Prickman And Lopez Handed Gibraltar Wild Cards
Lee Prickman
Lee Prickman and Gareth Lopez have been awarded wild card places in the last 128 of next month’s BetVictor Gibraltar Open.
The tournament runs from March 11 to 15 at the Europa Sports Complex, with the amateur stages on March 11-12 and the last 128 on March 13-15.
Prickman is Gibraltar’s top ranked player, while Lopez is ranked second.
The event was first staged in 2015, won by Marco Fu, and the trophy was lifted by Shaun Murphy in 2017, Ryan Day in 2018 and Stuart Bingham last year.
There is an extra element of intrigue this time as it is the fourth and final event in the brand new BetVictor European Series. The unique ranking list , currently headed by Neil Robertson, runs across four events and the player earning the most money will receive a massive £150,000 bonus.
Prize money for the BetVictor Gibraltar Open itself has been boosted to £251,000 with the winner to receive £50,000 – doubled from last year’s £25,000.
A stronger field than ever is expected in March, with the globe’s top stars given the incentive of chasing these huge financial rewards.
All amateur players also have the chance to enter, giving local talent the opportunity to thrive on the big stage.
A spokesman for WST said: “We love going to Gibraltar because it is a such a fantastic location and the players look forward to the trip year after year.
“As it’s the final event in the BetVictor European series, that huge £150,000 bonus will be on the line and we hope to see several players in the mix going into the last few days of the race.
“With 128 players in the field for the last three days it’s an amazing chance for fans to see some of the best players on the planet in action. Tickets must be booked fast to make sure of a place at this marvellous occasion.”
The line-up of players and draw will be announced in early March.
Tickets are priced at just £20 for Friday March 13, £25 for Saturday March 14 and £30 for Sunday March 15, or a pass for all three days is £65 (plus booking fees). To book CLICK HERE
The tournament is supported by the Ministry of Sports, HM Government of Gibraltar.