Liang Could Grasp Masters Spot

Michael White will be one particularly interested observer this afternoon when Liang Wenbo takes on David Grace in the semi-final of the Betway UK Championship.

With the seeding cut-off for the Masters falling at the end of this event, the top 16 as of Monday will qualify for snooker’s most prestigious invitation event. If China’s Liang reaches the final in York he’ll be guaranteed £70,000, which would catapult him into the top 16. That would mean Welshman White would be the man to miss out on a debut at Alexandra Palace in London in January.

Stephen Maguire, currently 15th in the projected seedings, would have been relieved to see Matthew Selt knocked out by Mark Selby last night, as that result ensured that he can’t be ousted from the top 16.

David Grace has had a marvellous run in York but even the £150,000 top prize wouldn’t quite get him into the Masters – he would leap from 81st to 17th.

Click here for the projected seedings

The Masters runs from January 10 to 17, for ticket details click here