Q School Preview 2018

A week after the close of the 2017/2018 season, Monday sees the start of a long campaign for players to earn their professional tour cards for the next two seasons as Q School begins. This year, the event is back in Burton-on-Trent and the field of players competing for the twelve tour cards is bigger than better than ever.

There is also a big change this year to how players can earn tour cards. Last year in Preston there were only two events, each offering four tour cards, with another four cards being offered via an order of merit based on the number of frames won during the two events.

This time around we now have three events with four cards on offer in each, and no order of merit. For me this is only a positive change. Not only are there the same number of tour cards on offer but only success will be rewarded. The order of merit system was not necessarily doing that and players know they have to win to have success on tour, so the system for making it on to the circuit should not be any different.

The dates for the three events are as follows:

Event 1 - Monday 14th May - Saturday 19th May
Event 2 - Sunday 20th May - Friday 25th May 
Event 3 - Saturday 26th May - Thursday 31st May 

It will be a gruelling test for players with five or six matches (depending on byes) being needed to get on the tour in any one event, and by the final day of event three, Q School will have been going on for longer than the World Championships at the Crucible.

When looking at the players who are genuine contenders to get a tour card, the first place to start is with the players who dropped off the tour at the end of the 2017/2018 season and are looking to make an immediate return.

These players are as follows:

- David Grace - At world number 71, Grace was the highest ranked player to drop off the tour last season. The former UK Championship semi-finalist was unable to do enough to secure one of the eight tour cards for players on the one-season money list who were not already qualified. Grace is a player that is certainly good enough to come back through Q School but with the competition as tough as it is there are no guarantees and he has a couple of tricky round one draws in the first two events.

- Sam Baird - After a torrid couple of season's, Baird is one of the surprising players to have dropped off the tour. Anyone that has watched Baird knows he is more than good enough and less than two years ago he had just been to the last 16 of the World Championships and reached a highest ranking in July 2016 of 43. A heavy scorer on his day, Baird is one of the players who looks too good to be here but after what looked like a loss of confidence and with frustration building when I saw him at the Welsh Open, he may benefit from some time away from the tour to re-group.

- Zhao Xintong - This talented Chinese 21-year-old has the potential to be as good as players like Yan Bingtao, Zhou Yuelong and Lu Haotian but he has failed to adapt an all-round game and has lost too many matches in a similar way to keep his place on the tour. When you watch him making centuries you wonder how he could possibly fail to get into the top 64, but he has been unable to have runs to quarters and semi's like Yan, Zhou and Lu. His scoring power could be too much for a number of the Q School competitors, though after watching Lu Haotian take a year away and come back much stronger maybe Zhao could benefit from taking a leaf out of his book.

- Hammad Miah - Hammad was a fair way off of staying on the tour by either of the two routes for current tour players, and he simply did not get results consistently enough to stay on the tour. Miah is one of the players that could struggle to get back on at the first time of asking, but he is definitely good enough to be near the top of the Challenge Tour which launches at the start of next season.

- Mitchell Mann - It is slightly surprising to see Mann taking on Q School. It's not even a month since he conceded halfway through his second round qualifier at the World Championships, and I had heard that he was seeking time away from the game. A semi-finalist at the 2017 Paul Hunter Classic and former Crucible qualifier, Mann is more than good enough to get back on the tour if he is fully fit and healthy, but if he does fall short, some time away from such a mentally challenging sport could help him to get healthy again.

- Sam Craigie - It was gutting to see Craigie miss out on a fresh two-year tour card via the one-year list at the end of the World Championship qualifiers. Lu Haotian getting into the top 64 after just one year was the main reason for this as Oli Lines exiting the the top 64 was the reason that Craigie was pushed out. I have a lot of time for Craigie, he is a very good break builder and someone who should be getting one of these 12 tour cards over the next three weeks. At the age of 24 he still has a lot of time on his side and I think if he could get back on tour at the first time of asking he could easily get into the top 64 with the talent he has.

