After eighteen gruelling days of Q School, we finally have 16 players willing to flex their muscles to compete in the professional tour. For some, it is for the very first time. For others, it is another chance to do it again. It would be the umpteenth attempt since 1792 for a few certain players.
We have five debutants. Six who have immediately returned to the main tour. Five who have escaped the amateur wilderness and decided to give professional snooker another crack. But who are they? Let’s give them all an introduction or in some cases, a gentle reminder!
Event 1
Xu Si
The Chinaman start his professional career incredibly brightly. He reached the Last 32 stage three times. He beat the likes of Ricky Walden and David Gilbert to get to his first ranking semi-final in the 2017 Indian Open. His performances were enough to be awarded Rookie of the Year that season.
However, his second season was less than rosy. The 2016 IBSF U21 Champion won just six matches and failed to get past the Last 64 stage. Previously at No. 74 in the rankings, he dropped three places within a year and fell off the tour. He lost just six frames in six matches as he clinched the first Q School qualification. After beating compatriot Wang Zepeng 4-2, the 21-year-old will hope to make a greater impression this time around.
David Lilley
It seems rare to see a 43-year-old amateur snooker player to have never made the professional tour before. Knowing his credentials, it’s amazing to see how it never happened. The 1995 World Amateur Champion was working as an insurance claims controller for a good while. After more amateurs were allowed to participate in ranking events, David Lilley took that opportunity with both hands. He made a brilliant run in the 2016 Indian Open by reaching the quarter-finals, beating Mike Dunn, Mark Williams and Robert Milkins along the way.
Since then, he had many close opportunities to become a professional. Despite failing to qualify for the main tour via Q School, he finished top of the Order of Merit. He lost to Kacper Filipiak 5-4 in the 2019 EBSA European Championship and was one place away from qualifying in the new Challenge Tour. But finally, many rejoiced as David Lilley got what most thought he deserved by whitewashing Sean Maddocks 4-0.
You can find my interview with David Lilley by clicking here.
Jamie O’Neill
This amateur has been on the professional circuit on several occasions. He was on the main tour in the 2007/2008 and 2010/2011 seasons and between 2012–2014. However, Jamie O’Neill had qualified via Q School before in 2012. He got through two deciders before beating German Lukas Kleckers, who just fell off the tour, 4-1.
Soheil Vahedi
Soheil Vahedi is an odd one. He first became a professional by winning the 2016 IBSF World Snooker Championship. Despite coming through three deciders along the way, he thrashed former professional Andrew Pagett 8-1.
Despite high promise, the Iranian struggled in his first two years. He chalked up just ten victories before being forced to qualify. He beat former professionals Billy Joe Castle and Paul Davison before immediately winning qualification by defeating Ross Bulman 4-2.
Event 2
Chen Zifan
Chen Zifan became one of the many players rolled from the conveyor belt of Chinese talent. He qualified via Q School in 2017 in the first event. Unfortunately for Chen, he didn’t make a significant impact on tour. He failed to escape the Top 100 mustering just three wins last season. However, the 23-year-old lost just three frames in six matches. He whitewashed Au Chi-wai 4-0.
Riley Parsons
Not much is known about Riley Parsons. From what I hear, the 19-year-old is a very attacking player and from the Midlands. Aside from that, it’s brilliant for the game to have such an unknown quality and based on his Q School results, he is clearly a very good player. On the route to qualifying, he beat Chae Ross and former professionals Alexander Ursenbacher and Peter Lines in deciders. He will be a surprise to the system I think!
Louis Heathcote
Louis Heathcote was very close to qualifying for the main tour. He reached the final of the 2015 European U-21 Championship, but he was beaten 6-3 by Darryl Hill. The Leicester man regularly attends international amateur tournaments and he qualified in absolute style in the second event of Q School. The 2018 England U-21 Champion ploughed through Maltese Brian Cini and 2013 Indian Open finalist Aditya Mehta. The final match, to be honest, is worth a paragraph in itself it was that impressive!
In the final match, he was against Si Jiahui, who beat him 4-0 in Event 1. In Event 2, Si was 3-0 up once again and Louis was up against it again. At three 3-0 down, Louis needed a snooker and he won the first frame on the black. At 3-1 behind, he needed a snooker again and won that frame on the black. He then went on to win the match at 4-3. That is a hell of a lot of resilience!
Fraser Patrick
Fraser Patrick’s first spell as a professional snooker player was back in 2007, where he lasted just one season. He managed to return to the main tour by qualifying in the final event of Q School in 2013. Though he failed to reach the Top 64, he retained his place due to his performances in his second year of his card. He reached the Last 16 of the Paul Hunter Classic and beat Jamie Burnett and Ryan Day to get to the third round of the UK Championship.
