Pontins International Open Series

[cajt]

The final event in the PIOS series is now under way. The top eight on the merit table will be promoted to next season's tour and five players - Liu Song, Ian Preece, Tian Pengfei, Chris Melling and Paul S. Davison - are already guaranteed a place.

There are 16 players left in the tournament and most of them still have an outside chance of taking one of the three remaining spots available.

At the moment, Mark Joyce, Andrew Higginson and Lee Page occupy the other three places but all could change and I will keep you posted on how today's results effect the table.

[cajt]

With only eight players now left in, Mark Joyce is now guaranteed a place in the top eight.

The last two places on next season's main tour are between Lee Page, Andrew Higginson, Stephen Rowlings, Craig Taylor, Craig Steadman and Jamie O'Neill.

[cajt]

In fact Higginson cannot be pushed out of the top eight so his palce is guaranteed as well. Lee page just needs to win his quarter final against Jamie O'Neill to clinch the final spot.

[reverse_side]

it seems they work as hard as Pro's; longer season? Can't follow anything on the WSA site as it's strangely under construction.

is it 8up and 8 current Pro's down?

[cajt]

The qualification system is quite complex.

The top 64 from the main ranking list (2 year points) and the 8 top points scorers from the one year points not already qualified will be on next season's tour. Then there are the top 8 from the Pontins International Open Series.

The remaining 16 places go to
2006 European Under-19 Champion (Ben Woolaston)
2006 European Champion (decided in June)
European play-off winner (June)
2006 Asian Champion (June)
2006 Asian Under-21 Champion (May)
Asian Federation nominee
IBSF World Under-21 Champion ( details still to be announced)
IBSF World Champion (Michael White won the replacement event, the IBSF Grand Prix) but he is too young to play on the tour)
2006 Oceania Champion (Dene O'Kane)

Then there are 6 nominees from the home assocaiations, 2 from England and one each from Wales, Scotland, Nothern Ireland and the Republic.

Finally the WSA will nominate one further player, (or possibly two as there is no qualified IBSF World Champion.)

[cajt]

In fact Higginson cannot be pushed out of the top eight so his palce is guaranteed as well. Lee page just needs to win his quarter final against Jamie O'Neill to clinch the final spot.

Page has lost but is still in the eighth qialifying spot. Either Craig Steadman or Jamie O'Neill can catch him but one of them would need to win the tournament.

[cajt]

PONTINS INTERNATIOANL OPEN EVENT 8

Semi Finals:

Mark Joyce 1-5 Jamie O'Neill
Andrew Higginson 5-2 Craig Steadman

FINAL

JAMIE O'NEILL 3 - 6 ANDREW HIGGINSON

So Jamie misses out on a main tour spot as far as this event is concerned. The eight players who go onto next season's tour, in the order they finished on the merit table, are:-

Liu Song, Andrew Higginson, Ian Preece, Chris Melling, Mark Joyce, Paul S. Davison, Tian Pengfei and Lee Page.

This means that there will be at least four Chinese players on the tour with possibly more to come from the Asian qualifying events.

Mark Joyce, Tian Pengfei and Lee Page will be making their debuts on the main ranking tour.