The Snookerbacker Blog

This season’s Snookerbacker Classic will see a number of changes. There will be more prize money, an order of merit list and three new venues. There will also be Ref School, an initiative I have been discussing with qualified referee Martyn Royce, who has just finished a stint at Q-School.

Martyn and I would like to encourage new referees into snooker by giving them the opportunity to get involved in the SB Classic next season. We both share a passion to nurture a new crop of gloved-up, eagle-eyed snooker referees.

But enough from me, here is Martyn himself to explain everything and tell you why you should consider getting involved with Ref School.

“Being a snooker referee might not appear to be the most glamorous of roles. Without delving beneath the surface you could be forgiven for thinking it’s simply a case of standing around a green table with two other people wearing white gloves and taking balls out of pockets.  But the beautiful thing about being a referee is that you don’t have to be any good at playing the game to don those white gloves and get involved. Whether you’re young or old, male or female, short or tall, anyone can be a snooker referee – even you“.

“My name is Martyn and I have been a qualified snooker referee since March 2009. Over the years I have refereed countless hundreds of frames and overseen dozens upon dozens of matches. I have had the pleasure of refereeing every standard imaginable, right from club level players simply out to have a good time through to the world’s finest professionals playing for the crowds and making their living. Every single shot in every one of those matches brings with it a different challenge, and it’s this challenge which I thrive upon as a referee. I love being the ‘man in the middle’ and being at the heart of the action, and I would love to see more referees enter the fold and take the stage themselves”.

“The Snookerbacker Classic has become an established series of fixtures in the amateur snooker calendar. With the 2014 competition comes a number of big, exciting new changes and the Snookerbacker Ref School is one of them. I will be leading a scheme across all the competition dates whereby you can get hands-on experience of refereeing if you’ve never tried it before. Everything from etiquette and positioning around the table, preparing the table ready for a match and pre/post-match routines will be covered. I will be there every step of the way giving help and advice as you take your first steps to becoming a fully fledged referee”.

“If you have the drive and commitment to become a referee, I have the drive and commitment to get you on the right track”.

“If you’d like to know more then e-mail me at: refschool@mail.com and tell me why you’d like to be a part of Ref School and what (if anything) has stopped you from refereeing before. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, but you are welcome to travel to whichever event you wish if your initial choice is full. So what are you waiting for? Break out of your shell, sign up for Ref School and make your first steps towards the bright lights of the Crucible”.

So there you have it. A chance for budding referees with little or no prior experience to get involved in the UK’s biggest amateur snooker tournament. Who knows? One day you might be the man or woman in the middle on the biggest stage of them all. Don’t forget, the email to get in touch is refschool@mail.com – what are you waiting for?

You can also follow Martyn on Twitter by clicking here – ask him loads of questions. 

During the course of running the last 2 Snookerbacker Classics I have been lucky enough to meet some great people. Not only the players but those who work hard behind the scenes to support snooker at grassroots level in the UK.

One of those people is Simon Goldstein, whose son Tom has played in a couple of events and hopes to build on those performances in this season’s Classic. He’s even got his own website, it’s here.

Now, as well as Simon sharing my taste in the more eclectic corners of 1980′s music, he also shares my ‘give it a go’ attitude and is working hard in his local area of Grantham to grow snooker at a junior level.

He’s also a cheeky blighter and approached me a few weeks ago about a possible prize offering for his forthcoming event, the Grantham Junior Open on Sunday 7th July.

Once he had applied the thumbscrews and instructed his cocker spaniel to be on alert I caved in with very little resistance and offered up two free entries to an event in Gloucester next February to the winner and the runner-up of the aptly named ‘Ambitions Cup’.

Simon says “As a snooker Dad, I have been to many snooker competitions in the last 5 years and so wanted to give a bit back in organising my own. I am lucky to have the right ingredients to promote this event with the friendliest of snooker clubs – ‘Grantham Snooker and Pool Club’, top class sponsors and a network of junior players. I look forward to making this event a huge success and hopefully continue with more events as the need grows”.

