There’s quite a lot of snooker in October to look forward to so let’s take a peek at what’s in store for this month on the baize.
While there was only one ranking event, September was still the busiest month of the 2019/20 season so far.
Shaun Murphy won the China Championship in dramatic fashion on Sunday to firmly put behind him the disappointment of missing out on Shanghai Masters glory to Ronnie O’Sullivan a couple of weeks earlier.
Stephen Maguire was the other recent winner after the Scot etched his name on the Six Red World Championship trophy for the second time in his career.
Meanwhile, the UK Women’s Championship concluded with a familiar champion as Reanne Evans continued her renewed dominance on the women’s tour.
There was an Asian spell on the calendar but the majority of snooker in October will be played in the sport’s traditional hotbed of England.
World Open (Qualifiers: Oct 2-5, Event: Oct 28 – Nov 3)
That being said, China will in fact be the final destination with the fifth tournament of the campaign in the country pencilled in for the end of this month.
The World Open qualifiers take place over the next few days in Barnsley with a lot of the big names vying for a place in the last 64.
World champion Judd Trump, reigning champion Mark Williams, and struggling Chinese hero Ding Junhui are among a few of the marquee names who will have their preliminary round fixture held over to the main venue.
Like in Guangzhou last week, the World Open will boast a top prize of £150,000 so, while it might not be one of the most prestigious on the schedule, it’s an important event to do well in.
Click here to view the draw (Times: CET)
English Open (Oct 14-20)
October will in turn see this term’s first ranking tournament in the UK being staged.
The Home Nations has become a well-supported series since its inception a few years ago and the English Open has served as a suitable way to launch proceedings each year.
There is, of course, a dangling carrot for any player who manages to emerge with the title.
For that competitor, going on to capture the other Home Nations crowns in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales would trigger an unlikely £1 million bonus.
Most people understand it to be a promotional gimmick but it does always generate something a little extra to talk about for a few weeks at least.
Again, the majority of the big names will be in Crawley, including O’Sullivan who will make his first appearance in a ranking event since the World Championship and defending champion Stuart Bingham.
Where do you keep your trophies? 🤔
Bathroom. Obviously. #EnglishOpen pic.twitter.com/B5sFzY9FHE
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) October 1, 2019
Click here to view the draw (Times: CET)
Championship League (Oct 7-10, 21-24)
Making its return for a 13th season is the Championship League, beginning three months earlier than it’s usual starting slot of January.
The first four groups will be staged in Leicester throughout the month, with the format remaining the same as before.
Seven groups comprising seven players in each will battle it out to become group winners.
Those winners will subsequently contest a final group in March to determine who is the overall champion.
The event is played behind closed doors and is aimed primarily at the betting market, but does provide the players who participate in it with useful match practice, some extra dosh, and a possible ticket through to the Champion of Champions.
What Else?
Snooker in October doesn’t stop with just the Main Tour, with action set to take place on the World Women’s Tour, Seniors Tour, and Challenge Tour as well.
The latter’s series of ten events will continue with its third and fourth of the campaign, in Leeds and Bruges respectively.
The UK Seniors Championship will return to Hull towards the end of the month, with Jimmy White bidding for a sixth career seniors trophy.
On the women’s circuit, the Australian Women’s Snooker Open will take place for a second successive year in Sydney.
