Reanne Evans loses the Ladies’ Snooker Championship after ten years of supremacy

It has been a disappointing month for Reanne Evans in terms of her snooker career. After trying and narrowly failing to overcome Ken Doherty in the qualifying rounds at the World Championships, she has now lost her hold on the women's title as well. It means that a new name will go on the trophy after Evans relinquishes her ten year reign as the ladies' world champion. Her conqueror at the semi-final stage was Ng On Yee, who will face either Emma Bonney or Jaique Ip in the final.

Evans had been given a wildcard into the three rounds of qualifying that preceded the televised stages in Sheffield for the World Championship.

After consistently defeating the best players that the world had to offer in the women's game, it was felt that she deserved her opportunity against the best men across the globe. She performed admirably in the first round, taking on and matching for a good extent the former world champion Doherty. Ultimately she came up short and bowed out 10-8, ending her dream of becoming the first woman to make the Crucible stages and the first round proper.

She still had the World Ladies' Snooker Championship to look forward to at the Northern Snooker Centre though. After battling her way through to the last-four she came up against Hong Kong's 24-year-old Ng On Yee, but surprisingly lost 4-2. For the Hong Kong woman it was sweet revenge, after losing to Evans 6-0 in last year's final.

On Yee has been coached in the past by Wayne Griffiths, son of the 1979 world champion Terry.

There will no doubt be many within the women's game who will welcome a new winner. Surely it can only be good for the development of the sport if more women are competing for the top prizes. An Asian winner could help the spread and popularity of the women's game, as men's snooker is already very popular on that continent.

Yet one wonders if the possibility of qualifying for the World Championship itself may have distracted Evans and taken away some of her focus. Thankfully at the age of 29 she should still have many years left to regain her position at the summit of women's snooker.