However, despite reaching the third round on a few occasions, he was forced to be dropped from the tour. He went through a very tough route to qualify for the third time. He defeated young prospect Sean Maddocks and defeated former professionals Andy Hicks, Christopher Keogan and finally, Sydney Wilson.
Event 3
Barry Pinches
Barry Pinches just will not stop trying, will he? The Canarian had two long stints as a professional between 1989-1997 and 1998-2016. He made one professional maximum, reached No. 18 in the world and reached two ranking quarter-finals. Yet the 48-year-old is back again!
Barry beat a number of young, impressive individuals in the form of Lei Peifan and Shane Castle before coming up against Long Zehuang. He had to dig deep against Long and he forced a decider before constructing a 79 break to challenge the current tour again!
Alex Borg
So Alex Borg has been a professional during these years: 1991–1997, 1998/1999, 2001/2002, 2005–2007, 2013–2015 and 2016–2018. You can’t criticise him for trying, can you? Clearly has snooker in his veins!
What is strange in Borg’s case is that he failed to win a single frame in the first two events. He lost 4-0 in the first round to Josh Boileau and Rory McLeod. However, the 50-year-old Maltese won all six rounds, beating the likes of Allan Taylor and Billy Joe Castle in the final round.
Alexander Ursenbacher
After a disastrous first stint as a professional between 2013-2015, the Swiss returned for another go in 2017. This time, everyone regarded him as one of the stars to watch. In particular, his run to the semi-final in the 2017 English Open was a sight to behold. He beat Shaun Murphy and whitewashed Michael White, which was superb!
However, in his second year of that tour card, he hadn’t got that same spark. Though he did reach the fourth round of the Welsh Open while beating Ronnie O’Sullivan, he failed to do enough to stay on tour. After two subpar attempts in Q School, he finally became a professional. He beat four former professionals to qualify, beating Peter Lines 4-3 in the final round.
Andy Hicks
Andy Hicks had accomplished a number of things when he was a professional. His highest rank was No. 17 in the world. He reached the semi-finals in each Triple Crown event between 1995-1996. It was more impressive considering he was a wildcard during the 1996 Masters. He made his first and only professional maximum in 2012. Yet Andy is most remembered for winding up Quinten Hann after he beat him during the 2004 World Championship. The weird things people remember!
Anyways, The Cream of Devon is back since dropping off the tour in 2013. After losing close matches in the first two events, he ploughed through the third and final event, whitewashing Qingtian Yang 4-0.
Order of Merit
Si Jiahui
Si Jiahui is an unknown quality before he joined Q School. He will be the youngest professional of the entire snooker tour at 16 years of age. He made at least 17 50+ breaks with a few centuries in his first two events. This included his highest break of 131.
Si should’ve won his quarter-final in Event 2. His opponent Heathcote needed snookers when Si was 3-0 and 3-1 up and Si still ended up losing 4-3. Nevertheless, Si qualified before Event 3 had already finished, clocking up 53 frames in total in the Order of Merit. He could be one to watch here!
Billy Joe Castle
Billy Castle has already via Q School before, qualifying in 2017. He best finishes include two Last 16 appearances in the 2017 European Masters and the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic. However, despite reaching the third round on several occasions in his second year, he failed to keep his tour card. Though he failed to win a Q School event, two quarter-finals and a final appearance in his three events were enough for him to qualify.
Peter Lines
Another player who’s been around for a while. 2017 World Seniors Champion Peter Lines is another player who had a few cracks of the whip on the snooker tour. He’s been professional between 1991–2004, 2006/2007, 2008–2016 and as of now, since 2017. He actually reached a ranking semi-final for the first time last season in the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic. He beat Noppon Saengkham, Mark Davis and even won a decider against Jack Lisowski but unfortunately came unstuck against eventual champion Kyren Wilson.
Unfortunately for Peter, this was not enough for him to stay on tour. He was unlucky enough to lose 4-3 on the final round twice to Riley Parsons and Alexander Ursenbacher, but due to his good performances, he goes straight back on tour. A lot of people seem very happy about this and from the reaction, he seems to be a very lovely and likeable man.
Lei Peifan
Lei Peifan is a very lucky boy indeed. He obtained the final Order of Merit place when it was out of his hands. Had Ross Bulman obtained just one more frame, Lei might not have qualified at all. However, with 45 frames in the tank, the young Chinaman will become a professional for the first time.
So what do we know about the 16-year-old? Not much but he comes with a lot of pedigree. He is a 2018 World Under-18 Championship finalist and lost in the Last 16 in the 2018 World Under-21 Championship. Amazingly, that victor’s name is Bulman himself, who ended up losing the Under-21 quarter-final. Lei could very well be a surprise package here but will he be able to continue to win ugly like in Q School? Only time will tell.
