Challenge Tour 2018/2019

The Challenge Tour 2018/2019 was a series of snooker tournaments that took place during the 2018–19 season. It was a second-tier tour for players not on the main World Snooker Tour.[1] The top two players in the final rankings earned a two-year card to the World Snooker Tour for 2019–20.[2]

Challenge Tour 2018/2019
Details
Duration2 June 2018 – 7 March 2019
Tournaments10
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Brandon Sargeant was certain of his place in the top two even before the final event. Prior to the draw for the final event, Sargeant led the rankings and only David Grace and Mitchell Mann could catch him. Sargeant could only drop to third if both Grace and Mann reached the final. However, when Grace and Mann were drawn in the same half of the draw, Sargeant was guaranteed his place in the top two.[3] Grace guaranteed his place in the top two after his two nearest challengers, Mann and David Lilley, both lost on the first day of the final event.[4]

After the season had been finished, additional places became available on the main tour for 2019/2020 season and it was decided that an extra tour place would be given to the third placed player on the ranking list, Mitchell Mann.[5]

Format

Each event had a maximum field of 64. The leading 64 players in the 2018 Q School Order of Merit, excluding the 12 who qualified for the main tour, were automatically eligible to play. If some of these did not enter, eight wildcards became eligible and if there are still less than 64 entries, players outside the top-64 in the Q School Order of Merit could enter.[1]

All matches were over five frames. The winner of each event received prize money of £2,000 out of a total of £10,000. The runner-up received £1,000, semi-finalists £700, quarter-finalists £500, last-16 losers £200 and last-32 losers £125.[6]

Schedule
Date Country Tournament Venue City Field Winner Runner-up Score Ref.
2 June 3 June  ENG Event 1 Meadowside Leisure Centre Burton upon Trent 59 Brandon Sargeant Luke Simmonds 3–1 [7]
10 July 11 July  ENG Event 2 Preston Guild Hall Preston 64 David Grace Mitchell Mann 3–0 [8]
28 July 28 July  LAT Event 3 Arena Riga Riga 25 Barry Pinches Jackson Page 3–2 [9]
27 Aug 28 Aug  GER Event 4 Stadthalle Fürth 42 Mitchell Mann Dylan Emery 3–0 [10]
18 Sep 19 Sep  ENG Event 5 Cueball Derby Derby 61 David Lilley Brandon Sargeant 3–1 [11]
4 Oct 5 Oct  BEL Event 6 De Soeverein Lommel 40 David Grace Ben Hancorn 3–0 [12]
13 Oct 14 Oct  ENG Event 7 Barnsley Metrodome Barnsley 61 Joel Walker Jenson Kendrick 3–0 [13]
24 Nov 25 Nov  HUN Event 8 Snooker Terminál Budapest 44 Simon Bedford David Lilley 3–1 [14]
26 Jan 27 Jan  ENG Event 9 Star Snooker Academy Sheffield 56 Adam Duffy Matthew Glasby 3–1 [15]
6 Mar 7 Mar  ENG Event 10 South West Snooker Academy Gloucester 54 George Pragnell Callum Lloyd 3–2 [4]

Source:[16]

The event at Riga was planned for two days, but with only 25 entries, it was played in a single day.

Eligible players

The leading 64 players in the 2018 Q School Order of Merit, excluding the 12 who qualified for the main tour, were automatically eligible to play:[1][17]

Rankings

The leaders in the rankings were:

Rank Player Event 1Event 2Event 3Event 4Event 5Event 6Event 7Event 8Event 9Event 10Total (£)
1 Brandon Sargeant 2,0007007002001,00012570050070006,625
2 David Grace 7002,0002005001252,00012512507006,475
3 Mitchell Mann 7001,0005002,0005005001252002001255,850
4 David Lilley 200–––2,000–5001,0005002004,400
5 Barry Pinches 002,00012550012570012505004,075

Source:[18]

Players in the qualifying places are shown in green. Initially two qualifying places were available but a third place was allocated after the end of the season.

References
  1. "World Snooker Challenge Tour 2018/19". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. "Challenge Tour Nominations Announced". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. "Sargeant earns Tour Stripes". World Snooker. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  4. "By George! Pragnell Wins Challenge Tour Ten". World Snooker. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  5. "Main Tour Qualifications 2019/20 - Update". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  6. "Challenge Tour Prize Money". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. "Sargeant Rises To the Challenge". World Snooker. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  8. "Grace Beats Mann In Challenge Final". World Snooker. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  9. "Pinches Wins Challenge Tour Event Three". World Snooker. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  10. "Mann wins Challenge Tour Four". World Snooker. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  11. "Lilley wins Challenge Tour Five". World Snooker. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  12. "Grace rises to the Challenge". World Snooker. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  13. "Walker strolls to Challenge victory". World Snooker. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  14. "Bedford best in Budapest". World Snooker. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  15. "Duffy on Cloud Nine". World Snooker. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  16. "Calendar 2018/2019" (PDF). World Snooker. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  17. "Q School Order of Merit". World Snooker. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  18. "Challenge Tour Rankings". World Snooker. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
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