World Series of Snooker

World Series of Snooker
Tournament information
Venue Pavilhão Arena
Location Portimao
Country Portugal
Established 1987
Organisation(s) FSTC Sports Management
Format Non-ranking event
Final Year 2009/2010
Final champion(s) Shaun Murphy

The Sportingbet.com World Series of Snooker was a series of invitational snooker tournaments set up as a complement to the WPBSA's tour[1] Its first season was played in 2008/2009, consisting of four two-day tournaments in St. Helier, Berlin, Moscow and Warsaw and the three-day Grand Final in Portimão.

It featured ten leading players — each tournament featured four of these taking on four wild cards. Points were awarded for reaching at least the semi-finals. The winner of each tournament received five points, the runner-up three and losing semi-finalists one each. These points determined seeding positions for the Grand Final.

There was a previous incarnation of the event organised by Matchroom Sport, that ran in the 1987/88 season, and from 1990/91 until 1992/93.[2]

Contents

Management and purpose

The tour was set up by FSTC Sports Management, who manage leading snooker players John Higgins and Graeme Dott, as well as Eurosport (who screen the events alongside the coverage of the WPBSA tour), Higgins,[3] and leading referee Michaela Tabb. Higgins felt that the game's attendances were too low, and that potential new venues outside the game's traditional United Kingdom and recently-developed Far East markets were not being utilised, and wanted to give something back to the sport.[4] After conducting exploratory tours and playing a trial event 2007 in Warsaw (the Warsaw Snooker Tour), the first season was arranged. There are plans for future seasons to feature as many as ten events, running during the game's traditional off-season from May to August.[5]

Results

1987/1988

Date Name Venue Winner Runner-up Score Ref.
1987 Hong Kong Masters Hong Kong Steve Davis Stephen Hendry 9–3 [6]
1987 Tokyo Masters Tokyo Dennis Taylor Terry Griffiths 6–3 [6]
1988 Hong Kong Masters Hong Kong Jimmy White Neal Foulds 6–3 [6]

1990/1991

Date Name Venue Winner Runner-up Score Ref.
1990 Hong Kong Challenge Hong Kong James Wattana Jimmy White 9–3 [7]
1990 Humo Masters Antwerp John Parrott Jimmy White 9–6 [7]

1991/1992

Date Name Venue Winner Runner-up Score Ref.
1991 Hong Kong Challenge Hong Kong Stephen Hendry James Wattana 9–1 [7]
1991 Humo Masters Antwerp Mike Hallett Neal Foulds 9–7 [7]
1991 Indian Challenge Delhi Stephen Hendry John Parrott 9–5 [7]
1991 Thailand Masters Bangkok Steve Davis Stephen Hendry 6–3 [8]
1991 European Challenge Waregem Jimmy White Steve Davis 4–1 [7]
1992 Belgian Challenge Antwerp Steve Davis Stephen Hendry 10–9 [7]

1992/1993

Date Name Venue Winner Runner-up Score Ref.
1992 Humo Masters Antwerp James Wattana John Parrott 10–5 [7]
1992 Kent Classic Beijing John Parrott Stephen Hendry 6–5 [7]

2008/2009

[9]

Main article: World Series of Snooker 2008/2009
Date Venue Winner Runner-up Score
21–22 June 2008 Fort Regent, St. Helier John Higgins Mark Selby 6–3
12–13 July 2008 Tempodrom, Berlin Graeme Dott Shaun Murphy 6–1
25–26 October 2008 EXPO XXI, Warsaw Ding Junhui Ken Doherty 6–4
22–23 November 2008 Krilya Sovetov Sports Arena, Moscow John Higgins Ding Junhui 5–0
8–10 May 2009 Pavilhão Arena, Portimão Shaun Murphy John Higgins 6–2

2009/2010

[9]

Main article: World Series of Snooker 2009/2010
Date Venue Winner Runner-up Score
16–17 May 2009 INEC, Killarney Shaun Murphy Jimmy White 5–1
17–18 October 2009 Aréna Sparta Podvinný Mlýn, Prague Jimmy White Graeme Dott 5–3

References

  1. ^ "Eurosport announce World Series". Eurosport UK. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/20012008/58/eurosport-announce-world-series.html. 
  2. ^ Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Suffolk: Rose Villa Publications. pp. 154–164. ISBN 9780954854904. 
  3. ^ Everton, Clive. "Higgins backs new world series". guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jan/16/snooker.sport. Retrieved 14 November 2011. 
  4. ^ "Higgins excited about World Series". Setanta Sports. http://setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Other-sports/2008/06/17/Snooker-Higgins-excited-about-World-Series/?facets/sport-space/great-britain-locale/. 
  5. ^ "New Snooker World League for 2008". sportbusiness.com. http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/163254/new-snooker-world-league-for-2008. Retrieved 14 November 2011. 
  6. ^ a b c Turner, Chris. "Other Non-Ranking and Invition Events First held 1980-1989". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Global Snooker Centrer. http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc2.html. Retrieved 30 March 2011. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Turner, Chris. "Other Non-Ranking and Invition Events First held 1990-1999". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc3.html. Retrieved 30 March 2011. 
  8. ^ Turner, Chris. "Thailand Open, Thailand Classic, Thailand Masters". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chri Turner's Snooker Archive. http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Thai.html. Retrieved 18 March 2011. 
  9. ^ a b Turner, Chris (2008). "World Series of Snooker". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/wss.html. Retrieved 30 November 2010. 
Ranking
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World Series of Snooker
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