I’m very happy to support the tournament and would like to wish all the players competing the very best of luck and I look forward to welcoming the winner and runner-up to the SB Classic.

How to Enter:

If you are under 18 as of 6th July 2013, what the devil are you waiting for? Get your name down.

To enter the tournament contact Simon by email on Goldstein_simon@hotmail.com or via Twitter by following him @simongold or you can call the Grantham Snooker and Pool Club on 01476 564525. You can also text Simon on 07827 242936 and the entry fee to the event is just £10.

So, for just a tenner you could end up in one of the Q-School slots on offer in the Snookerbacker Classic 2014 and begin your career in the sport.

FULL DETAILS OF THE 2014 SNOOKERBACKER CLASSIC WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON AND PRIZE MONEY IS NOW INCREASING TO OVER £6000 WITH NEW INITIATIVES INCLUDING NEW VENUES, AN ORDER OF MERIT LIST AND ROYCEY’S REF SCHOOL.  

David hopes to keep the 100% record in tact.

Tomorrow sees the start of two more weeks of snooker as the amateurs play in their very own World Championship in pursuit of 12 more main tour places for next season at the Q-School. It is being played at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield and will be covered on the World Snooker scoreboard, but unfortunately not live streamed.

Among the hopefuls lining up is the 2013 Snookerbacker Classic Champion David Gray who hopes to keep the 100% strike rate of champions going following 2012 champion Martin O’Donnell’s success in Q-School 1 last season. So the very best of luck to this year’s champ who is aiming at a return to the professional ranks after a few years away, a bit like a phoenix from the flames.

There are many more familiar names from the SB Classic competing, the likes of past finalists Oliver Lines, Jamie Clarke, Sydney Wilson (who faces David Gray in Q-School 1), Adam Wicheard, Zak Surety, Ant Parsons and Sanderson Lam are all in the mix along with SB Classic stalwarts like Ben Harrison, Ryan Causton, Elliot Slessor, Gaz Allen, Jack Bradford and Alex Taubman. So with such a high number of SB Classic boys and girls (I can’t leave out Reanne after all), we are surely going to be seeing a few familiar names lining up next year against the big names.

For those unfamiliar with the format, there are 3 seperate events, each in effect comprising of 4 knockout competitions all played over 7 frames. From each of the 3 Q-School events there are 4 qualifiers making a total of 12 at the end, with qualifiers from earlier events dropping out of the draw in later ones. All 12 receive a two-year tour card.

The draw for all 3 Q-School events can be found here along with the schedule of play.

The preparations for next season’s Snookerbacker Classic are well underway and most of the dates and venues are now confirmed. I’m in the process of getting some promotional things sorted out and this year will see two big new initiatives. The first will be an Order of Merit list which will run alongside the main event and determine two finalists (Finals Day will now involve 16 rather than 8 players) and the second is Ref School, more details on that exciting initiative to follow for budding referees.

The Classic will also be upping the game when it comes to prize money, with prizes extended to the Last 16 and a total prize fund increase of a massive 50% to over £6000. This makes the Snookerbacker Classic the most financially lucrative event for amateurs in the UK.

In short, the SB Classic (adopts X-Factor style booming voice…..JUST GOT BIGGER)

As well as the two Q-School places up for grabs for the winner and runner-up, there is also the chance for those who do well to attract the interest of sponsors. Indeed Sanderson Lam did just that with his run to the semi-finals last season where he was narrowly pipped by the eventual winner Gray, he was actually spotted by a sponsor interested in putting a player through Q-School and as a result lines up in Sheffield from tomorrow.

Sandi said ‘All amateurs wanting to do well in snooker need to enter the Snookerbacker Classic. It is a great tournament and is run as a tournament should be. It is the best amateur competition there is and it brings out the best in you and gives you the exposure to attract sponsors like I did, without the SB Classic I might not be in Q-School this year and I didn’t even win it!’

