The 2019–20 Challenge Tour was a series of snooker tournaments that took place during the 2019–20 snooker season. The Challenge Tour was the second-tier tour for players not on the main World Snooker Tour. The top player in the final rankings earned a two-year card to the World Snooker Tour from the 2020–21 snooker season. The following eight players in the rankings progressed to a play-off event, with the winner of that event also receiving a two-year place on the World Snooker Tour. Two of the events were postponed: Event five was rearranged due to poor weather conditions, whilst the play-off was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 31 August 2019 – 20 July 2020 |
| Tournaments | 11 |
← 2018–19 2021–22 → | |
Played between August and July, the series was contested over ten events. Ashley Hugill finished top of the rankings, winning two of the events. Hugill had already earned a place on the World Snooker Tour having won the 2020 WSF Open, so second placed Lukas Kleckers earned a tour card. Third ranked Andrew Pagett also received a place on the World Snooker Tour after his victory in the 2020 EBSA European Snooker Championship. Allan Taylor, who had finished seventh in the rankings, won the play-off tournament and a place on the World Snooker Tour.
Format
editThe Challenge Tour is a series of ten snooker tournaments, featuring as a qualification route for the World Snooker Tour. Featuring 10 events across Europe, each tournament had 64 participants.[1] The leading 56 players in the 2019 Q School Order of Merit who had not qualified for the main tour, as well as eight wildcards are eligible to play. If there are fewer than 64 entries, additional entries from the Q School Order of Merit could enter.[2] All matches are for the original ten event were held as the best-of-five frames.[1] The player with the most prize money from the ten events received participation for the World Snooker Tour for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 snooker season.[1] A final event, the Challenge Tour play-off was held for the eight highest prize fund winners, who had not already received a tour card. The winner of the play-off, contested as the best-of-seven frames was also awarded a two-year tour card.[1][3]
Prize fund
editEach event featured a prize fund of £10,000 with the winner receiving £2,000.[4][1]
- Winner: £2,000
- Runner-up: £1,000
- Semi-final: £700
- Quarter-final: £500
- Last 16: £200
- Last 32: £125
- Total: £10,000
Participants
editThe leading 56 players in the 2019 Q School Order of Merit, excluding the 16 who qualified for the main tour, were automatically eligible to play.[2][5]
Summary
edit
The first event was won by Ka Wai Cheung, who defeated Oliver Brown 3–1 in the final in Nuremberg, Germany.[6] Jake Nicholson defeated Welshman Andrew Pagett in the second event, in Berkshire, England.[7] Paggett then won the third event, defeating Robbie McGuigan 3–0 in the final.[8] At the fourth event in Bruges, Belgium, Ashley Hugill defeated Aaron Hill 3–1.[9] Allan Taylor won the fifth event, defeating Scottish player Michael Collumb in the final.[10] Brown won the sixth tournament, defeating Hugill in Budapest, Hungary.[11] Scottish 17-year-old Dean Young overcame Paggett in Pelt, Belgium.[12] Lukas Kleckers completed a 3–1 win over Tyler Rees in Tamworth, England in event 8.[13] Hugill won his second title in event 9 in Llanelli, Wales after a 3–1 win over Sydney Wilson.[14] The final event was won by Adam Duffy, who beat Kuldesh Johal in Leicester, England.[15]
Hugill finished the season as the highest ranked player, but had won the 2020 WSF Open, which gave him a place on the World Snooker Tour for the following two seasons.[16] As such, second placed Lukas Kleckers qualified from the Challenge Tour to the main tour for the next two seasons.[17] Third placed Andrew Pagett also received a tour card, having won the 2020 EBSA European Snooker Championship.[18] The next eight highest ranked players took part in the play-off in Sheffield in England for a final World Snooker Tour place for the following two seasons.[19][20] The play-off was postponed until August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but was won by Taylor, who completed a 4–0 whitewash victory over Duffy.[21]
