On/Off the tour?

[chasmmi]

Now that's just so late it's silly if you ask me.

[dannyd0g]

I see Patrick Wallace has also found his way back in. According to The Shanghai draw anyway.

[DartsMadJohn]

About the only thing you can say in favour of the EASB system is that at least the player who wins the play-off will have some form going into Shanghai.

[gavhay]

I see Patrick Wallace has also found his way back in. According to The Shanghai draw anyway.

I am pretty sure that he was N.Ireland nomination

[JanieWatkins]

Vincent Muldoon, who won the 3rd place play off in the European Championships last weekend has now been told he will not get the European place on the Main Tour (despite both winner and finalist being aleady qualified)

The place has been given to Issara Kachaiwong.

That's good news for Issara who thoroughly deserved to keep his place, but devastating for Vincent who played through and won his place.

[Alex0paul]

Vincent Muldoon, who won the 3rd place play off in the European Championships last weekend has now been told he will not get the European place on the Main Tour (despite both winner and finalist being aleady qualified)

The place has been given to Issara Kachaiwong.

That's good news for Issara who thoroughly deserved to keep his place, but devastating for Vincent who played through and won his place.

That is shocking! Why on earth has it been given to Kachaiwong, surely it would be better if it was given to Haneveer as he finished 4th? He has been very unlucky in the past too losing twice in the European under 19 finals.

[DartsMadJohn]

How can Haneveer not deserve a place seeing as he only just missed qualifying from THREE different events (Play-offs, Euro champs and PIOS).

I would have given Muldoon, Haneveer and Kachaiwong places on the Main Tour - Muldoon for his European Championship performance, through which he was entitled to qualify anyway, Haneveer I would pick in place of Steve Mifsud (who never even reached the semi-finals of the Oceania championship, yet is somehow worthy of a Main Tour place?), and Kachaiwong would have had the WSA invite currently in possession of Alfie Burden.

[chasmmi]

If they didn't want to give the third place player a tour card then why not just qualify Van Hove as European Champion and give the playoff qualifying spot to whoever was runner up in that.

I dunno obviously there is a clear reason why a Thai player gets given a European place that I am not seeing. (Probably a similar reason why said Thai players perfromances last year were apparently not up to the standard displayed by Alfie Burden.

(P.S I never noticed Liu Chuang had been given a spot, is it new or am I blind?)

[DartsMadJohn]

Both finalists were already guaranteed main tour places - van Hove won, and Goggins finished top of the Irish national rankings, so under your system Muldoon and Haneveer would have still had to play each other for the second Tour place.

As for Liu Chuang, what has he actually done to deserve his place? Saenla was Asian champ, Xiao was U-21 champ. Did Chuang finish top of the Chinese national rankings or something?

[Monique]

That is shocking! Why on earth has it been given to Kachaiwong, surely it would be better if it was given to Haneveer as he finished 4th? He has been very unlucky in the past too losing twice in the European under 19 finals.

May I just put forward an iconoclast reason? Asia in a huge prospect and market to be for developping snooker. Belgium is just a tiny country that its politicians want to further split in three parts if they have their say ...
Count your cents...

[chasmmi]

Even so Belgium and Thailand snookerwise are very similar countries. Both have a suprisingly large interest in snooker compared to neighbouring countries constantly producing a fair number of professional standard players.

In fact the only difference I really see is that to date Beligium hasn't had a Wattana. If that happened then Belgium could well overtake Thailand as far as position on the snooker map is concerned.

[Alex0paul]

Both finalists were already guaranteed main tour places - van Hove won, and Goggins finished top of the Irish national rankings, so under your system Muldoon and Haneveer would have still had to play each other for the second Tour place.

As for Liu Chuang, what has he actually done to deserve his place? Saenla was Asian champ, Xiao was U-21 champ. Did Chuang finish top of the Chinese national rankings or something?

I suppose he was given the place because he is 17 and huge prospect for China. Makes a bit more sense than a player who may be past his peak and probably wouldn't be up to the standard whereas he has time to learn. However I personally think the wildcard place should have gone to Yu De Lu as he is of similiar age and was a semi finalist in the Asia Under 21 championships.

[DartsMadJohn]

In fact the only difference I really see is that to date Beligium hasn't had a Wattana. If that happened then Belgium could well overtake Thailand as far as position on the snooker map is concerned.

Who have Belgium actually got that could possibly fill the role? Haneveer has never made much impact in the pro ranks, I can't see van Hove doing so either, and they are the only two Belgian players I know!

[t.lavery55]

Perhaps during the future,including this coming season
when a player elects not to enter a tournament someone like
Bjorn Haneveer, who narrowly failed to be on the main tour
should take their place.

What do you guys think?

[chasmmi]

And thefinal name is... Martin Gould


The list is complete:

Top 64 Two Year List


John Higgins
Graeme Dott
Shaun Murphy
Ken Doherty
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Peter Ebdon
Neil Robertson
Stephen Hendry
Ding Junhui
Stephen Maguire
Mark Selby
Mark Williams
Stephen Lee
Allister Carter
Steve Davis
Ryan Day
Joe Swail
Joe Perry
Barry Hawkins
Matthew Stevens
Mark King
Jamie Cope
Stuart Bingham
Michael Holt
Nigel Bond
Anthony Hamilton
Marco Fu
Ian McCulloch
Mark Allen
Dave Harold
Dominic Dale
Gerard Greene
James Wattana
Michael Judge
David Gray
Ricky Walden
Fergal O’Brien
Alan McManus
John Parrott
Adrian Gunnell
Andy Hicks
Andrew Norman
Mark Davis
Andrew Higginson
Dave Gilbert
Jamie Burnett
Robert Milkins
Rory McLeod
Rod Lawler
Tom Ford
Judd Trump
Marcus Campbell
Stuart Pettman
David Roe
Robin Hull
Barry Pinches
Drew Henry
Joe Delaney
Mike Dunn
Jimmy White
Jimmy Michie
Paul Davies
Scott MacKenzie
Ian Preece



Top 8 One Year List

Liang Wenbo

Tian Pengfei

Tony Drago

Joe Jogia

Lee Spick

David Morris

Liu Song

Mark Joyce



8 PIOS Rankings

Lee Walker (Wales)

Jamie O'Neill (England)

Munraj Pal (England)

Leo Fernandez (England)

Matt Selt (England)

James McBain (Scotland)

Alex Davies (England)

Ashley Wright (England)



International Nominations

2007 European Under 19 Champion - Michael White (Wales)

2007 European Play Off Champion - Kevin Van Hove (Belgium)

2007 Asian Champion - Supoj Saenla (Thailand)

2007 Asian Under 21 Champion - Xiao Guodong (China)

2006 IBSF World Amateur Champion - Kurt Maflin (Norway)

Oceania - Steve Mifsud (Australia)

Asia - Liu Chuang (China)

2007 IBSF World Under 21 Champion - (goes to 2008-9 tour)



NGB Nominations

England 1 - Jimmy Robertson

England 2 - Martin Gould

Wales 1 - Gareth Coppack

Northern Ireland 1 - Patrick Wallace

Republic of Ireland 1 - Rodney Goggins

Scotland 1 - Fraser Patrick



World Snooker Invite

Alfie Burden (England)

Ben Woollaston (England)

Issara Kachaiwong (Thailand)

Total 96