Former professionals will dust down their Snooker cues to play on the ever-growing World Seniors Tour next season as the Tour prepares to go global.
One such player is 55-year-old Dene O'Kane, who was a former World number 18, who reached the quarter-finals on two occasions and also reached a world ranking event final where he lost 9 - 8 in the final of the Hong Kong Open after being 8 - 6 up to Mike Hallett. O'Kane, from New Zealand, will be retracing his steps to Hong Kong in 2018/19 where he will be playing in the UK Seniors Championship qualifier at the 120 Snooker Club Kowloon, Hong Kong in September on the 21st to the 23rd.
Such players have a chance to get to play Legends such as Stephen Hendry 7-times World Champion.
O'Kane said on the New Zealand Snooker Association website: "I am delighted to be a part of the new World Seniors Snooker Tour. I must say it is long overdue and will be the perfect platform for many ex-professional players to compete again together with new opportunities for amateur players in participating countries.”
World snooker legends
Last season, a surprising winner of the World Seniors Snooker Championship under the partnership of the WPBSA and Snooker Legends was Jersey's Aaron Canavan, who lifted the trophy in Scunthorpe. This season, Jersey will also be hosting a World Seniors Championship qualifier.
The tour saw Legends Jimmy White, Steve Davis, Cliff Thorburn all rekindle winning ways in this exciting new time of snooker for those over 40 and amateurs participating in qualifiers under the dare to dream hashtag branded by Snooker Legends. The World Seniors Snooker Championship prize money winning pot goes up this season from £10,000 to £25,000, SeniorSnooker.com advised.
When the expanding tour was announced at the Crucible a few weeks ago, the founder of the Snooker Legends tour, Jason Francis (see video), told World Snooker, “It is a proud and historic day for me to help create new opportunities for players, whether they are former world champions or enthusiastic club players.
I am grateful for the support from World Snooker and the WPBSA for helping us to make this a reality.”
Key dates for the summer months
Key dates for the diary on the WSCT are these for the summer months. Coming up:
- July sees the European Open qualifier to be played in Ireland at the North West Snooker Centre, Letterkenny on the 20th and 21st.
- In August there's a qualifier again for the European Open to be played in Belgium on the 17/19.
- September sees Barratts Snooker Club in Northampton host a European Open qualifier. The actual European Open final stages will be in October with the venue yet to be confirmed. There will be also UK Seniors Championship qualifiers in Hong Kong and Clacton-on-sea in this month.
This year the UK Seniors Championship won in 2017 by Jimmy White will be going to Hull.
At the end of a busy season, there is a bit of fun planned as there will be a Top 16 Shootout which will be held at the iconic Norbreck Castle hotel in Blackpool, where back in the day, it was a bustling place for holding qualifiers for world ranking events.
The Snooker Legends website has more tour dates and other information about the World Seniors Tour.
