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The Race To Turkey – EBSA European Championships Qualification
The 2025 European Championships will take place in Antalya, Turkey and the race is on for the opportunity to represent England across four prestigious competitions.
Organised by the European Billiards & Snooker Association (EBSA), the championships will be held at Pine Beach Belek Hotel, Antalya, Turkey from 9-22 March 2025 and the winners of the mixed gender and under-21 events will be nominated for a two-year World Snooker Tour card.
EPSB NOMINATIONS
Each country has up to five places for each competition (mixed gender, under-21, under-18 and under-16) and these are allocated according to the EPSB selection criteria outlined at the start of the current season.
European Championship (Mixed Gender)
The qualification criteria for the event is as follows: “The current champion of the English Amateur Championship followed by highest ranked eligible players on the English Amateur Tour.”
Steven Hallworth became the first player to secure his place in Turkey by defeating Callum Downing 6-4 in the final of the 103rd edition of the English Amateur Championship at the Landywood Snooker Club in March.
Double-event winner Barry Pinches (215 points) is guaranteed of a nomination due to holding an unassailable lead over fifth-placed Ashley Hugill (110 points) with just one event to go.
The final event of the English Amateur Tour season takes place on 4-5 January at the Landywood Snooker Club and the three remaining spots are still all to play for on what is sure to be a dramatic weekend in Walsall.
Liam Highfield (200 points), who won the first event of the campaign and made a maximum break along the way, will guarantee a top four finish by reaching the last 32 stage of event five, while third-placed Kayden Brierley (155 points) will confirm his place in Turkey by reaching the final.
Ryan Davies (115 points) currently sits in fourth position but holds a slender lead of just five points of Hugill, who leads the chasing pack.
With a further 100 points on offer during the first weekend of January, players currently ranked as low as 47th could mathematically still qualify for the 2025 European Championship.
Entries for the final English Amateur Tour event of the season close on 27 December and 12:00. Enter now.
European Under-21 Championship
The qualification criteria for the event is as follows: “The current champion of the English Under-21 Championship, followed by the highest ranked eligible players from the English Junior Tour.”
Paul Deaville secured his qualification for the event in April by defeating Aidan Gallagher 5-3 in the final of the English Under-21 Championship at The Winchester Snooker Club in Leicester.
This weekend (7-8 December), the Northern Snooker Centre hosts the fifth and final event of the English Junior Tour season following which the four further qualifiers will be confirmed.
Heading into the weekend, double-event winner Oliver Sykes (620 points) is already guaranteed to finish within the top four and earn a nomination for Turkey.
Second-placed Vladislav Gradinari of Moldova (540 points) is ineligible for nomination by the EPSB, which means Ethan Llewellyn (450 points), Aidan Murphy (440 points) and Westley Cooper (420 points) currently sit within the qualification positions.
With the exception of Hong Kong China’s Shaun Liu, who sits seventh but is also ineligible for nomination by the EPSB, a number of players down the rankings could still overtake them and book their place in Turkey by taking home the title in Leeds – including event two winner Daniel Boyes (400 points) and event four winner O’Shay Scott (375 points).
English Under-18 Championship
The qualification criteria for the event is as follows: “The current champion of the English Under-18 Championship, followed by the highest ranked eligible players from the English Junior Tour.”
Daniel Boyes defeated O’Shay Scott 5-3 at Barratts in Northampton to win the English Under-18 Championship and become the first player to qualify for the European Under-18 Championship.
At present, the top four eligible players in the ranking list are Ethan Llewellyn (450 points), event four winner O’Shay Scott (400 points), 12-year-old William Thomson (280 points), Kaylan Patel (260 points).
Of these, only Llewellyn is currently guaranteed to finish in the top four of the eligible players while the 200 points on offer in Leeds this weekend means that it remains all to play for with English Under-14 champion Nicholas Ayers (240 points) among those in the chasing pack.
English Under-16 Championship
The qualification criteria for the event is as follows: “The current champion of the English Under-16 Championship, followed by the highest ranked eligible players from the English Junior Tour.”
Vladislav Gradinari won the English Under-16 Championship by beating O’Shay Scott 5-4 at Q Bar in Walsall. However, Gradinari is ineligible for nomination by the EPSB and so the top five eligible players on the English Junior Tour rankings following this weekend’s final event will receive nominations.
Twelve-year-old William Thomson (280 points) is currently the top ranked eligible players after four events, while Logan Hall (245 points), English Under-14 champion Nicholas Ayers (240 points), William Hurley (240 points) and Adam Abbas (230 points) currently make up the top five.
However, with a further 200 points on offer this weekend, nobody is yet guaranteed of a nomination for the European Under-16 Championship and almost any eligible player further down the ranking list could still secure their place in Turkey.
