UK qualifiers: Those who made it

A strong field of qualifiers for this year's Pukka Pies UK Championships has finally been whittled down to the 16 who will travel to the International Centre at Telford.

Advancing to the venue of the two biggest events in snooker is always a marker of a successful season for players outside of the top 16, and for these players who got their game together this week at the Sheffield Academy, it's time to pack their suitcases and head to Shropshire.

Among the qualifiers this year includes fans favourites Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty, as well as less household names such as Mark Joyce and Patrick Wallace.

Now comes the business end as the big boys await.

OnCue brings you a run down of all those who made it through the gruelling qualifiers, how they got there and who they face at the televised stages...



Matthew Stevens 

The Welshman made light work of Robert Milkins in his only qualifying match running out a comfortable 9-4 winner. He goes to Telford with a match against Ding Junhui to look forward to. The Chinese prodigy has had consistency problems of his own to deal  with this season. Stevens, who is now ranked provisionally 16th in the world, will have to wait and see what frame of mind Ding turns up in. If he can nick the first few frames though, we all know Ding's head can drop. Irrespective of his opponent, Stevens is a quality break builder and can beat anyone when he's playing well.

Tom Ford
 
World ranked 37 Ford makes it to this tournament for the second season in succession, but he'll be hoping for a much better showing this time around. He was heavily beaten 9-3 by Neil Robertson in the first round last year and didn't show a patch on what he's capable of. To make it this far, he took his chances well to beat Tony Drago 9-6 and Gerard Greene 9-2, so will bring plenty of confidence into his match with Mark Allen. Winner of a PTC event this season, Ford has knuckled down this year and will have his eyes set on a lengthier stay than in 2009.

Barry Hawkins
 
Former top 16 player Hawkins knew if he wanted to force his way past Fergal O'Brien he'd have to go into the match aggressively.  And that's exactly what he did. His Republic of Ireland opponent would have been happy to turn this game into a hard fought safety battle, but Hawkins played the way he does best, which earned him a worthy 9-3 win. He wasn't afraid to take on his pots and get in the balls early. This paid its rewards as O'Brien found him too hot to handle. Ranked 24 in the world now, Hawkins knows a win against Marco Fu in the first round could go a long way to helping him back towards the elite.

Stuart Bingham

Stuart has always been a very capable player. With two ranking event maximums and one of the biggest ever Crucible shocks to his name, he's had plenty of success to shout about but breaking into the top 16 has always eluded him. This season's increased schedule has helped him find a more consistent level of performance. He wasn't at his best to beat Peter Lines 9-5 in his only qualifying match but he's feeling good about his game in general. He'll have to play a whole lot better with Ronnie O'Sullivan waiting for him in the first round, but he's got enough about him to trouble his Essex rival.

Ken Doherty

Still one of the much-loved players on the professional circuit, Ken won't be short of followers when he comes up against Stephen Maguire. The 1997 world champion has climbed back into the top 32 over the last year and only faced one match to get here, but it certainly wasn't easy. He eventually beat Rod Lawler 9-7 in a scrappy match even though he failed to find any real rhythm. He'll make it tough for the Scot because he never knows when he's beaten. Maguire will be a heavy favourite but Doherty is a shrewd tactician who won't roll over and die.

Ricky Walden

The 2008 Shanghai Masters champion can count himself considerably lucky when he comes out to play Mark Selby in Telford, because despite a nail-biting 9-8 win against Liu Chuang, he was second best for large parts of this match. His young Chinese opponent came through three matches to meet Walden but perhaps just ran out of steam at the end of a tough week. Walden was given a scare when everyone predicted an easy win, but it may just edge him onto the practice table a bit more and galvanize him ahead of the tournament. He beat Selby in his famous Shanghai run a little over two years ago and has the ability to do the same again, but Selby will be ready.

Martin Gould

The consensus has been reached that Gould is the most improved player on tour this season. He broke his ranking event record to make it to the quarter-finals at the World Open in Glasgow, then  trumped that making it to the final of a PTC event just a couple of months later. He's been in great form all season but was made to sweat for his place at the UK Championships. An inspired James Wattana was never more than a frame adrift but was eventually beaten in a decider. Gould, who is on the verge of a top 16 place, faces Graeme Dott in the first round. This match could see a real clash of styles. Gould likes to go after his shots, but the key will be patience, because Dott won't present too many clear chances for him.

Stephen Lee

Still striking the cue ball as cleanly as ever, former world number four Lee never looked in doubt beating Dave Gilbert 9-4. We're starting to see the Lee of old again but this qualifying campaign saw him coasting without hitting top gear. It'll be a different story when the TV cameras start rolling, because he's the man to face John Higgins on his return to snooker in the UK. This game will be under close scrutiny. The Wizard of Wishaw has won 13 of his 14 matches since returning after allegations of match fixing. He'll be desperate to let his cue do the talking again but Lee will be waiting to exploit any signs of nerves. He'll definitely be the underdog but should go into this knowing there's a chance to shine.

