Lawler Wins First Pro Title

Veteran Rod Lawler won the first professional title of his 22-year snooker career by beating Marco Fu 4-2 in the final of UKPTC3.

Liverpool’s 41-year-old Lawler,ranked No 65 in the world, played superbly in the event at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester, beating the likes of Stuart Bingham and Stephen Lee before seeing off Hong Kong’s Fu in the final.

Lawler enjoyed his best days in the mid-1990s, reaching the last 16 of the World Championship in 1995 and the final of the International Open the following year. He dropped off the main tour at the end of last season having been a pro since 1990, but decided to try Q School and made it through at the third and final attempt. Since then he has found a new lease of life and started the season by qualifying for the Wuxi Classic. Tonight’s victory is worth £10,000 plus 2,000 ranking points.

He opened the final with a break of 114, then the next two frames were shared. Fu took the fourth with a 102 for 2-2, but Lawler got the better of a scrappy fifth frame then sealed victory in the next with a 69.

“I’m so proud to win a tournament carrying ranking points for the first time,” said Lawler. “I played some good stuff during the event and when I won two matches 4-3 earlier today to reach the semi-finals, I allowed myself to think about winning it.

“If I hadn’t got through Q School I would have got a real job and just played snooker for fun. It’s amazing what can happen and it’s justified my decision to carry on.

“I am playing the best snooker of my life and if I keep this up I’m a handful for anyone. I’d love to qualify for a few of the big venues this season.”

The Players Tour Championship is a series of ten events, four in the UK and six on the Betfair European Tour, with the top 25 on the final Order of Merit going through to the Grand Finals in March. They will be joined by seven players from the Asian PTC Order of Merit.

The next event is Asian PTC2 from September 23-27 in Yixing, China.

Prize money

Results

Wednesday September 5

Not before 1pm

Round 1

1) Darren Bond 4-1 Rees Carter
2) Fraser Patrick 4-1 Kishan Hirani
3) Ben Harrison 4-1 Hans Blanckaert
4) Jordan Winbourne w/o Marc Robertson
5) Brandon Sargeant 1-4 Eden Sharav
6) Marc Davis 2-4 Oliver Lines
7) Christopher Keogan 4-1 Wayne Townsend
8) Sydney Wilson 3-4 Darrell Whitworth
9) Kyren Wilson 4-0 David Singh

Not before 3pm

10) Joe O’Conor 4-2 Franky McGovern
11) George Marter 0-4 Shane Castle
12) Liam Monk 4-2 Garry Steele
13) Itaro Santos 4-1 William Lemons
14) Dessie Sheehan 4-3 Robert Tickner
15) Ricky Norris 4-0 Greg Davis
16) Gareth Green 4-0 Craig Barber
17) Scott Bell 4-1 Anthony Harris
18) Edward Topham 1-4 Andy Marriott

Not before 5pm

19) Oliver Brown 4-0 Lewis Frampton
20) Joe Steele 0-4 Stuart Carrington
21) Jake Nicholson 1-4 Ian Glover
22) Henry Roper 3-4 Jamie Gibson
23) Jack Bradford 0-4 Rhys Clark
24) Gareth Allen 4-0 Elliot Slessor
25) Marc Harman 4-3 Adam Edge
26) Hassan Miah 3-4 Callum Downing

Thursday September 6

Round 2

11am

27) Alex Taubman 4-3 Darren Bond
28) Jamie Rhys Clarke 2-4 Fraser Patrick
29) Ryan Mears 0-4 Ben Harrison
30) Ben Fortey 4-2 Jordan Winbourne
31) Daniel Ward 2-4 Eden Sharav
32) Zak Surety 4-2 Steve Ventham
33) Phil O’Kane 2-4 Oliver Lines
34) Gavin Lewis 0-4 Mitchell Mann
35) Andrew Milliard 4-0 Christopher Keogan

Not before 1pm

36) Gareth Potts v Darrell Whitworth w/o
37) Adam Bobat 1-4 Kyren Wilson
38) Reanne Evans 4-0 Joe O’Connor
39) Harvey Chandler 4-2 Shane Castle
40) Ryan Causton 4-2 Liam Monk
41) Adam Wicheard 4-1 Itaro Santos
42) Nico Elton 4-0 Dessie Sheehan
43) Sachin Plaha 0-4 Matthew Day
44) Chris Wakelin 3-4 Ricky Norris

