September on the Baize
While there may be a few more weeks to wait until the start of the next ranking event on the World Snooker Tour, that does not mean that September is a quiet month ahead with several tournaments to be contested during the coming month. Here we preview all of the upcoming action both on the professional tour and various amateur circuits over the weeks ahead.
SangSom 6-Red World Championship (2-7 September)
Now a well-established event on the international calendar the SangSom 6-Red World Championship returns next Monday with defending champion Kyren Wilson leading a field including no fewer than six professional world champions in Thailand.
As well as several other leading professionals, the draw also includes several top amateurs, including top two ranked World Women’s Snooker Tour stars Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee.
The winner of the event will also move in line to qualify for a place at this season’s ManBetX Champion of Champions.
UK Seniors Championship Qualifier 3 (6-8 September)
The Rokit Phones.com World Seniors Snooker Tour heads to Jersey for the staging of the third qualifying event for this season’s UK Seniors Championship.
The field will be looking to join previous qualifiers Rodney Goggins and Michael Judge in the field for Hull this October.
Shanghai Masters (9-15 September)
The Shanghai Masters returns to its traditional mid-September slot on the calendar and like last year will be staged as a lucrative invitational event with Ronnie O’Sullivan looking to claim a third-straight success at the tournament.
The field is made up of the world’s top 16 players following the International Championship, as well as the next four highest ranked Chinese players and two amateur players each from the CBSA China Tour and China’s Amateur Masters series.
The winner of the £751,000 event will be guaranteed a spot at November’s ManBetX Champion of Champions event, if they have not already qualified.
UK Women’s Snooker Championship (14-15 September)
The first ranking event of the 2019/20 World Women’s Snooker Tour takes place this month as the UK Women’s Snooker Championship returns to the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.
The field will be led by reigning world champion Reanne Evans, who will be chasing a record-extending ninth UK crown, but first since 2016 after victories for Ng On Yee during the past two years.
Entry remains open until Friday 6th September with entry remaining open for women and girls of all ages and experience. Learn more at www.womenssnooker.com
360Fizz UK Disability Snooker Championship (20-22 September)
The following week it is the turn of World Disability Billiards and Snooker to stage its annual UK Championship at Barratts Snooker Club in Northampton.
Freshly re-named having previously been staged as the Open Disability Championship, the event will welcome players from all eight WDBS classification groups, including those with physical, sensory and ambulant disabilities.
Online Entry remains open until Friday 6th September. Learn more at www.wdbs.info
Challenge Tour Event Two (21-22 September)
The 2019/20 Challenge Tour continues with its second event, to be staged in Newbury later this month.
Two players from the Challenge Tour will earn two-year tour cards from the start of the 2020/21 season.
Evergrande China Championship (23-29 September)
The month concludes for the professional players with the final stages of the China Championship from Guangzhou as Mark Selby looks to defend the title that he claimed 12 months ago following a dramatic 10-9 victory against John Higgins.
The field is a strong one, with only Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter absent from the top 16 and will see a top prize of £150,000 claimed by its eventual champion, as well as a place at the ManBetX Champion of Champions.
UK Seniors Championship Qualifier 4 (27-29 September)
The final qualifier for this season’s UK Seniors Snooker Championship will be held at Hull’s Tradewell Snooker Club from 27-29 September.
The winner will join a field of four qualifiers and famous names seeded through to the final stages of the competition which will run across 24-25 October 2019 at the Bonus Arena, also in Hull.
