playing very well, but once he had played 2 or 3 matches, it would have been unfair on the teams against whom he had played already to drop his handicap to match mine at that point. He's only dropped one frame out of about 12 or so since joining and has caused a few moans and groans amongst the diehard TVSL players, through no fault of his own.

It was a good game last night, I went about 40 ahead in the first frame and Nic cleared with 50 to pinch it on the pink and then he won the second frame fairly comfortably. Frustrating though it was to lose 2-0, I enjoyed playing a player of Nic's standard and I would welcome him to play in our league every year. He looks like he's enjoying his snooker again and it's always nice to have more good players playing in the area.

FYI - I'm not a pro, never have been and don't intend on being! I play for fun on the EASB Pro-Ticket Tour and regional events (Cuestars, pro-ams etc). The official world rankings only go up to 96 (96 professionals on the tour only) so I'm not sure that Nic even has a world ranking currently.

MW

**madman** · 30 March 2010, 07:47 PM

There are only 96 pro's on the main tour. World snooker still let you call yourself a 'professional' if you pay your £100 membership every year. This then allows you to enter the world championships, or just so you can be involved at pro level for meetings etc.

If you want to go down this route though, it then bars you from entering any EASB events, as you have to be an amateur to enter these events and register as a member with the easb, and as you can only be either a pro or amateur, you can only register as one.

Technically, by registering as a professional, i expect he is liable to give an 18start at any pro-ams if it says pro's have to give starts, even though he is not on the main tour, but not all pro-ams make pro's give starts, a lot are off scratch, unless the majority start moaning.

The one way round the membership, what a few players do, is to sign up as an easb member at the beginning of the season, play in the pro-ticket ranking events as an amateur, if they have not done to well, they then resign their membership after christmas to sign up as a pro for the worlds.

But i think technically this is not allowed, as when you sign up to either body, it is for the whole season/year, so even if you resigned your membership half way through the season, technically they should not let you sign up for the other body until that season has finished. But i have known players that have done this.

But i expect next season will all change, as Hearn is letting amateurs take part in the professional Grand-Prix ranking event. So if he lets amateurs enter this event while registered as amateurs with their governing bodies, he most probably will revert back to letting amateurs back in the worlds, without making players have to sign as pro's.

**Souwester** · 30 March 2010, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by madman View Post

The one way round the membership, what a few players do, is to sign up as an easb member at the beginning of the season, play in the pro-ticket ranking events as an amateur, if they have not done to well, they then resign their membership after christmas to sign up as a pro for the worlds.

I'm not aware that any player has resigned their membership of EASB mid-season, at least in recent years, although I guess there would be nothing to stop them. Whether WPBSA would admit them mid-season is another matter. I thought they had to be signed up at the start of the season, but I may well be wrong.

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12-year-old is youngest Cuestars winner

12-year-old is youngest Cuestars winner

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