Mark Joyce

The second lowest ranked player to make it to this year's UK Championships, world number 60 Joyce jumped through four hoops to earn his tie with world number two Ali Carter. He played a total of 49 frames in his first three qualifying games to beat Jak Jones, Alfie Burden and Marcus Campbell. But any suggestions he might be too drained to see the job through were proved to be false as he rattled past snooker legend Stev Davis 9-2 to leave him resigned to the BBC studios for this competition. This is only the second time Joyce has made it to the last 32 of a major ranking event, but it could be the event that kicks him on from a promising junior to the top player he's threatened to become.

Judd Trump

A third consecutive visit to Telford for this talented young player. Despite being branded as one of the most exciting young prospects in the game, 21-year-old Judd has fallen at the first hurdle at the past two UK Championships. This year, he comes up against a similarly attack-minded player in Jamie Cope. This match is likely to be fast and furious, and one for the fans to really enjoy. Now ranked inside the top 32, Trump had to produce one win to make the cut. It certainly wasn't vintage, but he beat Xiao Goudong 9-7 after trailing in the match more than once.

Jimmy White


It really will be like rolling back the years to see Jimmy lock horns with Stephen Hendry in the first round. The Whirlwind has found a new wind too and stands a great chance of giving the seven-time world champion a real run for his money. Victory at the World Seniors Championships in November proved he's a cut above the older guard, but this week at the Sheffield Academy, he's shown he's still be feared on the circuit as well. Three wins included 9-1 against Adam Wicheard, 9-4 with Adrian Gunnell and 9-6 over Joe Perry. Flooding with confidence and Hendry clearly questioning his game right now, this could be an absolute classic.

Patrick Wallace

The lowest ranked player making tracks to Shropshire, but it's not without merit. Wallace boasts one of the most impressive qualifying campaigns winning four matches with the loss of just 13 frames. He steamed through his first three wins against Jamie O'Neill, Anthony McGill and Michael Holt all 9-4, but he saved the best until last trashing Mike Dunn 9-1 to book his place. The Northern Irish player enjoyed the best spell of his career in 2001 when he advanced to the last eight at the Crucible when he was ranked 59th in the world. Now at number 74, and never having been in the top 32, Wallace will enjoy this tournament even though his draw could barely be more difficult than against one of the favourites Shaun Murphy.

Ryan Day


Qualifying for such a big event as this could be the confidence Day so desperately needs. He fell out of the top 16 earlier this season after a barren spell of play spanning back 18 months. The Welshman has been having a hard time of it and rediscovering his best form has been a massive struggle. Losing all six of his opening round ranking matches in the 2009/10 season, as well as winning just two matches from his first eleven this season has seen him plummet down the rankings. Having previously occupied sixth spot in the world, he clearly has the talent. But as many of us know, half the game is played in the mind. He beat Jamie Burnett 9-5 to make the cut and  may now fancy his chances against Mark King.

Andrew Higginson


Higginson played some solid snooker to beat an in form Dominic Dale 9-6 in his only qualifying match, but he's got one of the toughest draws you can get at a venue, against Peter Ebdon. He's guaranteed to be in store for a match of tough grafting snooker, but it's the kind of challenge he'll have to overcome if he wants to break into the top 16. Andrew is always a player worth keeping an eye on at the televised stages. He proved that in 2007 with a surprise trip to the Welsh Open final. At a career-high ranking of 25 right now, Higginson enjoyed a good 2009/10 season, and has started this one well too, making it to the quarter-finals at the Shanghai Masters.

Rory McLeod

Ranked number 38 in the world, this is Rory's third consecutive visit to Telford. He's yet to make it past the last 32 here, or in fact in any major ranking event. His chances of doing that this time are slim again as he comes up against world champion Neil Robertson. McLeod has been playing well this season, and enjoyed a maximum break in the new PTC series. To get here, he beat Kyren Wilson 9-4 and Liang Wenbo 9-6, even though he went into the match second favourite. Like Robertson, Rory also likes to attack and make big breaks. I'm sure he'll stick to his usual game but you can guarantee his mistakes will be pounced on. If he misses his chances early on, he'll have to beware of a heavy defeat.


Mark Davis


Mark took a commanding 7-1 lead into last night's final sessions against Joe Swail, and nearly let it slip. He lost all of the opening four frames as he was pegged back to 7-5. He picked his game up after the interval to share the next four and end up a 9-7 winner. If he plays like he did in the final session against Swail, he could be in for a torrid time against Mark Williams. But Davis is an experienced pro and should be back in the zone for this tough but important match.