But for now it’s just left to wish all the players the best of luck, especially those that I have had the pleasure of meeting these past two seasons.

Hopefully I won’t be seeing too many of you again next time.

Last year’s champion Martin O’Donnell presents the trophy to this year’s winner David Gray.

I have started confirming venues and dates for next season’s Snookerbacker Classic this week and am well on the way to cementing dates in the diary for the biggest UK amateur event of them all.

Without giving too much away, there will be a few new aspects of the event this year, including a bigger prize fund, a Snookerbacker Order of Merit, Roycey’s Ref School and three new venues on board.

Prize money will be extended from losing Quarter Finalists to players that lose in the Last 16, meaning that you will need to win just 4 matches to be in the money.

The tournament also benefits from the generosity of sponsors, a happy bunch that form the SBC family.

Already on board as partners of the event next season are:

John Parrott Cuesports
Lake Creative Design
The Capital Venue/South West Snooker Academy
Sight Right UK
My Snooker Stats

If you or your company want to join the Snookerbacker Classic family, get in touch with me at snookerbacker@ymail.com to see how you can.

The launch of the event will follow this season’s Q-School where past winner Martin O’Donnell used his winners prize to full effect last season by qualifying for the main tour and this years winner David Gray will be attempting to do just the same in May.

I’m hoping for divine intervention.

I’ve decided to start putting the feelers out today for Snookerbacker Classic 2014 which is likely to start this September. I’ve come up with what I think is a workable model which will increase all prizes and see the total pot rise by 50% from £4,000 to £6,000. Now I need to start thinking about venues.

I will definitely be returning to the fantastic Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds and SWSA in Gloucester but as ever I would like to see if there is anywhere else that would like to accommodate a 32 player tournament that can match the high standard of these two venues.

The minimum criteria for any venue is: 8 good quality well-maintained tables, match balls, reliable internet service, roomy reception area. I would also need the club to give the tournament its full priority on the day and not have hordes of rowdy pool monkeys on the premises making a noise.

In return the club will be well publicised both online and through the promotional poster campaign. Bear in mind that the event is now widely recognised as the best amateur snooker event in the UK. It was won this year by David Gray and last year by Martin O’Donnell.

I put a Twitter and Facebook appeal for interest out earlier and some of the places that have come back include:

Upton Park, London. Cueball, Derby. Cambridge Snooker Centre. Barratts Snooker Club, Northampton. Castle Club, Brighton. O’Sullivans in Bexhill-on-Sea. Matchroom in Wales, and quite a few more.

If you are involved with any of these clubs or have an opinion on any others that might be worth looking at please either leave a note in the comments section or contact me at snookerbacker@ymail.com

There are also sponsorship deals available for anyone that would like to get involved and has something to sell. These include 1 year of advertising on the website as well as logo inclusion on all tournament merchandise.

Again contact me at snookerbacker@ymail.com if you are interested.

To me, to you. Two Champs.

Yesterday in Leeds it was London’s David Gray who became the second player to lift the Snookerbacker Classic trophy and make his way on to Q-School in May to represent the blog, defeating Kyren Wilson 4-2 in the final.

David qualified from the Last Chance Saloon event in Gloucester just days before swooping in on Finals Day and nabbing the big prize in what was a busy week for the former Scottish Open Champion and UK Championship Runner-up.

The 34 year old Londoner is a very familiar name on the snooker circuit and I’m delighted that this win can help resurrect his career on the baize, he has to be a strong favourite to be the second winner to progress onto the main tour on yesterday’s evidence.

The day started with myself and Mrs SB travelling to Leeds and again getting hopelessly lost at one point, but having factored this in to the journey time we still arrived in plenty of time to lay out the tournament desk and decorate the Northern Snooker Centre with posters, the basic rule being that if there was a space somewhere, put a poster there.

