EPSB Open Series Season Concludes on Saturday

Jack Bradford has finished top of the 2023/24 EPSB Open Series ranking list to earn himself a free 2024 Q School entry and 16 cueists will now head to the Woking Snooker Centre on Saturday 6 April to compete in the play-offs, with a further free entry up for grabs.

The top spot came right down to the wire as both Bradford and Peter Devlin finished tied on points, but a run to the semi-finals of the concluding regular season event at Landywood Snooker Club meant that the 32-year-old secured first place courtesy of the count back rule.

It has been an historic season for the EPSB Open Series with 34 events, open to all, held across the country between October and March. This season also featured the first maximum break in the history of the series, made in February by Aidan Gallagher at Breakers Snooker Club in Leicester.

The next 16 eligible in the end-of-season rankings will now embark on the Woking Snooker Centre on Saturday (6 April) for the EPSB Open Series play-offs where the winner will, like overall champion Bradford, receive a free entry to the 2024 Q School where a chance to join the elite on the World Snooker Tour is on offer.

Last 16 Draw:

• Peter Devlin vs. Aristos Pampouris
• Lee Shanker vs. Labeeb Ahmed
• Jake Robinson vs. John Donovan
• Anthony Wall vs. Marcos Dayao
• Halim Hussain vs. Hamim Hussain
• Shaun Liu vs. Simon Blackwell
• Jeff Cundy vs. Phil O’Kane
• Billy West vs. Matthew Glasby

Devlin, the winner of five EPSB Open Series events this campaign, is the top seed and begins the event against 23-year-old Aristos Pampouris.

Second seed Matthew Glasby, the champion in three events, kicks off his event against Billy West while the next-ranked Halim Hussain takes on his brother Hamim in an eye-catching contest that will see family bragging rights on the line.

Other notable names competing in Woking include former professional Jeff Cundy, who faces Phil O’Kane in one of the ties of the first round, and last year’s English Under-14 Championship winner Shaun Liu, who is the youngest player in the draw and meets Simon Blackwell in the last 16.

Jake Robinson, winner of the final English Amateur Tour event of the season, will face teenager John Donovan while the first round draw is completed by Lee Shanker against Labeeb Ahmed and Anthony Wall facing Marcos Dayao.

All matches in the play-offs will be best-of-five frames with play set to get underway at 9:30am. Follow the action on WPBSA SnookerScores.