2023 Snooker Shoot Out (2022–23 season)

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2023 BetVictor Snooker Shoot Out
Tournament information
Dates25–28 January 2023 (2023-01-25 – 2023-01-28)
VenueMorningside Arena
CityLeicester
CountryEngland
OrganisationWorld Snooker Tour
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£171,000
Winner's share£50,000
Highest break Chris Wakelin (ENG) (119)
Final
Champion Chris Wakelin (ENG)
Runner-up Julien Leclercq (BEL)
Score119–0 (one frame)
← 2022

The 2023 Snooker Shoot Out (officially the 2023 BetVictor Snooker Shoot Out) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 25 to 28 January 2023 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England.[1] Played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker, with every match contested over a single frame, the tournament was the ninth ranking event of the 2022–23 snooker season and the sixth of eight events in the 2023 European Series. Sponsored by BetVictor, the event was broadcast by Eurosport in Europe and by multiple other broadcasters internationally.[2] The winner received £50,000 from a total prize fund of £171,000.

Hossein Vafaei was the defending champion, having defeated Mark Williams 71‍–‍0 in the 2022 final.[3] However, Vafaei lost 9‍–‍33 to Shaun Murphy in the first round.[4] Aged 14 years and three months, Vladislav Gradinari became the youngest player to win a televised match at a ranking event when he defeated Ng On-yee in the first round.[4][5][6] Reanne Evans became the first woman to win a match in a Snooker Shoot Out event, as well as the first woman to win a televised match at any ranking event, when she defeated Stuart Bingham in the first round.[7][8]

In the final of the event, Chris Wakelin faced Belgian teenager Julien Leclercq, who had turned professional at the beginning of the season. Both players contested their first ranking final. Wakelin won the event with a 119 break, the highest of the four century breaks made in the tournament, to capture the first ranking title of his ten-year professional career.[9][10]

Tournament format[edit]

The tournament was played using a variation of the traditional snooker rules. The draw was randomised before each round. All matches were played over a single frame, each of which lasted up to 10 minutes. The event featured a variable shot clock; shots played in the first five minutes were allowed 15 seconds while the final five had a 10-second timer. All foul shots awarded the opponent a ball in hand. Unlike traditional snooker, if a ball did not hit a cushion on every shot, it was a foul. Rather than a coin toss, a lag was used to choose which player breaks. In the event of a draw, each player received a shot at the blue ball. This is known as a "blue ball shootout". The player who potted the ball with the cue ball from inside the "D" and the blue ball on its spot with the opponent missing won the match.

Prize fund[edit]

The total prize fund for the event is £171,000 with the winner receiving £50,000. The breakdown of prize money is shown below:[11]

  • Winner: £50,000
  • Runner-up: £20,000
  • Semi-final: £8,000
  • Quarter-final: £4,000
  • Last 16: £2,000
  • Last 32: £1,000
  • Last 64: £500
  • Last 128: £250[a]
  • Highest break: £5,000
  • Total: £171,000

Tournament draw[edit]

All times in Greenwich Mean Time. Times for quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are approximate. Players in bold denote match winners.

Round 1[edit]

25 January – 13:00[edit]

25 January – 19:00[edit]

26 January – 13:00[edit]

26 January – 19:00[edit]

Round 2[edit]

27 January – 13:00[edit]

27 January – 19:00[edit]

Round 3[edit]

28 January – 13:00[edit]

Round 4[edit]

28 January – 19:00[edit]

Quarter-finals[edit]

28 January – 21:00[edit]

Semi-finals[edit]

28 January – 22:00[edit]

Final[edit]

Final: 1 frame. Referee: Kevin Dabrowski
Morningside Arena, Leicester, England, 28 January 2023 – 22:30
Chris Wakelin
 England 		119–0 Julien Leclercq
 Belgium

Century breaks[edit]

A total of four century breaks were made during the tournament.[12]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The prize money for losing in the first round did not count towards the world rankings.
  2. ^ Dominic Dale beat Matthew Stevens in a sudden death blue ball shootout after the match frame finished level at 49–49.
  3. ^ Chris Wakelin beat Farakh Ajaib in a sudden death blue ball shootout after the match frame finished level at 25–25.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "BetVictor Shoot Out". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  2. ^ "How To Watch The BetVictor Shoot Out". World Snooker. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Hossein Vafaei stuns Mark Williams to win Snooker Shoot Out and become first Iranian to win ranking tournament". Eurosport. 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Shaun Murphy knocks out defending champion Hossein Vafaei, 14-year-old Vladislav Gradinari beats Ng On Yee". Eurosport. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Moldovan Sensation Sets New Record". World Snooker Tour. 25 January 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Gradinari, 14, sets record with Shoot Out win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Landmark Win For Evans". World Snooker. 26 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Evans claims historic victory over Bingham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Wakelin Wins Maiden Title in Style". World Snooker Tour. 28 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Wakelin wins Shoot Out for first ranking title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Prize Money World Rankings Schedule 2022/2023 Season" (PDF). World Snooker. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. ^ "BetVictor Shoot Out 2023 | Centuries". World Snooker Tour. 25–28 January 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
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