The early matches saw the eventual champion take a commanding lead over Welshman Jamie Clarke who looked a little out of sorts having been ill all week but just as David looked to be heading for a comfortable win Jamie found some form and in the end David ran out a 4-2 winner in a match that could easily have gone to a decider.

On the other table local boy Sanderson Lam had a tussle with Ant Parsons from the North East, Sandi coming out a 4-1 winner with a very disappointed Ant claiming he just didn’t perform on the day, which of course can happen to anyone.

The second session saw two high quality encounters, Kyren Wilson saw off Adam Wicheard and young Oliver Lines managed to beat Gloucester’s Andrew Norman with a pot success in the 90%’s.

It was a very notable session for Lines, who to the horror of the onlooking and already beaten Clarke compiled his highest ever break in tournament play or in practice of 142, eclipsing Clarke’s 141 which had stood as the Classic highest break since October. Oli’s break was perfection and in truth he never looked like missing, he is some prospect and a name for the notebook. As for Jamie, he probably wishes he hadn’t bothered rising out of his sick bed for the 7 hour drive, as the break cost him the £300 high break prize.

The sociable side of the Classic was again evident and a lot of the usual suspects and many more were around to watch the action. The day was added to by the presence of Monique Limbos who had flown in from Belgium especially to snap away and her pictures from the day can be found on Facebook by clicking here.

But the main talking point for most was the amazing live scoring system provided by MySnookerStats and it soon became evident on Twitter that this was going down an absolute storm with everyone. Comments came in from places like China, Australia, Germany, Holland, Russia, Japan, Canada, the USA and Wigan with unending praise for the facility and I am pleased to report that yesterday saw over 1500 unique visitors logging in to the scoring to keep up with the event. It was truly a triumph and I hope to work with the guys again next season. A huge thanks goes to Andy Guest, Dom Cullen and Adam Whelan who kept the whole thing going under the weight of the SB Army clamouring for their stat fix, a truly sterling effort all round. You can find all the stats from yesterday by clicking here - click the match score for specific player stats.

By this time last year’s winner Martin O’Donnell had turned up as promised and his appearance fee was handed to him in the form of a brown envelope crammed with used notes. He then accompanied the lovely Mrs SB back to the hotel while I stayed to keep an eye on the action, they were gone quite a while but having applied thumbscrews to the MO’D and a tickling stick to Mrs SB I am quite sure that I have no reason to be suspicious about anything, though the MO’D is of course as taken with the delightful Mrs SB as everyone else and I’m sure he turned on the charm when he slipped her a gin and tonic in the hotel bar, the cheeky cockney scamp.

On the table Gray had a real classic match against Sanderson Lam and it produced the only decider of the day in what was a very tense affair. It again outlined the difference between being a losing semi-finalist and making the final, Sandi can be proud of how he performed and he was one frame away from getting his Q-School entry paid for, it was clear at the end how much it meant to both players and David visibly relaxed after the match.

Oli – Career High Break of 142

Whilst they were playing things were getting ever more sociable in the bar and the likes of the Wizard, Snoops, Jaykay, Roland and the MO’D were having a right old time of it. Oliver Lines in the meantime professed to how much he liked my shoes, which I promised to him if he won the tournament and grew his feet two sizes.

It was his turn next and he didn’t manage to replicate the form he had shown earlier against Andrew and lost 4-2 to Kyren, who having already gained his tour place through the PTC’s this season was playing for the cash prize.

Oli however leaves the event with his £150 losing semi-finalist prize and the £300 for the highest break, his 142 being the best break ever made in the SB Classic.

He also leaves with a new and expanding fanbase judging by some of the support I saw for him online, particularly from the female crowd. The good news is that he’s a really nice lad and has an attitude that is sure to see him succeed as long as he stays just as he is. I’m sure that Peter and Sarah are very proud of him and with good reason, if he doesn’t make professional at Q-School this year I think he’ll be very hard to stop in next season’s Classic.