Results
editBelow is the schedule for the eleven events.[22]
| Date | Country | Tournament | Venue | City | Field | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Aug | 1 Sep |  GER
|
Event 1 | Ballroom Nürnberg | Nuremberg | 67 |  Ka Wai Cheung
|
 Oliver Brown
|
3–1 | [6] |
| 21 Sep | 22 Sep | ENG
|
Event 2 | The Crucible Sports & Social Club | Newbury | 64 | Jake Nicholson
|
 Andrew Pagett
|
3–1 | [7] |
| 5 Oct | 6 Oct | ENG
|
Event 3 | Northern Snooker Centre | Leeds | 64 | Andrew Pagett
|
 Robbie McGuigan
|
3–0 | [8] |
| 19 Oct | 20 Oct |  BEL
|
Event 4 | The Trickshot | Bruges | 58 | Ashley Hugill
|
 Aaron Hill
|
3–1 | [9] |
| 28 Feb | 29 Feb[a] | ENG
|
Event 5 | The Winchester | Leicester | 64 | Allan Taylor
|
 Michael Collumb
|
3–1 | [10] |
| 16 Nov | 17 Nov |  HUN
|
Event 6 | Hungary Snooker Academy | Budapest | 62 | Oliver Brown
|
Ashley Hugill
|
3–1 | [11] |
| 14 Dec | 15 Dec | BEL
|
Event 7 | De Maxx | Pelt | 42 | Dean Young
|
Andrew Pagett
|
3–1 | [12] |
| 18 Jan | 19 Jan | ENG
|
Event 8 | Tamworth Sports Bar | Tamworth | 60 | Lukas Kleckers
|
Tyler Rees
|
3–1 | [13] |
| 15 Feb | 16 Feb | WAL
|
Event 9 | Terry Griffiths Matchroom | Llanelli | 52 | Ashley Hugill
|
Sydney Wilson
|
3–1 | [14] |
| 1 Mar | 2 Mar | ENG
|
Event 10 | The Winchester | Leicester | 61 | Adam Duffy
|
Kuldesh Johal
|
3–1 | [15] |
| 20 Jul | 20 Jul[b] | ENG
|
Tour Playoff | English Institute of Sport | Sheffield | 8 | Allan Taylor
|
Adam Duffy
|
4–0 | [21] |
Rankings
editBelow is the leading 20 players in the prize money rankings over the series.[25]
| Rank | Player | Event 1 | Event 2 | Event 3 | Event 4 | Event 5 | Event 6 | Event 7 | Event 8 | Event 9 | Event 10 | Total (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashley Hugill
|
125 | 125 | 500 | 2,000 | 125 | 1,000 | 700 | 0 | 2,000 | 125 | 6,700 |
| 2 | Lukas Kleckers
|
200 | 125 | 500 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 500 | 2,000 | 0 | 500 | 5,925 |
| 3 | Andrew Pagett
|
500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 125 | 200 | 200 | 1,000 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 5,400 |
| 4 | Dean Young
|
200 | 0 | 0 | 700 | 125 | 125 | 2,000 | 200 | 200 | 700 | 4,250 |
| 5 | Adam Duffy
|
– | 500 | 125 | 200 | 0 | 500 | 125 | 500 | 0 | 2,000 | 3,950 |
| 6 | Oliver Brown
|
1,000 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 125 | 3,250 |
| 7 | Allan Taylor
|
– | 700 | 125 | – | 2,000 | – | – | 200 | – | 200 | 3,225 |
| 8 | Patrick Whelan
|
700 | 0 | 125 | 500 | 125 | 200 | 200 | 700 | 125 | 500 | 3,175 |
| 9 | Rory McLeod
|
125 | 500 | 0 | 500 | 700 | 500 | 125 | 500 | 200 | – | 3,150 |
| 10 | Ka Wai Cheung
|
2,000 | – | 200 | 0 | – | 200 | 500 | 0 | 200 | 0 | 3,100 |
| 11 | Jake Nicholson
|
– | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 500 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 0 | 2,875 |
| 12 | Tyler Rees
|
200 | 0 | – | – | 125 | – | – | 1,000 | 700 | 500 | 2,525 |
| 13 | Michael Collumb
|
0 | 200 | 125 | 0 | 1,000 | 700 | – | 200 | 200 | 0 | 2,425 |
| 14 | Robbie McGuigan
|
125 | 500 | 1,000 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 0 | 500 | 0 | 2,375 |
| 15 | Zak Surety
|
500 | 125 | 700 | 125 | 500 | – | – | 125 | 0 | 0 | 2,075 |
| 16 | George Pragnell
|
0 | 0 | 700 | 0 | 125 | 200 | 125 | 700 | 0 | 200 | 2,050 |
| 17 | Sanderson Lam
|
0 | 200 | 500 | 200 | 200 | 500 | 0 | 200 | 0 | 125 | 1,925 |
| 18 | Aaron Hill
|
500 | 125 | 125 | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | 125 | – | – | – | 1,875 |
| 19 | Paul Davison
|
0 | 0 | 125 | 500 | 0 | 125 | 200 | 200 | 500 | 200 | 1,850 |
| 20 | Daniel Womersley
|
125 | 125 | 500 | 200 | 125 | 0 | 125 | 125 | 200 | 125 | 1,650 |
| Qualified for the main tour through other means |
| Qualified for the play-offs |
| Qualified for the main tour |
Tour Playoff