Not before 3pm

45) Tom Maxfield 2-4 Gareth Green
46) Sam Harvey 4-1 Scott Bell
47) Louis Heathcote 4-2 Andy Marriott
48) Samuel Thistlewhite 4-2 Oliver Brown
49) Nick Jennings 0-4 Stuart Carrington
50) Chris Norbury 3-4 Ian Glover
51) Hassan Abdalla v Jamie Gibson w/o
52) Sanderson Lam 4-0 Sean Riach
53) Ross Muir 1-4 Rhys Clark

Not before 5pm

54) Richard Remelie 4-2 Gareth Allen
55) Ben Jones 4-0 Marc Harman
56) James Cahill 2-4 Callum Downing

Friday September 7

Round 3

9am

57) Stephen Maguire 2-4 Marco Fu
58) Robbie Williams 4-0 Barry Pinches
59) Matthew Stevens 4-0 Alex Taubman
60) Mark Williams 4-1 Fraser Patrick
61) Luca Brecel 4-3 Ben Harrison
62) Xiao Guodong 4-1 Ben Fortey
63) Ryan Day 4-2 Joel Walker
64) Ricky Walden 4-0 Ben Judge

Not before 11am

65) Liang Wenbo 4-1 Eden Sharav
66) Michael White 4-2 Sam Baird
67) Jimmy White 1-4 Aditya Mehta
68) Allister Carter 4-0 Sean O’Sullivan
69) Jack Lisowski 2-4 Zak Surety
70) Joe Perry 3-4 Oliver Lines
71) Andrew Higginson 3-4 Chen Zhe
72) Ian Burns 4-3 Graeme Dott

Not before 1pm

73) Barry Hawkins 4-3 Tony Drago
74) Shaun Murphy 4-1 Mitchell Mann
75) Mark Joyce 4-1 Michael Wasley
76) Mark King 4-0 Andrew Milliard
77) John J Astley 4-0 Darrell Whitworth
78) Jamie Cope 4-1 Mike Dunn
79) Jamie Burnett 4-3 Kyren Wilson
80) Andrew Norman 1-4 Reanne Evans

Not before 3pm

81) Robert Milkins 4-0 Harvey Chandler
82) Dave Harold 4-1 Ryan Causton
83) Mark Davis 4-1 Adam Wicheard
84) Jamie Jones 4-0 Nico Elton
85) Anthony Hamilton 0-4 Zhang Anda
86) Judd Trump 4-1 Anthony McGill
87) Joe Swail 4-1 Passakorn Suwannawat
88) Dechawat Poomjaeng 4-1 Matthew Day

Not before 5pm

Round 4

121) Marco Fu 4-2 Robbie Williams
122) Matthew Stevens 0-4 Mark Williams
123) Luca Brecel 1-4 Xiao Guodong
124) Ryan Day 1-4 Ricky Walden
125) Liang Wenbo 4-3 Michael White
126) Aditya Mehta 1-4 Ali Carter
127) Zak Surety 4-2 Oliver Lines
128) Chen Zhe 4-2 Ian Burns

Not before 7pm

129) Barry Hawkins 3-4 Shaun Murphy
130) Mark Joyce 3-4 Mark King
131) John Astley 0-4 Jamie Cope
132) Jamie Burnett 4-0 Reanne Evans
133) Robert Milkins 4-0 Dave Harold
134) Mark Davis 4-3 v Jamie Jones
135) Zhang Anda 0-4 Judd Trump
136) Joe Swail 4-1 Dechawat Poomjaeng

Not before 9pm

Round 5

153) Marco Fu 4-0 Mark Williams
154) Xiao Guodong 1-4 Ricky Walden
155) Liang Wenbo 1-4 Ali Carter
156) Zak Surety 1-4 Chen Zhe
157) Shaun Murphy 4-3 Mark King
158) Jamie Cope 4-1 Jamie Burnett
159) Robert Milkins 4-2 Mark Davis
160) Judd Trump 4-2 Joe Swail