It was then time for the final and as with last year it was smiles all round as Gray relaxed into his game and produced a decent performance, probably his best of the day, to scoop the extra £500 on top of his Q-School entry. I managed to wrestle The MO’D away from the bar to present the trophy to the new champ, but not before he had a moan that David’s trophy was bigger than his, some people are never happy….

But the day belonged to David and he came along for the winners curry afterwards with a smile as wide as the trophy. It’s a long way back for him to get to where he has been in the game, he can count a Crucible victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan amongst his achievements, but this is a good start and I have no doubt whatsoever that we haven’t seen the last of him. It also goes to prove that the Snookerbacker Classic is for everyone, it’s a level playing field whether you are looking at making a comeback like David or just starting out in your career like Jamie, Oli and Sandi.

The new champ spoke at length over dinner about regular coaching sessions that he holds in Coulsdon for local kids on Saturdays and it’s clear this is something that means a great deal to him, snooker is most definitely in his blood and his passion for the game shines through when he gets talking. He’s a cracking bloke and I really hope that he doesn’t have to defend his title next season as for me, he belongs on the main tour and judging by the reaction of a few players on hearing of his win I am not alone in thinking this, he does need a new nickname though as he doesn’t really like his old one ‘Casper’ which relates to his pale complexion. Mrs SB and I discussed this on the way home earlier and we like ‘The Swift’ after all, he has swooped in as quick as a flash and nabbed the title this week.

He also generously said he will display the trophy in Coulsdon Snooker Centre as he knows they would like to have it on show there so if you are in the area go and have a look at it and get a photo with it, send it to me and I might just put it up on here. A bit like when people see the FA Cup and all that, except better.

Finally, there are far too many people that we need to thank for making the tournament a huge success this season, I hope that we got round to doing so yesterday but if not please forgive us as we were both busy and by the end the drinks were flowing. It’s a really enjoyable tournament to be involved with and I am truly flattered at how well a concept that I thought of in bed one day has been received and we both hope to see old and new faces again next season for the next one.

A special big thank you however must go to referees Alex Crum and Matthew Lowson for yesterday which saw the white-gloved twosome working non-stop for more hours than I’d care to imagine. I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.

I’ll be keeping tabs on David in the run-up to Q-School and of course rooting for him to carry the torch for the blog when he plays there.

Go get ‘em Champ. The comeback starts here.

It’s finally here, the day that will decide who becomes the second Snookerbacker Classic Champion.

Follow all the action on ball by ball live-scoring here and feel free to tweet including the hashtag #sbc13

Good luck to all the players in Leeds today, you can read their thoughts on the big day here.

This is just a brief post for anyone who might be considering coming along to the Snookerbacker Classic Grand Finals tomorrow in Leeds to say that you are more than welcome to come and watch what should be a great day’s snooker.

There is no charge to get in, there is a bar with two for one deals on beer, there is decent food and there is great(ish) company so if you have nothing better to do please come along and support your favourite player and the fastest growing amateur snooker event in Europe and possibly the world.

There will also be a celebratory curry afterwards in Leeds City Centre in a little place we know which I hope will entice a few people to make a night of it.

Last year’s winner Martin O’Donnell will be coming along to present the trophy to the new champion and there are plenty of Twitter characters who are coming along too for the ride, some of them being fully signed up members of the Careless Club.

So please take this blog post as an open invitation to attend. If you have never been to the Northern you will love it, it’s the only snooker club that I know of with a painting of both Les Dawson and Bill Maynard within a few feet of each other, what’s not to like?

You can find the directions to the venue by clicking here.

For those that can’t make it, the ground-breaking live scoring system is the place to be to keep in touch with the action, this can be accessed by clicking here and you can read the thoughts of the man behind this great new addition to the tournament here.

Whether you come along or not, thanks for all the positive comments about the Classic this season, it seems to have taken off big style now with both players and the public and is fully embedded into the amateur calendar.