- Jak Jones - Jones was not too close to staying on the tour and his win against Judd Trump in China Open qualifying earlier this season, was not something that was backed up with performances in other events. The Welshman looks good in patches but that is not ever going to be enough to get in the top 64 and if he does get through Q School, he will need to improve drastically to avoid a return trip to Q School in two years.

- Adam Duffy - It's hard to know what to say about Duffy. He was never close to securing his tour safety last season, despite making the final qualifying round at the World Championships. Seeing him beat players like Joyce and Selt over the long format is very impressive but his performances prior to that let him down. Aside from the two wins at World qualifying, he only completed four more victories in the entire of the 2017/2018 season which is not going to make the grade, but at least he should come to Q School with some confidence after playing decent stuff in Sheffield.

- Craig Steadman - Steadman was again not that close to staying on the tour at the end of the season but again the former Crucible qualifier is good enough to come through the Q School. If he does fail to come through the first two events of Q School, his opening round draw against fellow pro Thor Chuan Leong would be a very tough one for both players.

- Fang Xiongman - Fang Xiongman never really got going on tour in his first two seasons. His best results came towards the back end of the season as he reached the last 32 of the Welsh Open and last 16 of the Gibraltar Open in back to back weeks. That should help him his confidence as he comes to Q School.

- Wang Yuchen - Wang much like Fang never really settled on the tour and was unable to put a run of wins together. His failure to get past the last 64 in any event during the 2017/2018 means that he has dropped off the tour by a distance, and does not bode well for his hopes of coming through Q School.

- Thor Chuan Leong - Malaysian Thor Chuan Leong has not had much success over the last two years as he failed to break into the top 100 in the rankings and only won a handful of matches in the 2017/2018 season. Thor is not someone you would necessarily expect to get back on tour based on this form.

- Alex Borg - Borg was another of the tour's strugglers and he has been handed some tough draws in the Q School events. In event 1 he faces fellow tour pro Jak Jones and in event 3 he has a bye to round two where he will face the winner out of Thor Chuan Leong and Craig Steadman, so if he is going to get back on tour he is going to have to do it the hard way right from the start.

- Chen Zhe - Chen Zhe also struggled in the 2017/2018 and was never going to stay on the tour after only winning four matches in the entire campaign. He has managed to get back on tour via Q School before though, so knows what he is up against and that he is capable of making it back on to the circuit.

- Jamie Barrett - Jamie Barrett qualified for the tour via Q School two years ago but was unable to make the impact that he would have wanted over his two years on the tour. The fact that he has been able to get through Q School before means that he can do it again though and that should give him a bit of confidence.

- Christopher Keogan - Keogan was another of the players to get on tour for the first time two years ago but again he did not make the impact he would have liked. He has been to Q School a few times in the past before he got on tour so he will have experienced the pressure that other players may not have done in the past.

- Leo Fernandez - Fernandez got on tour two years ago via the Asian Tour order of merit, but at the same time as this he was suspended from the tour for betting offences. His suspension ended in time for him to return in September and despite defeating Ding Junhui in the UK Championships, he was unable to pick up any further victories and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in Q School.


Some of those that dropped off tour and are not having another go are: Aditya Mehta (citing a neck injury as his reason), Ian Preece, James Wattana (who was on an invitational tour card), Josh Boileau, Kurt Dunham, Kritsanut Lertsattayatthorn (who only played one match in the 2017/2018 season), Boonyarit Kaettikun (who did not feature on tour after December) and David John.


There are also plenty of other Ex-Tour professionals who are vying to return to the circuit. Here are a selection of those players:

- James Cahill - Cahill dropped off the tour last year and came very close to an immediate return getting to the final round of Q School before losing to Paul Davison 4-2. He has competed this year on the tour in the Gibraltar Open getting through the amateur stages before defeating Eden Sharav to make it through to the last 64. His best run on the tour was to the last 16 of the 2014 UK Championships which included a win over Ding Junhui, and I think Cahill is more than capable of getting his tour place. On a personal level Cahill is one of my favourites who I would like to see qualify.

