It’s arguably the biggest month of the snooker calendar, with the World Championship dominating much of the sport’s attention in April.
In March, there was the inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker with the professional game taking its first foray into the Saudi Arabian market.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, as he so often does in the big-money invitationals, emerged with the title and a handsome cheque worth £250,000.
Aside from that, there was only one ranking event during the third month of the calendar year.
Judd Trump matched the Rocket’s season tally of five trophies by defending the World Open crown in Yushan at the expense of Ding Junhui.
Mark Selby, meanwhile, triumphed in the non-ranking version of Championship League Snooker for the first time.
On the women’s circuit, Bai Yulu became the newest world women’s snooker champion after defeating Mink Nutcharut on home soil in China.
In amateur snooker, Robbie McGuigan won the European Championship and Liam Davies became the European under-21 champion.
As a result, the two teenagers secured cards to compete on the World Snooker Tour from the 2024/25 campaign.
The World Mixed Doubles rounded things off with Luca Brecel and Reanne Evans combining to land the pairs crown in Manchester.
Let’s, however, turn our attention to the month of April, with plenty of important snooker on the schedule to look forward to.
Tour Championship
April 1-7
Back on the calendar for the sixth time, the Tour Championship has become quite a prestigious tournament.
Boasting a top prize of £150,000, it features the highest 12 earners from ranking events staged during the 2023/24 term.
O’Sullivan and Trump will of course be among the favourites in Manchester, but the lineup also includes the likes of Ding, Selby, Mark Allen, Mark Williams, and John Higgins.
Shaun Murphy is the reigning champion, but the Magician failed to qualify after a disappointing run of form saw him miss out on the one-year list.
The event will be broadcast live for Irish and British viewers on ITV Sport.
World Snooker Championship Qualifiers
April 8-17
A fan’s favourite, the World Snooker Championship qualifiers is one of the highlights of the year.
Even though there will be no silverware handed out, the dangling carrot of a spot at the Crucible Theatre is almost just as prized.
A total of 128 players will battle it out for the coveted 16 places that will complete the 32-strong World Championship field.
Adding to the drama is the subplot of tour survival, with several players down the lower end of the rankings scrapping to stay on the circuit.
The full draw for the World Championship qualifiers can be viewed by clicking here.
World Snooker Championship
April 20 – May 6
The 17-day bonanza in Sheffield commences in mid-April, with the final taking place in its usual slot of the Bank Holiday weekend in early-May.
The top 16 seeds have already guaranteed their spots in the first-round draw courtesy of their positions on the official two-year rankings list.
The remaining 16 players will join them through the aforementioned qualifying competition at the English Institute of Sport.
Luca Brecel will return as the defending champion, with Ronnie O’Sullivan back for a second crack at landing a modern-day record of eight world titles.
What other snooker events are on in April 2024?
As with any year, this period of the season is dominated by the World Snooker Championship.
It means that there isn’t much scheduled on any of the other circuits like the World Women’s Snooker Tour, the Seniors Tour, or the WDBS Tour.
However, there are several amateur events happening, with Snooker Hub offering a great resource to find local competitions across the UK.
If you know of any more tournaments being staged around the world in April, let us know in the comments section below.
Featured photo credit: WST