Saturday September 8

9am

Round 3

89) Martin Gould 4-2 Ricky Norris
90) Craig Steadman 4-2 Gareth Green
91) Marcus Campbell 4-1 Sam Harvey
92) Rory McLeod 4-2 Louis Heathcote
93) Peter Lines 4-2 Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon
94) Michael Wild 0-4 Stephen Lee
95) John Higgins 4-1 Samuel Thistlewhite
96) Alfie Burden 4-3 Martin O’Donnell

Not before 11am

97) Simon Bedford 4-3 Ronnie O’Sullivan
98) Li Yan 0-4 Adam Duffy
99) Jak Jones 2-4 Stuart Carrington
100) Rod Lawler 4-1 Ian Glover
101) Cao Yupeng 3-4 Peter Ebdon
102) Alan McManus 4-3 Matthew Selt
103) Neil Robertson 4-2 Michael Leslie
104) Stuart Bingham 4-0 David Gilbert

Not before 1pm

105) Mark Allen 4-0 Jamie Gibson
106) Ken Doherty 4-0 Sanderson Lam
107) Yu DeLu 4-2 Jimmy Robertson
108) Scott Donaldson 0-4 Ding Junhui
109) Gary Wilson 4-0 Rhys Clark
110) Andrew Pagett 0-4 Fergal O’Brien
111) Paul Davison 4-3 Tom Ford
112) Michael Holt 4-2 Gerard Greene

Not before 3pm

113) David Grace 4-2 Richard Remelie
114) Ben Woollaston 4-0 Ben Jones
115) Liu Chuang 4-2 Callum Downing
116) Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 0-4 Steve Davis
117) Dominic Dale 4-3 Daniel Wells
118) Allan Taylor 3-4 Jamie O’Neill
119) James Wattana 4-2 Andy Hicks
120) Mark Selby 4-2 Liam Highfield

Not before 5pm

Round 4

137) Martin Gould 4-3 Craig Steadman
138) Marcus Campbell 2-4 Rory McLeod
139) Peter Lines 2-4 Stephen Lee
140) John Higgins 1-4 Alfie Burden
141) Simon Bedford 4-3 Adam Duffy
142) Stuart Carrington 1-4 Rod Lawler
143) Peter Ebdon 3-4 Alan McManus
144) Neil Robertson 0-4 Stuart Bingham

Not before 7pm

145) Mark Allen 3-4 Ken Doherty
146) Yu Delu 3-4 v Ding Junhui
147) Gary Wilson 0-4 Fergal O’Brien
148) Paul Davison 0-4 Michael Holt
149) David Grace 3-4 Ben Woollaston
150) Liu Chuang 3-4 Steve Davis
151) Dominic Dale 4-1 Jamie O’Neill
152) James Wattana 2-4 Mark Selby

Not before 9pm

Round 5

161) Martin Gould 4-3 Rory McLeod
162) Stephen Lee 4-0 Alfie Burden
163) Simon Bedford 2-4 Rod Lawler
164) Alan McManus 3-4 Stuart Bingham
165) Ken Doherty 4-2 Ding Junhui
166) Fergal O’Brien 4-2 Michael Holt
167) Ben Woollaston 4-1 Steve Davis
168) Dominic Dale 4-2 Mark Selby

Sunday September 9

10am

Round 6

169) Marco Fu 4-0 Ricky Walden
170) Ali Carter 4-2 Chen Zhe
171) Shaun Murphy 4-3 Jamie Cope
172) Robert Milkins 4-1 Judd Trump
173) Martin Gould 3-4 Stephen Lee
174) Rod Lawler 4-3 Stuart Bingham
175) Ken Doherty 3-4 Fergal O’Brien
176) Ben Woollaston 2-4 Dominic Dale

Not before 1pm

Quarter Finals

177) Marco Fu 4-2 Ali Carter
178) Shaun Murphy 4-1 Robert Milkins
179) Stephen Lee 3-4 Rod Lawler
180) Fergal O’Brien 0-4 Dominic Dale

Not before 4pm

Semi Finals

181) Marco Fu 4-0 Shaun Murphy
182) Rod Lawler 4-0 Dominic Dale

Not before 7pm

Final

183) Marco Fu 2-4 Rod Lawler