2014–15 snooker season

2014–15 snooker season
Nations that hosted an event in the snooker calendar during the 2014–15 season
Details
Duration8 May 2014 – 4 May 2015 (2014-05-08 – 2015-05-04)
Tournaments30 (11 ranking events)
Triple Crown winners
UK Championship Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)
Masters Shaun Murphy (ENG)
World Championship Stuart Bingham (ENG)

The 2014–15 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between 8 May 2014 and 4 May 2015. The Riga Open was the first professional snooker tournament held in Latvia.[1] The season also saw the first professional tournament in Portugal as the Lisbon Open took place.[2]

In November, it was announced that the World Open would not be held this season after the contract with the promoter was not renewed and a new venue was not found in time. But the intention was to bring the event back for the next season.[3]

The structure of the World Championship was changed. The top 16 seeds still qualified automatically for the first round at the Crucible, but all non-seeded players had to start in the first of three qualifying rounds. The overall championship was increased from 128 to 144 players, with the additional places made available to former world champions and players from emerging countries.[4]

New professional players

Countries:

The 2014/2015 season was made up of 128 professional players.[n 1] The top 64 players from the prize money rankings after the 2014 World Championship,[7] and the 33 players earning a two-year card the previous year[n 2] automatically qualified for the season.[10] The top eight players from the European Tour Order of Merit and top four players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit, who had not already qualified for the Main Tour, also qualified. Another three players came from the EBSA Qualifying Tour Play-Offs,[11] and a further eight places were available through the 2014 Q School.[12] The rest of the places on to the tour came from amateur events and national governing body nominations. All players listed below, except Hossein Vafaei[n 3] received a tour card for two seasons.[14]

Calendar

The following table outlines the results and dates for all the World Snooker Tour, World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association, seniors and other events.[32][33][34]

World Snooker Tour

Start Finish Tournament Venue Winner Score Runner-up Ref.
17 Jun 21 Jun Asian Tour – Event 1[n 4]‡ Yixing Sports Centre in Yixing, China  Ding Junhui (CHN) 4‍–‍2  Michael Holt (ENG) [35]
23 Jun 29 Jun Wuxi Classic Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium in Wuxi, China  Neil Robertson (AUS) 10‍–‍9  Joe Perry (ENG) [36]
30 Jun 6 Jul Australian Goldfields Open Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo, Australia  Judd Trump (ENG) 9‍–‍5  Neil Robertson (AUS) [37]
7 Aug 10 Aug European Tour – Event 1[n 5]‡ Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia  Mark Selby (ENG) 4‍–‍3  Mark Allen (NIR) [38]
20 Aug 24 Aug European Tour – Event 2[n 6]‡ Stadthalle in Fürth, Germany  Mark Allen (NIR) 4‍–‍2  Judd Trump (ENG) [39]
1 Sep 6 Sep Six-red World Championship† Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 8‍–‍7  Ricky Walden (ENG) [40]
8 Sep 14 Sep Shanghai Masters Shanghai Grand Stage in Shanghai, China  Stuart Bingham (ENG) 10‍–‍3  Mark Allen (NIR) [41]
1 Oct 5 Oct European Tour – Event 3[n 7]‡ Universiada Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 4‍–‍2  Martin Gould (ENG) [42]
20 Oct 24 Oct Asian Tour – Event 2[n 8]‡ Haining Sports Center in Haining, China  Stuart Bingham (ENG) 4‍–‍0  Oliver Lines (ENG) [43]
26 Oct 2 Nov International Championship Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, China  Ricky Walden (ENG) 10‍–‍7  Mark Allen (NIR) [44]
3 Nov 9 Nov Champion of Champions† Ricoh Arena in Coventry, England  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) 10‍–‍7  Judd Trump (ENG) [45]
19 Nov 23 Nov European Tour – Event 4[n 9]‡ RWE-Sporthalle in Mülheim, Germany  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 4‍–‍0  Robert Milkins (ENG) [46]
25 Nov 7 Dec UK Championship Barbican Centre in York, England  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) 10‍–‍9  Judd Trump (ENG) [47]
11 Dec 14 Dec European Tour – Event 5[n 10]‡ Casal Vistoso Sports Centre in Lisbon, Portugal  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 4‍–‍2  Matthew Selt (ENG) [48]
11 Jan 18 Jan Masters† Alexandra Palace in London, England  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 10‍–‍2  Neil Robertson (AUS) [49]
20 Jan 24 Jan Asian Tour – Event 3[n 11]‡ Xuzhou Olympic Center in Xuzhou, China  Joe Perry (ENG) 4‍–‍1  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) [50]
4 Feb 8 Feb German Masters Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany  Mark Selby (ENG) 9‍–‍7  Shaun Murphy (ENG) [51]
5 Jan 12 Feb Championship League† Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, England  Stuart Bingham (ENG) 3‍–‍2  Mark Davis (ENG) [52]
16 Feb 22 Feb Welsh Open Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales  John Higgins (SCO) 9‍–‍3  Ben Woollaston (ENG) [53]
25 Feb 1 Mar European Tour – Event 6[n 12]‡ Gdynia Sports Arena in Gdynia, Poland  Neil Robertson (AUS) 4‍–‍0  Mark Williams (WAL) [54]
4 Mar 6 Mar Shoot Out† Circus Arena in Blackpool, England  Michael White (WAL) 1‍–‍0  Xiao Guodong (CHN) [55]
10 Mar 14 Mar Indian Open Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, India  Michael White (WAL) 5‍–‍0  Ricky Walden (ENG) [56]
16 Mar 22 Mar World Grand Prix† Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales  Judd Trump (ENG) 10‍–‍7  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) [57]
24 Mar 28 Mar Players Tour Championship Finals[n 13] Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand  Joe Perry (ENG) 4‍–‍3  Mark Williams (WAL) [58]
30 Mar 5 Apr China Open Beijing University Students' Gymnasium in Beijing, China  Mark Selby (ENG) 10‍–‍2  Gary Wilson (ENG) [59]
18 Apr 4 May World Championship Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England  Stuart Bingham (ENG) 18‍–‍15  Shaun Murphy (ENG) [60]
Ranking event
‡ Minor-ranking event
† Non-ranking event

