Snooker

Results: Q Tour Europe Playoff Finals

Steven Hallworth 10-5 Mark Joyce
Florian Nuessle 10-3 Andres Petrov
Liam Highfield 10-3 Iulian Boiko

Hallworth, Nuessle & Highfield get 2 year WST tour cards from the 25/26 season.

Mark Joyce made a 147 in his 6-2 semi final victory over Dylan Emery.

The players that didn't make it this time can have another go at Q School. Joyce, Boiko and Emery will probably continue to get a wildcard invitation anyway to most WST professional tournaments based on merit in the amateur circuit.

You'd struggle to know Joyce and Boiko weren't on the tour, such is that hinterland of players at the lower end.

Ukrainian Julian Boiko regained his professional status after winning the European Snooker and Billiards Association (EBSA) Under 21 tournament. He gets a 2 year tour card from the 2025/26 season.

The main EBSA tournament was won by Liam Highfield who already won a 2 year tour card at the Q Tour. Liam's opponent in the final was 14 year old Polish player Michal Szubarczyk. As Michal is under age he can't be awarded a tour card without consent from his parents, so Michal has been nominated by the WPBSA for a tour card, and if he and his parents accept then he will have the record for the youngest player ever on the tour.

Mink Nutcharut beat Bai Yulu 4-3 in the final of the Womens WSF Championship. This year the WPBSA hoped to have 5 women involved in the World Championship, and created a wildcard invitation for the winner of the Womens WSF Championship, or the runner up if the winner has a tour card. Both have tour cards and it is unknown if an invitation will be extended to one of the losing semi finalists Ng On-Yee or Rebecca Kenna. I think Ng should be invited, after all she will have a tour card from next season.

Chang Bingyu, one of the lesser known of the Chinese players banned in the betting scandal, won the Asia-Pacific Championship. He beat Ryan Thomerson 6-1 in the final. His ban had been served prior to the tournament, so he does get a 2 year tour card from next season.

The WPBSA decided that Bingyu was probably coerced, and an unwilling party in the scandal, and only gave him a 2 year ban in 2023, which expired earlier this year. Although Bingyu's victory comes too late for him to be invited to this year's World Championship, he'll be delighted to be back on the tour so soon after he had served his ban.

Graeme Dott has been suspended by the WPBSA, and won't be able to start his World Championship campaign on Friday. 2006 World Champion Dott is scheduled to be in high court in Scotland accused of child abuse. He is facing accusations of abusing a girl in Glasgow from when she was 10 years old from 1993-1996, and abusing a boy in Lanarkshire from when he was aged 7 from 2006 to 2010. His suspension will initially last until high court proceedings are finished, but could be extended depending on whether or not he's convicted.

Upcoming post-season events:

Asia & Oceania Q School: This event will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 13th to May 24th.
(4 tour cards available)

WWS Womens World Championship 2025: This event will be held in Dongguan, China, from May 20th to May 27th.
(1 tour card available)

Europe Q School: The first event will be held in Leicester, UK, from May 21st to May 26th, and the second from May 27th to June 1st.
(8 tour cards available)