- Barry Pinches - Pinches was a long term servant of the tour and is a former PTC winner, and interestingly his son is also competing in Q School this season, so it would be an incredible story if they both qualified for the main tour. Pinches competed in both the European style events (Paul Hunter Classic and Gibraltar Open) this season making the professional stages in both, and beating Matthew Bolton to make the last 64 in Furth, while also competing on the World Seniors tour. The 47-year-old Norfolk potter is very capable of making it through.

- Andrew Pagett - Pagett is having another go at getting on to the tour after a few years away from the circuit. The 36-year-old was last on tour in 2015 and has not competed in Q School in the last few years either. Willing to give it another go though, it would not be too much of a surprise if Pagett won his way back on to the circuit.

- Jamie O'Neill - O'Neill has not been on tour for a few years now, but is showing signs that he could be ready for a return. Competing in the Gibraltar Open earlier this year he came through the amateur qualifiers before defeating Peter Lines to make the last 64, where he very narrowly lost to the in-form Jack Lisowski. I've recently seen on Twitter that O'Neill has won a well publicised Q School warm-up event so he should be full of confidence for his bid to regain professional status.

- Joel Walker - 24-year-old Walker is a player I was a fan of during his time on the professional circuit. He is a former Welsh Open quarter-finalist and showed a lot of talent without quite being able to kick on. Last year at Q School, Walker came close in event two beating Jamie Cope, Jamie Clarke and Fraser Patrick before losing to Joe Swail 4-3 in the penultimate round. Based on that there are plenty of reasons why Walker could make a return to the tour as he certainly has the ability.

- Jamie Cope - Cope dropped off the tour at the end of the 2016/2017 season and has competed well enough over the last year as an amateur. Entering the Paul Hunter Classic he qualified for the pro stages before beating David John and Aditya Mehta to reach the last 32 where he fell to Tom Ford. Meanwhile, at the Gibraltar Open he also made the last 32 after a walkover and a victory against Rory McLeod. That was enough for him to make the EBSA play-offs though he lost in the first of two possible matches required to win back his tour card, with George Pragnall beating him 4-2. A former ranking finalist, Cope has as much ability as anyone in the field but issues with confidence have hampered in recent years along with other issues but it would be great to see him back on the circuit.

- Andy Hicks - Hicks has been away from the professional circuit for a while now but has started trying to get back on over the last few years. He came close in both 2015 and 2016, which saw him play in a number of events during the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons as a top up player. In that time he came close to beating Barry Hawkins in the UK Championship, as well as making it to the semi-finals of the 2017 Shoot-Out. Competing in this season's Gibraltar Open, he came through amateur qualifying to then beat Robert Milkins and John Astley and make it to the last 32. This helped him make it to the EBSA play-offs though he would lose 4-2 to Jamie Clarke who would then go on to secure his pro tour card for the first time.

- Kristjan Helgason - A former Crucible qualifier, Iceland's Helgason has not been on the tour since 2004 but has re-emerged this year with his exploits in the new WSF Championship. He made a number of big breaks on his way to the semi-finals where he would eventually lose 4-3 from 3-1 ahead against Adam Stefanow. His performance was enough to earn an invite to World Championship qualifying where he took a 3-0 lead on Lee Walker before ultimately losing 10-6. After such a long absence it would be one of the great stories from Q School if Helgason were to regain his card, and his efforts in the WSF Championship show he can still do it.

- Michael Wild - 37-year-old Wild dropped off the tour at the end of last season and was not too close to regaining his place at last year's Q School. His best win of his last stint on the circuit came in the qualifying for the 2015 International Championship where he beat Judd Trump 6-0. This season, Wild competed in the Gibraltar Open and after coming through the amateur qualifiers he scored a 4-1 win over Fergal O'Brien before then defeating Stuart Carrington 4-2 to make the last 32, where his run was ended by Joe Perry. That will give him confidence though as he bids to get onto the pro tour once more.