editThe final event, the Challenge Tour Playoff, was held at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield on 20 July. The event was originally planned for March but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[24] The event saw the eight highest ranked players, excluding those already qualified for the main tour, compete for a further place on that tour. Ka Wai Cheung chose not to play and was replaced by Tyler Rees.[26] All matches were over 7 frames. The draw was not seeded.[19] The event was won by Allan Taylor, who completed a 4–0 whitewash victory over Adam Duffy.[21]
| Quarter-finals Best of 7 frames | Semi-finals Best of 7 frames | Final Best of 7 frames | ||||||||
| Jake Nicholson | 4 | |||||||||
| Tyler Rees | 2 | |||||||||
| Jake Nicholson | 1 | |||||||||
| Allan Taylor | 4 | |||||||||
| Oliver Brown | 4 | |||||||||
| Allan Taylor | 3 | |||||||||
| Allan Taylor | 4 | |||||||||
| Adam Duffy | 0 | |||||||||
| Adam Duffy | 4 | |||||||||
| Patrick Whelan | 0 | |||||||||
| Adam Duffy | 4 | |||||||||
| Rory McLeod | 1 | |||||||||
| Dean Young | 1 | |||||||||
| Rory McLeod | 4 | |||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ The event was postponed due to weather.[23]
- ^ Postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic[24]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "World Snooker Challenge Tour 2018/19". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Challenge Tour 2019/20". World Snooker Tour. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Revision". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Prize Money". World Snooker Tour. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Q School Order of Merit". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Cheung the Champ at Challenge Tour One". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 1 September 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Nicholson wins the shining Challenge Two trophy". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 22 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Pagett Shows Northern Soul To Win Challenge Three". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 6 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Hugill Best In Bruges". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 20 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Taylor Made For The Challenge". World Snooker Tour. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Brown Strikes Gold In Budapest". World Snooker Tour. 17 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Young Blood: Dean Wins Challenge Seven". World Snooker Tour. 15 December 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Klekers King At Challenge Tour Eight". World Snooker Tour. 19 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ a b Årdalen, Hermund. "Challenge Tour 9 (2020) - snooker.org". snooker.org (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Duffy Wins Challenge Tour Ten". World Snooker Tour. 3 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Klekers Regains Tour Place". World Snooker Tour. 3 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Kleckers Regains Tour Place". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "Pagett Wins European Amateur Championship". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Challenge Tour Play-Off 2020" (PDF). World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2020.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Play-offs Postponed". World Snooker Tour. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "Taylor Made Up At Tour Return". World Snooker Tour. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Calendar". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Five Postponed". World Snooker Tour. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 2 November 2019. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Challenge Tour Play-Off To Take Place July 20th". World Snooker Tour. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Rankings". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "Challenge-Tour play-off draw". World Snooker Tour. 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020.