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**Diable Rouge** · 05-05-2014, 17:49

Snooker 2013/2014

Tension-packed, nerve-shredding - and that's just how the TV audience's feeling! Providing Ronnie recovers sufficiently to put frames on the board, this has the potential to go well past the witching hour.

**Calvert** · 05-05-2014, 19:01

Snooker 2013/2014

That bloke has some collection of Coventry replica jerseys.
He's got a different one for every session.

Come on Selby.

**Calvert** · 05-05-2014, 19:20

Snooker 2013/2014

Selby eroding Ronnie's belief slowly but surely.

Two frames clear.

**longeared** · 05-05-2014, 20:27

Snooker 2013/2014

There was a chap this afternoon wearing a Basingstoke Town shirt.

15-14. Final frame decider somewhere around midnight anyone?

**Diable Rouge** · 05-05-2014, 21:29

Snooker 2013/2014

Nah - no comeback materialises, and Selby secures a surprisingly swift 18-14 victory.

**Outside Agent** · 05-05-2014, 23:57

Snooker 2013/2014

That was a great final. Have to go back to the 2003 decider between Mark Williams & Ken Doherty to find one as good.

Selby produced some wonderful shots in those final frames - none more so than his pot that took the white up and back from the baulk end and into the two reds that were kissing the pink, freeing them in the process.

**David Agnew** · 06-05-2014, 00:06

Snooker 2013/2014

David Agnew wrote:
Mark Selby (2) v Michael White (30)
However, this time round his schedule looks to be one that he could have handpicked himself. If he progresses, he has two days off, then two days on, then three days off, two on, then playing every day, but his QF would finish first and his SF start last, meaning just two sessions in two days where everyone else would have at least three. And considering he's 11/1 (compared to being a 4/1 favourite of the last couple of years), I'd say he's worth a punt to reach the final.

Yeah, I'm going to sing my own praises.

**Diable Rouge** · 06-05-2014, 11:18

Snooker 2013/2014

Apparently, some of the highest ratings the final has had for years: a 3.5 mil average, and 5.5 peak audience - anything that nobbles Bear Grylls is good in anyone's book.

**David Agnew** · 06-05-2014, 11:56

Snooker 2013/2014

It won't stop Patrick Collins writing his usual bullshit about how snooker's viewing figures are declining, and how it should be taken off air.

I mean, I assume he writes a new one each year, it could well just be the same article dusted off each year for the last 20 years.

**David Agnew** · 10-05-2014, 00:50

Snooker 2013/2014

And finally, we have the last tournament of the season: Q School. Eight places up for grabs on the tour. More entrants than ever before (despite the number of places being reduced from 12), possibly because the entry fee is reduced, but maybe because of the large number of pros coming off the tour, trying to get back on.

Of the 145 entrants, there are fourteen of last seasons pros - including Zhang Anda, Craig Steadman, Liam Highfield, and Tian Pengfei, who would have been ranked 50 under the old system, and comfortably still on tour, but didn't make the cut on the ranking list, and Iranian Hossein Vafaei who only took part in one tournament in two years after work permit difficulties, but if he plays in Q School, it will be because he has managed to acquire one. There are players from 23 countries taking part (inluding Hong Kong, Belgium, Russia, Portugal, Israel and Austria) and a handful of former pros, including young Pole Kacper Filipiak, Bolton-based Pakistani Shokat Ali, Indian Lucky Vatnani (whose own work permit issues were a huge factor in him losing his tour place), Mauritian Richard Somauroo, former World Champion Quarter-Finalist Lee Walker, former English Amateur Champion Anthony Harris, 10 time Womens World Champion Reanne Evans, and most notably 1989 Honk Kong Open winner and two time Masters runner-up and Eurosport Commentator Mike Hallett.

But, there are loads of players out there who haven't been pros who will be involved in the shake up: Two years after declining a guaranteed place on the tour, Filipino pool star Alex Pagulayan enters, as does American Amateur Champion Corey Deuel (who you would have thought would have been a great shout for the Americas tour nomination), but most of the top amateurs are homegrown: Shane Castle, Ryan Causton, Jamie Rhys Clarke, Rhys Clark, Matthew Day, Gareth Green, Christopher Keogan, Sanderson Lam, Mitchell Mann, John Parkin, Zack Richardson, Eden Sharav and Sydney Wilson are all good enough for the tour (and arguably better than some already on it). Surprisingly Mitchell Travis, (who as one of the best performers in last seasons Q School got to be a top-up player in ranking events, beating Marco Fu in the UK Championship) doesn't enter.

Q School runs with two knockout tournaments, with the semi-finalists qualiyfying, each one lasting for five days.

**Rogin the Armchair fan** · 10-05-2014, 08:01

Snooker 2013/2014

I think Corey Dueul's a top pool player as well - hasn't he been in the Mosconi Cup?

**David Agnew** · 13-05-2014, 12:57

Snooker 2013/2014

I don't know, I don't follow pool.

Contrasting fortunes - Pagulayan beat Lewis Frampton 4-0, Deuel lost 4-0 to Daniel Wells. Don't know much about Frampton, Wells stormed through this process in 2012, and was one of the highest ranked pros to drop out, so can't judge the standard of either so far.

**hawkvshandsaw** · 15-05-2014, 12:24

Snooker 2013/2014

Zhang, Steadman and Tiang all straight back on tour, plus newcomer Chris Melling.

**David Agnew** · 16-05-2014, 12:14

Snooker 2013/2014

Melling's been on the tour before, about a decade ago, with little success. Tiang should never have dropped off, and the other two aren't surprises. Pagulayan did well in the end, losing 4-2 to Jamie Rhys Clarke in what was effectively a semi-final. I'd fancy him to go one better, as he has one of the easier eighths (only Chen Zhe and John Sutton look pro tour quality), but then he'd face the player from the toughest eighth (John Parkin, Kishan Hirani, Liam Highfield, Justin Astley, Duane Jones and Matthew Day are all strong players).

**David Agnew** · 21-05-2014, 23:50

Snooker 2013/2014

Liam Highfield and Michael Leslie also regain their places. Michael Georgiou and Lee Walker also return to the tour.

And that wraps up the 2013/4 season. Next season starts on Saturday with the Wuxi Classic qualifiers.

**David Agnew** · 24-05-2014, 15:42

Snooker 2013/2014

And 2014-2015 starts on a low note, with Ali Carter withdrawing from the Wuxi Classic due to being diagnosed with lung cancer.

**Gangster Octopus** · 28-05-2014, 16:01

Snooker 2013/2014

Crikey. It's not like it's played in smokey rooms any more.

**hawkvshandsaw** · 09-06-2014, 10:32

Snooker 2013/2014

Lee's pleaded guilty, then. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27762274

**David Agnew** · 10-06-2014, 12:01

Snooker 2013/2014

Gangster Octopus wrote: Crikey. It's not like it's played in smokey rooms any more.

Carter has Crohn's disease, which appearently increases your chances of getting cancer - Carter's already beaten testicular cancer.