- Dechawat Poomjaeng - One of the most popular names on the list of ex-pros in the field has been saved until last here with the fantastic character of Dechawat Poomjaeng. The 39-year-old has not been seen since he dropped off the tour at the end of the 2016/2017 season, a campaign in which he had suffered with some health issues that hampered his performance. Hopefully the Thai is back fit and healthy now as he attempts to earn his place back on tour. With a former highest ranking of 37, and having made the last 16 at the Crucible in 2013 where he famously beat Stephen Maguire, as well as the last 16 in the 2015 China Open and 2015 UK Championships, Poomjaeng is more than capable of regaining his tour place.


Besides the dropped off and ex-tour players there are plenty of other contenders for the 12 tour cards that are up for grabs in Burton-upon-Trent. These are a few of my own personal selections of players to look out for:

- Jackson Page - Page burst on to the scene just over a year ago when he was invited to play in the Welsh Open. Victories over Jason Weston and John Astley saw him into the last 32 and everyone has been talking about him ever since. In last year's Q School he came very close to getting on tour via the order of merit (he was only one frame out), after losing in the fourth and fifth rounds of the two events. What it has meant is that he has played in a number of events as a top up player in the 2017/2018 season and that will have given him a lot of good experience, while also receiving a lot of support from the newly crowned World Champion Mark Williams. Page is a name that will be at the top of many people's lists to earn his tour card as, even at the age of 16, he is showing that he is capable.

- George Pragnall - Another of my personal selections to watch out for is Norwich's George Pragnall. Being someone fairly local to me, and after a friend of mine played against him in a billiards league, I've been following Pragnall's progress for some time now. This year, he has already come within a frame of earning a place on the professional tour after losing 4-3 to Jamie Clarke in the final round of the EBSA play-offs. On top of that, he reached the last 16 of the Paul Hunter Classic, coming through the amateur qualifiers, receiving a last 128 walkover and then defeating Barry Pinches and top 32 player David Gilbert. He also made the 2017 EBSA play-offs after qualifying for the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic, and reaching the last 64 of the 2017 Gibraltar Open with a win over Michael Georgiou. Two seasons ago he had wins against then pro Dechawat Poomjaeng as well as a very impressive win over Robert Milkins, which shows what Pragnall is capable of. If he gets into a good run of form in any of the three given events, do not be surprised to see Pragnall's name among the 12 getting on to the professional tour.

- Oliver Brown - Next up among my players to watch is Oliver Brown who has also scored a number of wins against professional players while competing as an amateur. Just this season he reached the last 32 in the Paul Hunter Classic with a whitewash of Oliver Lines and a good win against Liam Highfield. Then in the Gibraltar Open he reached the last 64 with a win over Michael White. That got Brown into the EBSA play-offs where he lost in the final round to Joe O'Connor who will now be on the professional tour for the next two seasons. Brown can also boast past wins against pros in ranking events against Ken Doherty, Mike Dunn, Ryan Day (in the Welsh Open) and his famous whitewash of Ding Junhui in the summer of 2014,  as well as beating Yan Bingtao in an Asian Tour event just after Yan had won the World Cup with Zhou Yuelong in 2015. Brown has shown his capabilities for a long time and is probably a little overdue in making that next step, but this could be his year to get on to the tour. 

- Joshua Cooper - Also on my list of players to keep an eye on is Josh Cooper, who of course is the nephew of former World Champion Shaun Murphy. This will be Cooper's fourth run out in Q School with his best being round four in 2016, while the 21-year-old has also played in a number of amateur qualifiers for European Tour events, previously qualifying for the professional stages of the 2015 Paul Hunter Classic. With a few bits of advice from his uncle in the past, which can only be a good thing when your uncle is a top 8 player, it would be a great story if Cooper made the next step and qualified for the professional tour.

