The long professional careers of Robert Milkins and Mark Davis could be over after both players were beaten in the World Championship qualifiers on Thursday.
The pair of Englishmen arrived at the English Institute of Sport knowing that positive results were needed in their fight for tour survival.
But after defeats in the second round of the preliminary competition in Sheffield, both Milkins and Davis will definitely finish the season outside the world’s top 64.
That, of course, is the crucial cut-off point that safeguards a tour card for another season.
Davis was beaten 10-6 by China’s Gao Yang and is 65th on the provisional end-of-season list.
Milkins is even further down the pecking order at 69th after suffering a 10-3 loss to amateur top-up Patrick Whelan.
Until recently, Milkins had been in contention for one of the four two-year cards that are available through the one-year rankings list for players not inside the official top 64.
But even that avenue seems to be over, with Milkins down to sixth as things stand.
Davis is nowhere on the one-year rankings and will almost definitely have to go to Q School if he wants to extend his professional career.
Both Milkins and Davis have been professionals on the World Snooker Tour since the 1990s, and they have each been ranked as high as number 12 in the world.
Davis, 53, first turned professional in 1991 and reached the English Open final in 2018 where he was denied a maiden ranking success by Stuart Bingham.
He made several other appearances in ranking event semi-finals and was a frequent qualifier for the World Championship, playing at the Crucible Theatre on 12 occasions.
The Sussex man also proved to be adept in the six reds format, winning versions of that World Championship three times between 2009 and 2013.
While his demise has generally been on the cards in recent years, the drop-off from Milkins has been altogether more unexpected.
The 50 year-old, who turned professional in 1995, reached the last 16 of the World Championship as recently as two years ago.
Just over 12 months prior to that, Milkins collected his biggest career title with an impressive victory over Shaun Murphy to win the 2023 Welsh Open crown.
Milkins previously also won the Gibraltar Open, but the last couple of seasons have been a nightmare.
Indeed, appearances in the latter stages of tournaments have been completely non-existent.
Milkins cut a disconsolate-looking figure in his defeat to Whelan, at times slumped in his seat and even slamming his cue in frustration at how things were going.
Aside from the option of Q School in May, the duo could turn their attentions to the Q Tour next season where they would have to fight alongside amateurs again to regain their pro statuses.
Should they fail to return to the main tour, it would be the concluding chapter for more familiar figures from the early-to-mid 1990s crop of competitors.
Dominic Dale, Anthony Hamilton, and Joe Perry all ended their professional careers at the end of the last campaign.
There aren’t many from that era left, with the three fabled Class of ’92 members obviously flying the flag the best and still up near the top of the rankings.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams are now the longest-serving professionals on the circuit except for Jimmy White and Ken Doherty.
The latter’s future is similarly uncertain after the Irishman lost heavily to Whelan in the first round of the qualifiers.
That brought an end to Doherty’s current invitational tour card – and potentially marking another departure from snooker’s fading old guard.
Featured photos credit: WST
Ronnie O’Sullivan is younger than David Lilley who remains on tour.
Oldest professionals as in longest-running since when they first turned pro. Lilley turned pro in 2019. Poorly worded maybe.
I thought you meant by age.
After the Class of ’92, I’d suggest Matthew Stevens and Graeme Dott are the next longest-serving pros. Dott will be relegated but if exonerated, World Snooker could and should award him an ITC.