World Series of Snooker

The Sportingbet.com World Series of Snooker was a series of invitational snooker tournaments set up as a complement to the WPBSA's tour[1] Its first season was played in 2008/2009, consisting of four two-day tournaments in St. Helier, Berlin, Moscow and Warsaw and the three-day Grand Final in Portimão.

World Series of Snooker
Tournament information
VenuePavilhão Arena
LocationPortimão
CountryPortugal
Established1987
Organisation(s)FSTC Sports Management
FormatNon-ranking events
Final year2009/2010
Final championEngland Shaun Murphy

It featured ten leading players – each tournament featured four of these taking on four wild cards. Points were awarded for reaching at least the semi-finals. The winner of each tournament received five points, the runner-up three and losing semi-finalists one each. These points determined seeding positions for the Grand Final.

There was a previous incarnation of the event organised by Matchroom Sport, that ran in the 1987/88 season, and from 1990/91 until 1992/93.[2]

Management and purpose

The tour was set up by FSTC Sports Management, who managed leading snooker players John Higgins and Graeme Dott, as well as Eurosport (who screened the events alongside the coverage of the WPBSA tour), Higgins,[3] and leading referee Michaela Tabb. Higgins felt that the game's attendances were too low, and that potential new venues outside the game's traditional United Kingdom and recently developed Far East markets were not being utilised,[4] and wanted to give something back to the sport.[5] After conducting exploratory tours a trial event was staged in 2007 in Warsaw. The event was called the 2007 Warsaw Snooker Tour. This paved the way and the World Series started in the 2008/2009 season.. The World Series lasted for two seasons.[6]

Results

1987/1988

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScore[7]Ref.
1987Hong Kong Masters Hong Kong Steve Davis Stephen Hendry9–3[8]
1987Tokyo Masters Tokyo Dennis Taylor Terry Griffiths6–3[8]
1987Canadian Masters Toronto Dennis Taylor Jimmy White9–7[9]

1990/1991

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScoreRef.
1990World Series Challenge Hong Kong James Wattana Jimmy White9–3[10]
1990Scottish Masters Motherwell Stephen Hendry Terry Griffiths10–6[11]
1990Humo Masters Antwerp John Parrott Jimmy White9–6[10]

1991/1992

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScore[12]Ref.
1991Thailand Masters Bangkok Steve Davis Stephen Hendry6–3[13]
1991Hong Kong Challenge Hong Kong Stephen Hendry James Wattana9–1[10]
1991Indian Challenge Delhi Stephen Hendry John Parrott9–5[10]
1991Scottish Masters Motherwell Mike Hallett Steve Davis10–6[11]
1991Humo Masters Antwerp Mike Hallett Neal Foulds9–7[10]
1991Belgian Challenge Antwerp Steve Davis Stephen Hendry10–9[10]

1992/1993

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScore[14]Ref.
1992Kent Classic Beijing John Parrott Stephen Hendry6–5[10]
1992Scottish Masters Motherwell Neal Foulds Gary Wilkinson10–8[11]
1992Humo Masters Antwerp James Wattana John Parrott10–5[10]
1992World Matchplay Doncaster James Wattana Steve Davis9–4[15]

2007/2008

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScore
16–17 June 2007Warsaw Snooker Tour Warsaw Mark Selby John Higgins5–3

2008/2009

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScore[16]
21–22 June 2008World Series of Snooker – JerseySt. Helier John Higgins Mark Selby6–3
12–13 July 2008World Series of Snooker – BerlinBerlin Graeme Dott Shaun Murphy6–1
25–26 October 2008World Series of Snooker – WarsawWarsaw Ding Junhui Ken Doherty6–4
22–23 November 2008World Series of Snooker – MoscowMoscow John Higgins Ding Junhui5–0
8–10 May 2009 World Series of Snooker Grand FinalPortimão Shaun Murphy John Higgins6–2

2009/2010

DateNameVenueWinnerRunner-upScore[16]
16–17 May 2009 World Series of Snooker – KillarneyKillarney Shaun Murphy Jimmy White5–1
17–18 October 2009 World Series of Snooker – PraguePrague Jimmy White Graeme Dott5–3

References