I intend to grow the event further next year and hope to increase the prize money by at least 25% if not more. If you would like to get involved in a sponsorship/advertising deal with the SB Classic next season please contact me as soon as possible at snookerbacker@ymail.com to discuss.

A big thanks to all this year’s partners; John Parrott Cuesports, SWSA, Lake Creative Design, Snooker Scene, My Snooker Stats and ELA for their support.

The next stop is World Snooker and getting the winner an automatic main tour slot next season without the need to qualify through Q-School, come on Jason you know it makes sense….

I hope I’ll see some of you tomorrow, Mrs SB will save you a cake.

Now let’s find our Champion.

As Grand Finals day on Friday approaches I thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with the eight finalists and see how their form is going into the event as well as how they are feeling about the big day in Leeds and what it would mean to them to be crowned the 2013 Snookerbacker Classic Champion.

We’ll start with the players competing in the 11am quarter finals….

Sanderson Lam – Qualified from the Northern Snooker Centre on 27^th January 2013

Results so far: R1 beat Damian Wilks 4-0, R2 beat Sean Hopkin 4-3, R3 beat Elliot Slessor 4-2, R4 beat Martin Ball 4-0.

I played really well to qualify and was really pleased to make it to Finals Day, after I had come through a tough match against Sean Hopkin I felt like I could do it and I did so I was over the moon and I also got a birthday cake from Mrs SB so it was a perfect day for me! For some reason that I can’t really explain after the Classic heat my form and confidence dipped a bit and I lost a couple of matches that I felt I should have won but now I have got it back and I am raring to go for Friday. I have been putting the hours in with David Grace and Peter Lines and I feel ready. There are so many top players in the Classic that to win it would be a real achievement and something that I would always remember, whatever happens afterwards it would be something I could look back on and be proud of. I would love to win it for my Dad who has backed me all the way and always had faith in me so hopefully I can play my best, if I do, I have as good a chance as anyone. I am good mates with Ant Parsons, I think we have played twice in tournaments and won once each, I’m really looking forward to playing in the classic again, it’s a unique event.

Current odds at Apollobet: 10/1 (back Sandi by clicking here)

Ant Parsons – Qualified from the Northern Snooker Centre on 15^th December 2012

Results so far: R1 beat Russell Morgan 4-2, R2 beat Will Lemons 4-1, R3 beat Sam Thistlewhite 4-2, R4 beat Sean Hopkin 4-1.

I’ve been playing OK and have had some decent results locally, I am putting a lot of hours in and hitting the practice table hard, my ultimate goal is Q-School and I have already started preparing for that but obviously this event is massive for me. The prize is amazing and for just £50 an entry you have a chance at an incredible prize, there is no other amateur event out there that gives you this kind of opportunity and I think anyone that doesn’t enter it is mad! As for Friday, it’s a high quality line up, everyone is there on merit and everyone will fancy their chances, just as it should be in a big event. I recently qualified as a World Snooker coach and have also worked with Steve Feeney from Sight Right without whom I would no longer be playing, he resurrected my career and his help and the huge support that my Dad gives me has helped me improve massively over the past two years. If I won this it would be a huge achievement for me, to go to Q-School without the financial pressure would be amazing and SB does such a great job of bigging up the winner it will also help me attract future sponsors, I can’t wait until Friday and I will try to not be late this time!

Current odds at Apollobet: 13/2 (back Ant by clicking here)

David Gray – Qualified from the Last Chance Saloon South West Snooker Academy on 17^th February 2013

Results so far: QR1 beat Ben Jones 3-1, R1 beat Ryan Causton 3-2, R2 beat Allan Taylor 3-0, R3 beat Sydney Wilson 3-1, R4 beat Anthony Harris 3-1.