- Ashley Carty - Another big contender in my view is that of Ashley Carty. He fell just short twelve months ago, losing 4-3 in the penultimate round in a fantastic match with James Cahill, while drawing Joe Swail in the second round of the first event last year. It has been three years now since Carty reached the last 32 of two ranking events in quick succession, competing as a top-up player. In the German Masters of 2015 he qualified with wins over Robert Milkins and James Cahill before losing to Martin Gould at the Tempodrome, while at the Welsh Open he scored wins over Michael Holt and Alfie Burden before falling against Marco Fu. This all came after his Q School performance in 2014 where he reached the penultimate round of the first event, before losing in the final round of the second event to Michael Georgiou. Those past performances in ranking events and near misses at Q School in the past are all the evidence you need to make 22-year-old Carty a major contender for a tour card over the next couple of weeks.

- Kacper Filipiak - It has been a long time since Poland's Kacper Filipiak had a brief stay on the professional tour at the tender age of just 15. He has failed to return to the circuit since then but showed good signs in the recent WSF Championships where he narrowly lost out in the semi-finals to eventual champion Luo Honghao. Things have not gone as he would have liked in between times but the fact he has now competed at the business end of a big event to get try and get back on tour is a positive sign for a player who much was expected from when he first qualified for the tour. He also narrowly missed out on the chance of a medal in last summer's World Games, beating Aditya Mehta before losing 3-2 in the quarter-finals to Xu Si, while also beating Jackson Page to qualify for the Paul Hunter Classic a few weeks afterwards. Filipiak is still only 22 years of age so if he were to get back on tour time is still well on his side, and he would have an extra year at the very least to prove his worth.

- Shane Castle - Here's a player who it seems has been around for a little while, despite only being 20 years of age, and it is good to see him back trying to earn professional status after a couple of years away seemingly. After playing in events during 2013/2014 season as a top-up, he gave Mark Selby a real scare at the UK Championships before Selby came through 6-4 and this was all just prior to Castle's 16th birthday. He last played in Q School in 2016, after missing the event in 2015 also, so look out for Castle if he is back committing to the game.

- Hu Hao - Chinese 27-year-old Hu Hao had a close call in Q School last year, losing out in the penultimate round of the second event in a deciding frame to eventual tour card winner Duane Jones. He also just fell short on the order of merit, but it does mean he competed in a few events of the 2017/2018 as a top-up and he did score an impressive 5-0 win against Alan McManus in World Open qualifying. Hu used to be a regular feature on the Asian Tour, reaching the quarter-finals of APTC3 in November 2012 defeating Xiao Guodong along the way, as well as being invited to play in a few Chinese ranking events previously as one of the wildcards. If you're expecting a new Chinese player to make it on to the tour via Q School this year, then Hu could be that player.

- Brandon Sargeant - Sargeant has been a regular in the past as an amateur in the European Tour events, and has qualified in the last two years for the EBSA play-offs which shows that he is in and around some of the best amateurs that compete in those European Tour style events. In Q School 2016 he made round four in both events which saw him play in a number of ranking events during the 2016/2017 as an amateur top-up and that experience will serve him well. The 20-year-old is another of the players who could break from the pack to take one of the twelve tour cards over the next couple of weeks.

- Ryan Thomerson - The final name on my list is Australian Ryan Thomerson. The 23-year-old has entered Q School after competing in the 2018 World Championship qualifiers as an amateur invite. Thomerson took five frames off of Matthew Stevens in the best-of-19 format on that occasion, as well as competing in the recent WSF Championships. I believe Thomerson has been staying with Neil Robertson, and based on Robertson's instagram stories, he has also been getting a fair bit of practice time with the 2010 World Champion. He is not a player we have seen a whole lot of as an amateur in professional events so there is not much else to go on here, but Thomerson may well be one of the players that comes along every year out of the pack to surprise a few and gain professional status.



There are plenty of other players that all have a decent chance of getting on to the tour over the next couple of weeks, and there is going to be lots of pressure on the players that are fortunate enough it through to the final day of any of the three events - waking up in the knowledge that they are just two wins away from being a tour card holder. All the matches during Q School are played over the best-of-7 frames and it is going to be very exciting to see which 12 players make the grade.