World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association

Start Finish Tournament Venue Winner Score Runner-up Ref.
4 Oct 5 Oct Eden Classic Cueball Derby in Derby, England  Reanne Evans (ENG) 5‍–‍3  Maria Catalano (ENG) [61]
31 Jan 1 Feb Eden Masters Crucible Sports Club in Newbury, England  Reanne Evans (ENG) 5‍–‍1  Ng On-Yee (HKG) [62]
28 Mar Connie Gough Trophy Dunstable Snooker Club in Dunstable, England  Reanne Evans (ENG) 4‍–‍1  Jasmine Bolsover (ENG) [63]
18 Apr 21 Apr World Ladies Championship Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England  Ng On-Yee (HKG) 6‍–‍2  Emma Bonney (ENG) [64]

Seniors events

Start Finish Tournament Venue Winner Score Runner-up Ref.
2 Mar 3 Mar World Seniors Championship Circus Arena in Blackpool, England  Mark Williams (WAL) 2‍–‍1  Fergal O'Brien (IRL) [65]

Other events

Start Finish Tournament Venue Winner Score Runner-up Ref.
8 May 11 May Vienna Open 15 Reds Köö Wien Snooker Club in Vienna, Austria  Mark King (ENG) 5‍–‍2  Nigel Bond (ENG) [66]
4 Jun 8 Jun Pink Ribbon The Capital Venue in Gloucester, England  Peter Lines (ENG) 4‍–‍1  Lee Walker (WAL) [67][68]
12 Oct 18 Oct General Cup General Snooker Club in Hong Kong, China  Ali Carter (ENG) 7‍–‍6  Shaun Murphy (ENG) [69]

Points distribution

2014/2015 points distribution for World Snooker Tour ranking and minor-ranking events:[70]

Tournament\Round→ R144 R128 R96 R80 R64 R48 R32 R16 QF SF F W
Asian Tour events – 0 – – 200 – 600 1,000 1,500 2,500 5,000 10,000
Wuxi Classic – 0 – – 3,000 – 6,500 8,000 12,500 21,000 35,000 85,000
Australian Goldfields Open – 0 83[n 14] – 417 889[n 14] 5,000[n 14] 6,667 9,444 11,111 17,778 41,677
European Tour events – 0 – – 583 – 1,000 1,917 3,333 5,000 10,000 20,883
Shanghai Masters – 0 400[n 14] – 1,750 2,500[n 14] 6,000[n 14] 8,000 12,000 19,500 35,000 85,000
International Championship – 0 – – 3,000 – 7,000 12,000 17,500 30,000 65,000 125,000
UK Championship – 0 – – 3,000 – 9,000 12,000 20,000 30,000 70,000 150,000
German Masters – 0 – – 1,250 – 2,500 4,167 8,333 16,667 29,167 66,667
Welsh Open – 0 – – 1,500 – 2,500 5,000 10,000 20,000 30,000 60,000
Indian Open – 0 – – 2,000 – 3,000 6,000 9,000 13,500 25,000 50,000
Players Championship Grand Finals – – – – – – 4,000 7,000 12,500 20,000 38,000 100,000
China Open – 0 – – 3,000 – 6,500 8,000 12,500 21,000 35,000 85,000
World Championship 0 – – 6,000 – 9,000 12,000[n 14] 20,000 30,000 60,000 125,000 300,000

Notes

  1. ^ Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and James Wattana are not listed there, despite having received an Invitational Tour Card,[5] because they were not automatically eligible to compete at tournaments.[6]
  2. ^ Jin Long and Shi Hanqing didn't renew their WPBSA membership,[8] while Patrick Einsle resigned from the Main Tour.[9]
  3. ^ Hossein Vafaei received special dispensation to play on the Main Tour until the end of the season, when he will receive a two-year tour card.[13]
  4. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Yixing Open.
  5. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Riga Open.
  6. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Paul Hunter Classic.
  7. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Bulgarian Open
  8. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Haining Open.
  9. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Ruhr Open
  10. ^ Event also known as the 2014 Lisbon Open.
  11. ^ Event also known as the 2015 Xuzhou Open
  12. ^ Event also known as the 2015 Gdynia Open.
  13. ^ Event also known as the 2015 Players Championship Grand Final.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Players, who lose their first match, receive no ranking points.

References

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