Ssb - seniors set for world championship

[MySockPuppet]

The first World Seniors Championship for 19 years will be staged next season, featuring some of snooker's best known faces.

Seven world champions - Steve Davis, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor, Alex Higgins, Joe Johnson and Peter Ebdon - as well as Jimmy White will be seeded through to the final stages of the over 40s event in November.

A qualifying competition next month is set to include Tony Drago, Mike Hallett, Darren Morgan, David Taylor, Nigel Bond, Dave Harold, Tony Knowles and Joe Swail.

Cliff Wilson beat Eddie Charlton 5-4 in the final of the 1991 World Seniors Championship.

There have been other seniors events since but this is the first to carry the World Championship title and will carry prize money of £50,000.

Johnson, one of the co-organisers, said: “I have been working very hard to pull this concept together and I am glad that with World Snooker’s help we are making it a reality.

"I cannot wait to get out on the floor and battle it out with my old friends and adversaries. Snooker fans have been crying out for this type of event and I am sure that we will do our best to put on an entertaining Championship.”

The qualifiers will be held at Cue Gardens, Bradford from May 28-30.

The televised final stages will be held at Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford from November 5-7.


More...

[noel]

Hendry would win this handily.



=o)

Noel

[gmg]

I'd prefer to see some stricter criteria for this tournament, such as excluding main tour players and keeping the age limit to 50 so that the likes of Alex, Thorburn, Dennis, Johnson, Knowles, and co actually have a chance. They're only likely to be discouraged otherwise. Nobody really wants to see the likes of Dave Harold or Nigel Bond anyway and if you'd like to see Hendry, Doherty or Davis then there's still plenty of chances of doing so at a main tour venue. Btw, would also have been nice to see the likes of Kirk Stevens and the Great WT (the current seniors champion) included in this.
G.

[screw-back]

the great WT?, Yeah, right!!!!!!

[stuartfanning]

Wonder why Willie Thorne isn't taking part. It just proves he's all talk!

[simon dent]

Agree that no main tour pro's younger than 50 (except Jimmy) should be included. What would be very interesting to see is if the TV ratings outdo modern tournaments, for viewers to see the older, sometimes more familiar household names from the past.

Is it being televised, because it should be?

[lennon11]

Wonder why Willie Thorne isn't taking part. It just proves he's all talk!

think wt has some kind of eye problem that needs an operation.

[mick farrell]

Cliff Wilson beat Eddie Charlton 5-4 in the final of the 1991 World Seniors Championship.

What was the age criteria for the 1991 Championship? Cliff would have been about 56 & Eddie 61 years old for that final.

[noel]

think wt has some kind of eye "I" problem that needs an operation.

=o)

Noel

[lennon11]

=o)

Noel

yeah thats a fair call too!!

[DandyA]

think wt has some kind of "I" problem that needs an operation

=o)
Noel

well said Noel ... if WT's ego was surgically removed, it'd be doing snooker fans a big favour and make the world a much better planet to live on ...

[nico2176]

is the event going to be televised ?

just hoping this event is televised on national television,? as there are many many fans who just i know would tune in for this tournment.

[Giggity1984]

=o)

Noel

That wasn't the right post for me. That wasn't the bad post, it was the post before that, that was poor.

[1lawyer]

I'd prefer to see some stricter criteria for this tournament, such as excluding main tour players and keeping the age limit to 50 so that the likes of Alex, Thorburn, Dennis, Johnson, Knowles, and co actually have a chance. They're only likely to be discouraged otherwise. Nobody really wants to see the likes of Dave Harold or Nigel Bond anyway and if you'd like to see Hendry, Doherty or Davis then there's still plenty of chances of doing so at a main tour venue. Btw, would also have been nice to see the likes of Kirk Stevens and the Great WT (the current seniors champion) included in this.
G.

Totally agree with this poster. Allowing pro players still in the top 32 to take part defeats the object of this event and makes it a nonsense.
I would not mind seeing Kirk in his white suit again along with Thorburn and Taylor, Virgo and the Hurricane of course etc.,
But they have no chance against someone still competing at the elite level on the main tour.

The criteria for entry into this event needs looking at in all honesty, otherwise its just have another snooker legends tour type exhibition and not an event.