The 2024/25 snooker season is simply across the nook with Championship League Snooker set to launch the brand new marketing campaign subsequent week.
The rating occasion model of the Matchroom-promoted match will likely be open to all skilled gamers on the primary tour to enter.
There will likely be extra particulars on that competitors, which commences on Monday, later this week.
As at all times, there guarantees to be loads of pleasure and drama as soon as once more forward of a contemporary time period on the inexperienced baize – one that can run till Could subsequent 12 months.
Let’s, then, take a short take a look at only a small choice of gamers who is perhaps value keeping track of for various causes over the course of the 2024/25 snooker season.
Jak Jones
Kyren Wilson could have emerged with the honours on the 2024 World Snooker Championship, however his opponent within the remaining arguably offered the most important story of the match.
Jak Jones had already impressed on his Crucible Theatre debut in 2023 when he certified and beat Neil Robertson en path to the quarter-finals.
The Welshman initially didn’t construct on that run throughout a disappointing 2023/24 marketing campaign, however that each one modified upon his return to Sheffield.
After negotiating the preliminary rounds once more, Jones proceeded to the quarters the place he ousted pre-tournament favorite Judd Trump.
Semi-final success over Stuart Bingham adopted, however a sluggish and nervy begin to the ultimate all however ended his aspirations of touchdown an unlikely maiden world crown.
Nonetheless, the 30 year-old firmly introduced himself as a serious contender and the game’s latest member of the highest 16 within the course of.
Now, the query is whether or not or not he’ll be capable of construct on that momentum in the course of the upcoming time period.
Jones, by his personal admission, didn’t even produce his greatest normal on the Crucible Theatre, so it will likely be attention-grabbing to see what he can do with confidence in his skill to compete with the easiest certainly at an all-time excessive.
Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson’s defeat to Jones within the second spherical of the 2023 World Snooker Championship sparked the Australian’s worst interval of kind.
Robertson barely received a recreation between the summer time and into the flip of the 12 months, a depressing stretch that ultimately culminated in him shedding his spot among the many world’s prime 16.
That compelled him into the qualifying competitors for this 12 months’s World Championship, the place he suffered a disappointing reverse by the hands of Jamie Jones on Judgement Day.
Whereas it was a considerably becoming solution to conclude a lacklustre season, there have been indicators of a return to some kind within the again half of the time period.
Robertson, now the world no.28, reached the semi-finals of the World Open and customarily performed properly on the English Institute of Sport regardless of his demise in opposition to Jones.
Aged 42, he nonetheless has just a few years left to manoeuvre his profession again into the fitting path, and he received’t have many rating factors to defend from the 2022/23 marketing campaign.
He Guoqiang
He Guoqiang deservedly received Rookie of the 12 months because the annual World Snooker Tour Awards had been delivered final month.
The 23 year-old gained promotion to the primary tour simply over 12 months in the past by way of the Asia & Oceania leg of Q College.
It didn’t take lengthy for He to make an impression as an expert as he beat the likes of Kyren Wilson, Ryan Day, Hossein Vafaei, and Barry Hawkins in his opening months as an expert.
He reached the quarter-finals of the British Open and adopted that spectacular show up with runs to the final 16 at each the English and Wuhan Opens.
Robust performances turned much less frequent within the second half of the season, however he has already risen up the ranks and is on the cusp of becoming a member of the highest 64 for the primary time.
A number of younger Chinese language cueists have flattered to deceive on quite a few events over the past decade or so.
There stays a void to be crammed after the surprising bans associated to match-fixing that had been administered to Triple Crown match winners Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong.
He seems to own adequate ranges of expertise and temperament to push on like they initially managed to do, however that in fact is less complicated mentioned than achieved.
Liam Davies
Over the previous few years, the elder statesmen of the World Snooker Tour have undoubtedly dominated in the direction of the highest of the rankings.
The vast majority of gamers ranked inside the highest 16 are over 30 years previous, with many like Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams even approaching 50.
Whereas these gamers are unequivocal legends of the sport, there have been considerations that the shortage of an emergence of younger expertise has left the game feeling stale.
There have been indicators over the past couple of years {that a} new breed of fledgling stars may very well be about to breakthrough, nonetheless.
The likes of Stan Moody and Liam Pullen started their skilled careers a 12 months in the past, and there are a complete host of aspiring contemporary faces set to mount their early challenges in the course of the 2024/25 snooker season.
Bulcsú Révész (17), Artemijs Zizins (18), and Antoni Kowalski (20) will characterize Hungary, Latvia, and Poland respectively after securing tour playing cards for the primary time.
Northern Eire’s Robbie McGuigan (19), Cheung Ka Wai (24) of Hong Kong, and Pakistan’s Haris Tahir (24) provide further worldwide flavour.
Maybe some of the thrilling prospects to control is Welsh teen Liam Davies, who turns 18 on the finish of June.
Davies already has numerous worldwide novice titles underneath his belt, together with the EBSA under-21 crown that earned him his profitable ticket to the big-time.
Many individuals within the know are tipping Davies to be a star so the stress will likely be fierce, and it will likely be intriguing to see if he can dwell as much as the billing.
Bai Yulu
There continues to be some controversy and debate surrounding the inclusion of main ladies gamers on the World Snooker Tour.
It has been clear that those that have up to now acquired tour playing cards to compete on the skilled circuit have struggled.
The likes of Reanne Evans and Mink Nutcharut have solely managed extraordinarily restricted success in opposition to their male counterparts.
But there have been indicators that the ladies’s recreation has been bettering and rising over the past variety of years.
Arguably the most important indication of this has been Bai Yulu, who has been on most individuals’s radar throughout latest seasons.
The up-and-coming star from China disappointingly missed out on world glory on the ladies’s tour in 2023 when she was pipped within the remaining by Baipat Siripaporn.
Bai, although, bounced again in dramatic vogue on house soil this 12 months by beating Nutcharut 6-5 to seal the distinguished crown.
The triumph earned the 20 year-old a two-year skilled card, and there are some who consider that she possesses the basics to compete at a good larger stage.
Now we have seen with Nutcharut, Evans, and different feminine gamers how a few dangerous performances and missed alternatives can result in a adverse spiral impact that may unexpectedly get uncontrolled.
It’s maybe vital, then, that Bai will get her first skilled stint in the course of the 2024/25 snooker season off to a constructive opening.
Featured photograph credit score: WPBSA
