Who is playing in the Seniors Snooker 900 in Epsom at Christmas? Draw, format, playing rules

The one-day spectacular takes place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Monday 30th December. It is the latest event on the World Seniors Snooker 900 Series which began here last year.

The players competing at the 2024 Seniors Snooker 900 Epsom event:

Once again, six players will feature in the Seniors Snooker 900 event.

Record four-time World Seniors Snooker Champion Jimmy White will be looking for his maiden 900 title, having reached the final here last year and further title match appearances at subsequent legs in Dublin and Hull.

Former World Professional Champion Ken Doherty defeated White in the final back in the spring for glory on home soil at Goffs. 'The Darlin' of Dublin' goes for a second crown in this unique format.

Maltese sporting legend Tony Drago - a semi-finalist at the last two World Seniors Snooker Championships - is also scheduled to be in Epsom.

Three players will be making their Seniors 900 debuts; former British Open champion Nigel Bond, 2023 World Seniors Snooker Championship runner-up Alfie Burden, and European Tour event winner Rory McLeod.

What is the draw, format and match schedule for the 2024 Seniors Snooker 900 Epsom event?

The six contestants have been drawn into two round robin groups of three.

All matches in the groups are just one frame; the top two players from each group will qualify for the semi-final knockouts. The winner of Group A will play the runner-up from Group B, and the winner of Group B will play the runner-up of Group A.

The semi-finals are also one-frame matches, although the final will be the best of three frames.

Should all three players be tied on wins in a group, qualification and positioning for the knockouts will be determined by whoever made the highest breaks during the group phase.

The Groups:

Group A

• Tony Drago
• Alfie Burden
• Rory McLeod

Group B

• Jimmy White
• Ken Doherty
• Nigel Bond

Match schedule (from approximately 14:00GMT):

• 1) Tony Drago v Alfie Burden
• 2) Jimmy White v Ken Doherty
• 3) Rory McLeod v Winner of match 1
• 4) Nigel Bond v Winner of match 2
• 5) Rory McLeod v Loser of match 1
• 6) Nigel Bond v Loser of match 2

followed by:

• the semi-finals, then the final

What are the playing rules for the Seniors Snooker 900?

Traditional matchplay snooker rules are still used at ‘900’ events, but there are several twists.

Frames can only last a maximum of 15 minutes - 900 seconds, hence the name. If the frame has not been completed when the 15 minutes expires, whoever is leading in points is declared the winner of that frame. In the event of a tied frame, a blue ball shoot out will determine the victor.

As well as the match-clock, there is also a shot-clock, meaning players only have a certain amount of time to strike the cueball. If a player runs out of time, it will be called a foul.

For every shot, a ball must either contact a cushion or be potted, meaning players can’t just roll up to a ball. If this does not happen, a foul will be called.

All foul strokes in the Seniors Snooker 900 Series result in ‘cueball in hand’. This means the approaching player can put the cueball wherever they like for the opening shot of their visit.

The Seniors Snooker 900 Series uses a spotted cueball.

The tournament will be televised live on Channel 5 in the UK. It is expected that both John Virgo and Dennis Taylor will be commentating during the event.