Jester from Leicester Mark Selby continues to dominate at the top of the World Rankings after his three World ranking titles this season. But, lower down the top 16 and beyond it is all change. Judd Trump, who picked up his seventh ranking title in Llandudno at the weekend has shuffled his way up to the Number two spot knocking Welsh Open winner Stuart Bingham into third.
Trump, 27, claimed the Ladbrokes Players Championship in North Wales and pocketed a tidy £125,000 for his final clash with Marco Fu beating the Hong Kong snooker ace 10 - 8. However, for the Class Of 92, which includes John Higgins, Mark Williams and Ronnie O'Sullivan, things look slightly different.
Class of 92: Williams out
Mark Williams is no longer in the elite top 16 - and is currently 22 in the World rankings. This is a first since the Welsh potting machine may well end up having to qualify for the Crucible in under four weeks time by winning three matches at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre. Another player who has slipped out of the 16 is Joe Perry at 17. There is just one more World ranking event to go before the World Championship qualifiers - the China Open.
Williams, 41, began his career way back in 1992, and finished the 92/93 season 119th in the World. By 2000, the Welsh wonder was World Champion and World number one. He enjoyed the number one spot in at least four seasons.
However, since he hasn't won a ranking title since 2011 the German Masters, he has slipped from the top 5 in the World to 16th, but now has slipped down to that 22nd spot.
Welshman Ryan Day, who had a great World Grand Prix run in Preston, is now at 16th - with Shootout King Anthony McGill and Kettering's Kyren Wilson just above him.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is still hanging in there on 13th in the World rankings - and was beaten by his young protegee Judd Trump in Llandudno in the quarter-finals.
It's a far cry from last season where the China Open saw China's number one snooker player Ding Junhui struggling in the lower 16 and ended up being knocked out having to play three matches at Ponds Forge to qualify for the Crucible.
One highlight of Ding's season is this amazing clearance in Llandudno last week with his clash with Marco Fu in the semi-finals. Watch below...
Of course, as a qualifier he was one of two to reach the semi-finals, where he knocked out Scotland's safety king Alan McManus to play Selby in the World final. Ding is now 4th in the World. As the World rankings have shown this season, it's better to come good towards the latter part of the season for that all important place in the 16 to qualify automatically for the Crucible! McGill's Shootout victory certainly helped!