Well for me Sunday was a really long day! I had travelled up in the morning very early to play and had some tough matches to win to get through. I didn’t feel that I played all that well but I was solid enough and I hope I can kick on and play a bit better on Finals Day. I made the finals last year too and had a very close quarter final against John Sutton which could have gone either way, I felt that if I’d have won that I could have won it but I hope to put that right this year. I play Jamie Clarke who I have never played before or seen play but having heard a bit about him I know I will need to be playing well to win. I’m really looking forward to Finals Day and hopefully I can go one better than last season. I will travel up in plenty of time this time to make sure I am fully prepared.

Current odds at Apollobet: 3/1 fav (back David by clicking here)

Jamie Clarke – Qualified from South West Snooker Academy on 13^th October 2012

Results so far: R1 beat Sanjay Meghani  4-1, R2 beat David Maslov 4-0, R3 beat Zak Surety 4-1, R4 beat Chris Keogan 4-3.

I’ll be honest with you I have no idea how I am playing! I was planning to travel to Leeds last weekend to practice all week at the Northern but I have been very ill and haven’t been able to get out of bed. I am a little better now but still not 100% but I will be giving it my all on Friday and I am going to Leeds tomorrow to play Oli Lines in practice. It came at a bad time as I was playing brilliant just before and won a good pro-am in Wales just a fortnight back, I won £350 for that which really helped me. Today I have had my first practice since then and played Robert Milkins in Gloucester, I lost 5-3 but had a ton and a 90-odd so that’s not too bad. Sometimes when you feel most unprepared you relax more and I hope that will happen to me. I really enjoyed the video draw when Mrs SB got the giggles and it’s nice to play someone as experienced as David Gray to see how I get on. I’ve got the highest break too which is a 141, but knowing my luck someone will beat it in the final frame of the tournament! I hope it stands as the money would be a great boost for me. To win the SB Classic would be amazing and even just getting to the final would be great for me as it is going to take me ages to save up for Q-School! I know I just need to win 8 more frames and I am there and I just hope I can go out and perform, if I play my best I think I have got as good a chance as anyone.

Current odds at Apollobet: 10/1 (back Jamie by clicking here)

Now a word with the 1pm starters

Kyren Wilson – Qualified from South West Snooker Academy on 12^th October 2012

Results so far: R1 beat Kishan Hirani 4-2, R2 beat Jay Bullen 4-1, R3 beat John Whitty 4-1, R4 beat Ben Harrison 4-2.

My mum said to me the other day that the only match I have lost so far this year was against Mark Selby in the PTC event in Munich, to be honest I didn’t realise that but I know I am playing very well at the moment. I won an English ranking event in Gloucester recently and had a 147 there, I am scoring very heavily and I am confident going into Friday. The downside is that I have to fit practice around work hours so my time is limited, but to be honest I have been so busy with tournaments that it hasn’t really had an effect on my game. To win this would be fantastic, the money would help me a great deal obviously but also having seen how much publicity Martin got on the back of winning this last season that is also an added bonus and I would be proud to be the second SB Classic champion having played in the event for the first two years. I’m really looking forward to Friday, I have a tough draw against Adam who I have played before so I know that I will have to be at my best from the start.

Current odds at Apollobet: 4/1 (back Kyren by clicking here)

Adam Wicheard – Qualified from South West Snooker Academy on 12^th October 2012

Results so far: R1 beat Ryan Causton 4-2, R2 beat Paul Norris 4-1, R3 beat Allan Taylor 4-1, R4 beat Zak Surety 4-2.

I haven’t really been practicing at all to be honest, I have not touched my cue since December and the last PTC, I haven’t really had a reason to until now and I have been working long hours too. I don’t know if this rest will help me on Friday but I am guessing it probably won’t! That said, I am looking forward to it and I am travelling to Leeds with Andrew so we’ll hopefully have a knock at the club on Thursday, we’re as bad as each other where practice is concerned lately as he told me he hasn’t practiced for months! I think I probably have the toughest draw as I rate Kyren as the best player out there that isn’t on the main tour, though I know he is back again next season. If I were to win the SB Classic I think first you’d have to let me recover from the shock but after that I would be delighted! I’m not that confident but I will give it my best shot and if things click on the day you never know, but I will enjoy the day nonetheless.

