Q_Tour

Q Tour

Q Tour

Snooker tournament

The Q Tour is a series of snooker tournaments, immediately below the level of the World Snooker Main Tour.

Quick Facts Tournament information, Established ...

The tour originally ran between the 1994–95 season and the 2004–05 season as professional non-ranking events. Due to the large numbers of players on tour at that time the new WPBSA Minor Tour was formed so players lower down the rankings had tournaments to play in. It was subsequently rebranded the UK Tour and then the Challenge Tour.[1] It was revived for the 2018–19 season, before being rebranded as the Q Tour for the 2021–22 season.[2][3]

History

The concept of a secondary professional tour was first experimented with in the 1994–95 season in the form of the WPBSA Minor Tour to provide competition for lower ranked professionals, but only ran for a season.[4] Due to over-subscription of the World Snooker Tour, a two-tiered tour structure was adopted from the 1997–98 season resulting in the Main Tour and the UK Tour. The Main Tour had an exclusive membership, whereas initially the whole professional membership could compete on the UK Tour and the best performers could earn promotion.[1] From the 1999–2000 season, entry was limited to players not competing on the Main Tour,[1] and from the 2001–02 season the UK Tour itself had an exclusive membership.[5] From the 2000–01 season it was rebranded the Challenge Tour.[4]

In its first season there were five events, but the number was reduced to four in the following seasons.[4] There were two official maximum breaks at the UK Tour, both in the 1998–99 season; the first was made by Stuart Bingham against Barry Hawkins in Event 3, and the second by Nick Dyson against Adrian Gunnell in Event 4.[1] The tour was discontinued after 2004–05 season.

The Pro Challenge Series was introduced for the 2009–10 season, all tour players being eligible to play.[6] Only four of the planned seven events were played before the series was axed due to low player participation.[7] The following season, 2010–11, saw the Pro Challenge Series replaced by the Players Tour Championship, a secondary tour comprising tournaments carrying ranking points, but at a much lower tariff than the major televised tournaments.

The Challenge Tour was revived in the 2018–19 season, consisting of ten events each played over one or two days, with prize money offered and a maximum field of 72 players (top 64 of the Q School Order of Merit, plus eight wildcards). The top two players from the Challenge Tour Order of Merit received a tour card for the following season.[2] From the 2020–21 season, the Challenge Tour was rebranded as the Q Tour.[3][8]

Event finals

[1][4]

More information Season, Event ...

Order of Merit winners

[1]

More information Season, Winner ...

References

  1. [1]
    "WPBSA Secondary Professional Tour". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  2. [2]
    "World Snooker Challenge Tour 2018/19". worldsnooker. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  3. [3]
    "WPBSA Q Tour Launched". WPBSA. 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  4. [4]
    Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Suffolk: Rose Villa Publications. pp. Introduction, 166, 167 & 171–186. ISBN 978-0-9548549-0-4.
  5. [5]
    "2000 / 2001 Challenge Tour". fcsnooker. Preston, Lancashire: The Frank Callan Suite. 26 April 2002. Archived from the original on 2010-10-10. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  6. [6]
    Hendon, Dave (30 June 2009). "Pro Challenge Series Launched". Snooker Scene Blog. Snooker Scene. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  7. [7]
    Hendon, Dave (2 March 2010). "Pro Challenge Series Axed". Snooker Scene Blog. Snooker Scene. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  8. [8]
    "WPBSA Q Tour 2021/22". 10 September 2021. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021.
  9. [9]
    "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event One". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-16. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  10. [10]
    "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event Two". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  11. [11]
    "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event Three". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  12. [12]
    "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event 4". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  13. [13]
    "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 1". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-04-21. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  14. [14]
    "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 2". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-04-21. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  15. [15]
    "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 3". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-03-19. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 4". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-03-19. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  17. [17]
    "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event One". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2004-12-09. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  18. [18]
    "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event Two". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2005-04-05. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  19. [19]
    "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event Three". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2005-03-22. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  20. [20]
    "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event Four". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 2005-09-04. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
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