Liam Davies beat Craig Steadman 5-2 to win the first Q Tour event of the 2023/24 snooker season on Sunday in North Shields.
The talented teenager from Wales compiled breaks of 109, 86, and 78 to see off the challenge of the former world no.66.
Davies won all five matches he participated in across a busy weekend of action at the North East Snooker Centre.
His first four triumphs, however, all came courtesy of deciders – none more thrilling than in the semi-finals when he pipped Ryan Davies on the final black.
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The 17 year-old saved his most dominant display for the final itself, a timely performance that rewarded him with the £3,000 top prize.
Those earnings send Davies into first place on the Q Tour order of merit, with six more snooker events to come in the European swing of the amateur series this term.
The top-ranked player following the conclusion of the seven events will receive a two-year card to compete on the professional main tour.
An additional three spots on the World Snooker Tour will be up for grabs via a subsequent play-off event.
Changes to the Q Tour for the 2023/24 season mean that the play-off tournament will be expanded to include 16 players from the order of merit and a further eight from new regional events staged around the world.
UK/Europe Provisional Schedule
Q Tour 1 – 25-27 August 2023 – North East Snooker Centre, UK
Q Tour 2 – 15-17 September 2023 – Snookerhallen, Sweden
Q Tour 3 – 20-22 October 2023 – Heilbronn, Germany
Q Tour 4 – 10-12 November 2023 Landywood Snooker Club, UK
Q Tour 5 – 15-17 December 2023 – Castle Snooker, Brighton, UK
Q Tour 6 – 5-7 January 2024 – Sofia, Bulgaria
Q Tour 7 – 16-18 February 2024 – Northern Snooker Centre, UK
*Global/Regional event dates to be confirmed*
Many amateur and lower-ranked players require a side hustle to supplement their income, but continued development of the Q Tour provides optimism within the game.
Prior to the start of the new season, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Jason Ferguson shared his views on the sport’s second tier.
“Our WPBSA Q Tour has quickly become a key cornerstone in the amateur snooker calendar, offering direct access to the World Snooker Tour and regular competition at high-quality venues.”
“We are therefore now delighted to be able to launch the WPBSA Q Tour Global, which for the first time enables players around the world to be able to compete and potentially earn their place on the professional circuit.
“It is particularly important to add that this new global model will serve players all over the world with life changing opportunities.
“It is also important to state that our vision includes working with federations and partners around the world who share our vision of a truly open global sport.
“I am hugely excited by the potential of Q Tour and in particular now the Global Playoff, with long frame formats.
“I can only speak on this as a former snooker player, when I say this is the ultimate test for players aiming to take the next step with a full-time career on the World Snooker Tour.
“We will soon be writing to our many partners and friends around the world, inviting them to join us in this truly global plan.”
Q Tour Event 1
Selected Results
Quarter-Finals
Craig Steadman 4-2 Iulian Boiko
Tyler Rees 4-3 Asutosh Padhy
Liam Davies 4-3 Duane Jones
Ryan Davies 4-2 Kreishh Gurbaxani
Semi-Finals
Craig Steadman 4-3 Tyler Rees
Liam Davies 4-3 Ryan Davies
Final
Liam Davies 5-2 Craig Steadman
Featured photo credit: WPBSA
