The 2018 Q School was a series of three snooker tournaments held at the start of the 2018–19 snooker season.[1] An event for amateur players, it served as a qualification event for a place on the professional World Snooker Tour for the following two seasons. The events took place in May 2018 at the Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, England with a total 12 players qualifying via the three tournaments.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14–31 May 2018 |
| Venue | Meadowside Leisure Centre |
| City | Burton-upon-Trent |
| Country | England |
| Format | Qualifying School |
| Qualifiers | 12 via the 3 events |
← 2017 2019 → | |
Format
editThe 2018 Q School consisted of three events. The three events had 202 entries competing for 12 places on the main tour, four players qualifying from each of the three events. All matches were the best of seven frames.[2][3]
Event 1
editThe first 2018 Q School event was held from 14 to 19 May 2018 at the Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, England. Jak Jones, Sam Baird, Hammad Miah and Sam Craigie qualified.[4] All four players who qualified had previously lost their professional status after the 2018 World Snooker Championship.[5] In one match, Barry Pinches played his son Luke.[6] The results of the four final matches are given below.[7]
Jak Jones (WAL) 4–2 
Jordan Brown (ENG)- Sam Baird (ENG) 4–2
Hu Hao (CHN) - Hammad Miah (ENG) 4–0 Luke Simmonds (ENG)
- Sam Craigie (ENG) 4–0
Dechawat Poomjaeng (THA)
Event 2
editThe second 2018 Q School event was held from 20 to 25 May 2018 at the Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, England. Jordan Brown, Craig Steadman, Lu Ning and Zhao Xintong qualified.[8] The results of the four final matches are given below.[9]
Jordan Brown (NIR) 4–1 Jamie Cope (ENG)- Craig Steadman (ENG) 4–0 Adam Duffy (ENG)
- Lu Ning (CHN) 4–2 Mitchell Mann (ENG)
- Zhao Xintong (CHN) 4–1 Dechawat Poomjaeng (THA)
Event 3
editThe third 2018 Q School event was held from 26 to 31 May 2018 at the Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, England. Thor Chuan Leong, Kishan Hirani, Andy Lee and Ashley Carty qualified.[10] The results of the four final matches are given below.[11]
Thor Chuan Leong (MYS) 4–1 Fang Xiongman (CHN)- Kishan Hirani (WAL) 4–2 Simon Bedford (ENG)
Andy Lee (HKG) 4–2 Kuldesh Johal (ENG)- Ashley Carty (ENG) 4–2
Himanshu Dinesh Jain (IND)
Q School Order of Merit
editA Q School Order of Merit was produced for players who failed to gain a place on the main tour. The Order of Merit was used to top up fields for the 2018–19 snooker season where an event failed to attract the required number of entries.[12] The rankings in the Order of Merit were based on the number of frames won in the three Q School events. Players who received a bye into the second round were awarded four points for round one. Where players were equal, those who won the most frames in the first event were ranked higher and, if still equal, the player with most frames in event two.[13]
The Order of Merit was used to give priority places for the new Challenge Tour which was played during the 2018–19 snooker season.[12][14]
The leading players in the Q School Order of Merit are given below.[15]
| Rank | Player | Event 1 | Event 2 | Event 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Lilley
|
18 | 19 | 19 | 56 |
| 2 | Dechawat Poomjaeng
|
20 | 21 | 14 | 55 |
| 3 | James Cahill
|
17 | 17 | 19 | 53 |
| 4 | Adam Duffy
|
18 | 20 | 14 | 52 |
| 5 | Luke Simmonds
|
20 | 14 | 11 | 45 |
| 6 | Jamie Cope
|
9 | 21 | 15 | 45 |
| 7 | Fang Xiongman
|
11 | 10 | 21 | 42 |
| 8 | Farakh Ajaib
|
9 | 14 | 19 | 42 |
| 9 | Andy Hicks
|
7 | 16 | 18 | 41 |
| 10 |  Michael Judge
|
6 | 18 | 16 | 40 |
Two-season performance of qualifiers
editThe following table shows the rankings of the 12 qualifiers from the 2018 Q School, at the end of the 2019–20 snooker season, the end of their two guaranteed seasons on the tour, together with their tour status for the 2020–21 snooker season. Players in the top-64 of the rankings retained their place on the tour while those outside the top-64 lost their place unless they qualified under a different category.[16][17]
| Player | End of 2019–20 season | Status for 2020–21 season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money | Ranking | ||
| Jak Jones (WAL) |
82,750 | 67 | Qualified through the one-year list[18] |
| Sam Baird (ENG) |
62,750 | 73 | Amateur |
| Hammad Miah (ENG) |
23,475 | 97 | Amateur |
| Sam Craigie (ENG) |
95,500 | 58 | Retained place on tour |
| Jordan Brown (NIR) |
73,000 | 69 | Qualified through the one-year list[18] |
| Craig Steadman (ENG) |
55,500 | 75 | Amateur |
| Lu Ning (CHN) |
110,250 | 51 | Retained place on tour |
| Zhao Xintong (CHN) |
177,250 | 29 | Retained place on tour |
| Thor Chuan Leong (MYS) |
22,000 | 98 | Amateur |
| Kishan Hirani (WAL) |
25,350 | 88 | Amateur |
| Andy Lee (HKG) |
16,500 | 104 | Amateur |
| Ashley Carty (ENG) |
49,750 | 77 | Qualified as Crucible qualifier |
References
edit- ^ "Area's cuemen set to chalk-up in the Q-school". Grimsby Evening Telegraph. 10 May 2018. p. 48.
- ^ "2018 Q School draws". World Snooker. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Entry Form - World Snooker Q School 2018" (PDF). World Snooker. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2020.
- ^ "Craigie clinches tour case as pros bounce back". World Snooker Tour. 19 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Seven relegated players regain tour places". Snooker Scene. July 2018. pp. 6–9.
- ^ "It's a no-win match for Pinches family". Norwich Evening News. 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Qualifying School - Event One (2018) - snooker.org". www.snooker.org.
- ^ "Brown earns tour return". World Snooker Tour. 25 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Qualifying School - Event Two (2018) - snooker.org". www.snooker.org.
- ^ "Carty and Hirani earn maiden tour cards". World Snooker Tour. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Qualifying School - Event Three (2018) - snooker.org". www.snooker.org.
- ^ a b "Q School ranking list". World Snooker. 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Q School Order of Merit". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018.
- ^ "World Snooker Challenge Tour 2018/19". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Q School Order of Merit (2017) - snooker.org". www.snooker.org.
- ^ "World Rankings: After the 2020 Betfred World Championship" (PDF). World Snooker Tour. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2020.
- ^ "World Snooker Tour Players 2020/21". World Snooker Tour. 3 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020.
- ^ a b "1 Year List: After the 2020 Betfred World Snooker Championship" (PDF). World Snooker Tour. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2020.