World Series of Snooker
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The Sportingbet.com World Series of Snooker was a series of invitational snooker tournaments set up as a complement to the WPBSA's tour[1] Its first season was played in 2008/2009, consisting of four two-day tournaments in St. Helier, Berlin, Moscow and Warsaw and the three-day Grand Final in Portimão.
FSTC Sports Management (2007–2010)
| |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Various |
| Country | Various |
| Established | 1987 |
| Organisation(s) | WPBSA (1987–1993) FSTC Sports Management (2007–2010) |
| Format | Non-ranking events |
| Final year | 2009/2010 |
| Final champion |  Shaun Murphy |
It featured ten leading players – each tournament featured four of these taking on four wild cards. Points were awarded for reaching at least the semi-finals. The winner of each tournament received five points, the runner-up three and losing semi-finalists one each. These points determined seeding positions for the Grand Final.
There was a previous incarnation of the event organised by Matchroom Sport, that ran in the 1987/88 season, and from 1990/91 until 1992/93.[2]
Management and purpose
The tour was set up by FSTC Sports Management, who managed leading snooker players John Higgins and Graeme Dott, as well as Eurosport (who screened the events alongside the coverage of the WPBSA tour), Higgins,[3] and leading referee Michaela Tabb. Higgins felt that the game's attendances were too low, and that potential new venues outside the game's traditional United Kingdom and recently developed Far East markets were not being utilised,[4] and wanted to give something back to the sport.[5] After conducting exploratory tours a trial event was staged in 2007 in Warsaw. The event was called the 2007 Warsaw Snooker Tour. This paved the way and the World Series started in the 2008/2009 season.. The World Series lasted for two seasons.[6]
Results
1987/1988
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score[7] | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hong Kong Masters |  Hong Kong |
Steve Davis |
 Stephen Hendry |
9–3 | [8] |
| 1987 | Tokyo Masters |  Tokyo |
 Dennis Taylor |
 Terry Griffiths |
6–3 | [8] |
| 1987 | Canadian Masters |  Toronto |
Dennis Taylor |
Jimmy White |
9–7 | [9] |
1990/1991
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | World Series Challenge | Hong Kong |
 James Wattana |
Jimmy White |
9–3 | [10] |
| 1990 | Scottish Masters | Motherwell |
Stephen Hendry |
Terry Griffiths |
10–6 | [11] |
| 1990 | Humo Masters |  Antwerp |
John Parrott |
Jimmy White |
9–6 | [10] |
1991/1992
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score[12] | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Thailand Masters | Bangkok |
Steve Davis |
Stephen Hendry |
6–3 | [13] |
| 1991 | Hong Kong Challenge | Hong Kong |
Stephen Hendry |
James Wattana |
9–1 | [10] |
| 1991 | Indian Challenge |  Delhi |
Stephen Hendry |
John Parrott |
9–5 | [10] |
| 1991 | Scottish Masters | Motherwell |
Mike Hallett |
Steve Davis |
10–6 | [11] |
| 1991 | Humo Masters | Antwerp |
Mike Hallett |
Neal Foulds |
9–7 | [10] |
| 1991 | Belgian Challenge | Antwerp |
Steve Davis |
Stephen Hendry |
10–9 | [10] |
1992/1993
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score[14] | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Kent Classic |  Beijing |
John Parrott |
Stephen Hendry |
6–5 | [10] |
| 1992 | Scottish Masters | Motherwell |
Neal Foulds |
Gary Wilkinson |
10–8 | [11] |
| 1992 | Humo Masters | Antwerp |
James Wattana |
John Parrott |
10–5 | [10] |
| 1992 | World Matchplay | Doncaster |
James Wattana |
Steve Davis |
9–4 | [15] |
2007/2008
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16–17 June 2007 | Warsaw Snooker Tour |  Warsaw |
Mark Selby |
John Higgins |
5–3 |
2008/2009
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score[16] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21–22 June 2008 | World Series of Snooker – Jersey | St. Helier | John Higgins |
Mark Selby |
6–3 |
| 12–13 July 2008 | World Series of Snooker – Berlin | Berlin | Graeme Dott |
Shaun Murphy |
6–1 |
| 25–26 October 2008 | World Series of Snooker – Warsaw | Warsaw | Ding Junhui |
 Ken Doherty |
6–4 |
| 22–23 November 2008 | World Series of Snooker – Moscow | Moscow | John Higgins |
Ding Junhui |
5–0 |
| 8–10 May 2009 | World Series of Snooker Grand Final | Portimão | Shaun Murphy |
John Higgins |
6–2 |
2009/2010
| Date | Name | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score[16] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16–17 May 2009 | World Series of Snooker – Killarney | Killarney | Shaun Murphy |
Jimmy White |
5–1 |
| 17–18 October 2009 | World Series of Snooker – Prague | Prague | Jimmy White |
Graeme Dott |
5–3 |