Current odds at Apollobet: 7/1 (back Adam by clicking here)

Andrew Norman – Qualified from South West Snooker Academy on 13^th October 2012

Results so far: R1 beat Matthew Day  4-1, R2 beat Ben Jones  4-0, R3 beat Gavin Lewis 4-0, R4 beat Allan Taylor 4-3.

How am I playing? I’ll tell you after the matches have finished! Since dropping off the main tour in May 2012, I decided to work full-time and play the PTC’s as a hobby this year. I haven’t practiced at all since then, I have simply turned up to all my matches and relied on my years of experience and practice, just making it happen during the match. Unbelievably, the cue still feels part of my arm and I even managed to get in the top 8 on PTC list this season. This is my first year playing the SB Classic, being an amateur this year. The series of tournaments are a breath of fresh air to the snooker circuit. Mr & Mrs Snookerbacker are wonderful hosts and most of all they make it a fun-filled day which makes you want to play and support them as they are helping the amateur players progress in their snooker careers. As for Friday, I’m feeling confident but so will the other players I expect, just looking at the betting…. somehow I’m second favourite!! What’s that all about then? With a bit of luck I would love to win the trophy to go with the brilliant picture I won in Gloucester and the winnings would go a long way to paying a few bills as I’m getting married in October! It should be a great day and hopefully afterwards we’ll have a nice curry with everyone.

Oliver Lines – Qualified from Northern Snooker Centre on 29^th September 2012

Results so far: R1 beat Jamie Barrett 4-3, R2 beat John Whitty 4-3, R3 beat Gary Wilson 4-3, R4 beat Ant Parsons 4-3.

I am playing really well lately, I have entered a lot of tournaments recently and I have had a great run of results. I have improved a lot over the last few months and my matchplay has really come on. I spotted a few weaknesses in my game and I have worked hard at correcting them and I couldn’t be coming into Friday in better form. I had a really tough day in qualifying and won all my matches 4-3 and only ate a chocolate bar all day but I was absolutely buzzing at the end as this is a tournament that I have set my sights on and really wanted to do well in since I saw it being played in Leeds last season. I think it’s probably the best amateur event of the year so it would mean a lot to me to win it and will really help my future career. I am in a difficult half of the draw but you have to beat good players if you want to win things so I will be giving it my all. I played Andrew when I was 13 and he beat me 3-0 but I have improved a bit since then and I have a score to settle with him!

Current odds at Apollobet: 9/1 (back Oli by clicking here)

You can keep in touch with all the SB Classic matches on Friday as things happen at our great Live Scoring page here

One of the new features of the Snookerbacker Classic at this year’s Grand Finals will be a Live Scoring system which has been specially built by Andy at MySnookerStats.

It’s a fantastic system and will show you in real time what is happening throughout the day without the need to keep on pressing the refresh button.

Not only will it give you current frame scores and breaks but it will also show you shot by shot updates even to the extent of telling you if a safety shot has been played. You will also be able to view long-pot and safety success and even each player’s average shot time.

Andy gave me a live demonstration of it as it will look on the day last night and I have to say that for me it is better than anything else I have seen out there and I am very proud to give it star billing for the first time at the Classic.

Andy has really put the hours in to make this happen and for that I am extremely grateful. I know that there are a lot of people out there who would love to attend Grand Finals Day but who can’t, so this is the way to really feel part of the event.

YOU CAN GET A SNEAKY PREVIEW OF HOW THE SYSTEM LOOKS BY CLICKING HERE (scroll down for the Live Scoring)

Remember that Apollobet have prices on the Snookerbacker Classic, both outright and matches and they can be accessed here.