Ashley Carty, Ashley Hugill, and Craig Steadman will be back on the World Snooker Tour next season after emerging victoriously at the Q Tour Global Play-Offs in Gandia.
The trio were the last ones standing after a tense three-day competition at the Palace Hotel on the east coast of Spain.
Carty, who first turned professional in 2018 and most recently dropped off the pro circuit at the end of last season, beat Hayden Staniland in his first game.
Against Peter Devlin in the semi-finals, the 30 year-old managed to survive a thriller that went all the way down to the final colours in the 11th and deciding frame.
His final was then against veteran Peter Lines, who had similarly won a seven-hour marathon match in the penultimate round against Barry Pinches.
With the opening session shared at four frames apiece, Carty took to the front in the second session to establish a 9-5 cushion.
Lines won three frames on the spin to narrow the gap and almost forced a deciding frame, but Carty ultimately clinched it on the colours.
“I found it difficult to adjust to the amateur game for the first few months and it is tough financially as well,” Carty said.
“So to get back on after the first season, I believe that is where I should be.”
Hugill reached the final of his section with victories over Luke Pinches and Alfie Davies, scoring a break of 104 during his defeat of the latter.
The 31 year-old, a former quarter-finalist at the English Open, then overcame Mark Joyce with a 10-5 scoreline – making breaks of 99, 98, 85, and 50.
Hugill first turned professional in 2017 and reached as high as number 65 in the world rankings in 2023, before he was relegated for the second time in his career a year later.
“I can hardly breathe,” said Hugill, who is coached by Anthony Hamilton. “It’s just pure relief, it felt like it was all on the line for me there. I’m not sure I was going to do another season on the amateur tour.”
Steadman, meanwhile, will make his return to the World Snooker Tour after a three-year absence.
The 43 year-old, who joined the main tour for the first time way back in 2009, memorably reached the semi-finals of the Snooker Shoot Out in 2021.
Steadman thrashed Callum Beresford 5-0 in his opening match but was pushed all the way by Patrick Whelan – eventually pipping his fellow Englishman with an impressive 131 break in the deciding frame.
In the final, he quickly established a 4-0 lead over opponent Stuart Carrington, an early buffer that probably proved critical in the eventual outcome.
Carrington got back to within one frame on three occasions but could never quite restore parity, and Steadman held on for a 10-7 win.
“I’ve liked the amateur circuit and I’m not just saying that,” Steadman, who won Event 6 of the regular Q Tour season, said afterward.
“I’ll kind of miss it, because there’s events every week and I like playing in tournaments.”
“When you get older, the practicing gets a bit harder but I love competing. It has shown me that there is life after professional snooker and it’s not all doom and gloom.”
Carty, Hugill, and Steadman will each receive two-year tour cards to participate on the World Snooker Tour for the upcoming 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.
Jamie Clarke was also promoted through the feeder Q Tour after topping the order of merit rankings following the regular season.
Q Tour Global Play-Offs Results
Play-Off 1
Quarter-Finals
Peter Lines 5-1 Oliver Briffett-Payne
Barry Pinches 5-1 Ryan Thomerson
Peter Devlin 5-2 Simon Blackwell
Ashley Carty 5-3 Hayden Staniland
Semi-Finals
Peter Lines 6-5 Barry Pinches
Ashley Carty 6-5 Peter Devlin
Final
Ashley Carty 10-8 Peter Lines
Play-Off 2
Quarter-Finals
Daniel Womersley 5-4 Andrew Higginson
Mark Joyce 5-3 Ismail Turker
Alfie Davies 5-3 Sean O’Sullivan
Ashley Hugill 5-1 Luke Pinches
Semi-Finals
Mark Joyce 6-2 Daniel Womersley
Ashley Hugill 6-3 Alfie Davies
Final
Ashley Hugill 10-5 Mark Joyce
Play-Off 3
Quarter-Finals
Craig Steadman 5-0 Callum Beresford
Patrick Whelan 5-0 Alan Whitfield
George Pragnell 5-0 Hasanain Khalid Alsultani
Stuart Carrington 5-3 Alex Millington
Semi-Finals
Craig Steadman 6-5 Patrick Whelan
Stuart Carrington 6-5 George Pragnell
Final
Craig Steadman 10-7 Stuart Carrington
Featured photo credit: WPBSA
