Snooker Championships 2024-25

DATES

Thursday 13 March 2025 to Sunday 16 March 2025

VENUE

The event is split over two venues where players will be required to go to different venues during the event. The venues hosting the event are:

The Towers in Mansfield, and Cueball in Derby.

Both venues are approximately within thirty minutes drive so please consider this when booking travel and accommodation.

ADDRESS

The Towers: Botany Avenue, Mansfield, NG18 5NG (Google Maps link)

Cueball: Mansfield Road, Derby, DE21 4AW (Google Maps link)

ENTRY OPENING DATE

Tuesday 4 February 2025

STAGE 1 ENTRY CLOSING DATE

“Stage 1” is for the submission of entries ONLY – no reserves should be entered in Stage 1

11:59pm on Tuesday 18 February 2025 – Student/Competitor Deadline (Students/Competitors must apply by this deadline)

11:59pm on Thursday 20 February 2025 – Institution Administrator Approval Deadline (Institutional Administrators are given 48 hours after the student/competitor deadline to approve entries – no reserves should be approved in Stage 1)

ENTRY COSTS

£37.50 per competitor: This provides entry into the individual competition, as well as the team competition if they enter as part of an institution team.

There will be no accommodation or travel included in this entry fee. It is strongly advised that competitors ensure any accommodation or travel they book has a free-cancellation option to cover the eventuality that their entries are either not accepted due to the ‘team cap limit’, or an emergency means the event cannot complete on these dates.

SINGLE ENTRY

This competition will NOT operate a staged entry process. As such, please ensure all entries are submitted through BUCS Play prior to the closing date listed above.

“Stage 2” will be opened on Friday 21 February 2025 for the addition of reserves ONLY and will remain open until 11:59pm on Sunday 16 March 2025.  Note that this deadline is different to the usual Thursday closing of BUCS Play events to enable institutions to add reserve players, and then use them to replace withdrawn entries, for the duration of the team element of the Championships.

There are BUCS medals applicable to all events and BUCS points (see Appendix 1 here) applicable to all events apart from the Individual Trophy. 

Teams are to be made up of either five or six competitors, with five to play in any given match.

An institution unable to raise the minimum of five competitors needed for one team may enter two competitors into the event to play in the Individual Championship only.

There will be a total team cap for this event of 32 teams. This is to ensure we can schedule the tournament successfully over four days, while not compromising the player experience so they still play a sufficient number of frames.

To accommodate this team cap, teams will be accepted and preference will be given to first teams, then second teams, etc then to teams highest in the competition rankings. For example, if 40 entries are received comprised of 25 first teams, 10 second teams, and 5 third teams, then all of the first teams, and the 7 highest-ranked second teams would be accepted (with the highest ranked second team not entered being first reserve, and so on down the ranking list). These rankings are based on the rankings of the previous three seasons from the higher teams from that institution.

All institutions need to send the Tournament Director, Jon Shapland, a Player Details Form, which can be found on the UPC website when uploaded. This form details the composition of each team and provides the strength of all competitors which are required to rank players for their entry into the Individual competition. The event is of mixed gender with no separate Men’s and Women’s sections.

If your institution enters multiple teams then, other than in exceptional circumstances, competitors ascribed to a particular team on the Player Details Form will be unable to play for any lower-ranked team in the tournament. In case of a change/substitution, competitors may be shuffled up from lower- to higher-ranked teams (e.g. seconds to firsts) or from the reserve list into the lowest-ranked team, but no player (including a reserve) can leapfrog a competitor named above them on the Player Details Form supplied to UPC by the institution’s main contact.

There is no maximum number of individuals who can play in the individual competition, but all competitors must either be part of an institution team, or be one of only two players from a single institution, to play at the event. For example, an institution with exactly seven competitors may only enter a team of a maximum of six players; for the seventh player to play at the event, the institution must find additional players so they can play on a second team.

To apply for the Individual competition all eligible competitors must follow these steps:

1. Competitor to apply to the event on BUCS Play (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)
2. Institution administrator approves entry (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)
3. BUCS approves/denies entry into competition and publishes confirmed entry list

Any data will be handled in accordance with BUCS Privacy Policy

Each institution must also appoint one of its attendees to be the institution’s “main contact” for the event. The main contact will be required to email a Player Details Form to the UPC Tournament Director, Jon Shapland. This form will include which of their institution’s competitors are ascribed to which of its teams, who the team captains are, whether any competitors require reasonable adjustment, and who will serve as the main point of contact between UPC and their institution’s delegation at the event in case of any matters that are not applicable to the team captain(s).

By participating in this event you agree to adhere to BUCS General Event Disclaimer

To check whether you are eligible to compete in BUCS competitions, please visit REG 4 Individual Eligibility.

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ENTRY PROCESS – TEAM EVENTS

All competitors who are playing as part of a team will enter using the previous process for individual events. If that player is part of an institution team as detailed on the institution Player Details Form, then that competitor will be entered into the Team competition as well. Players do not need to detail on BUCS Play which institution team they are playing for, this information is collected using the Player Details Form sent directly to the UPC.

A complete set of rules and regulations for the event can be found on the UPC website. By entering the event, competitors have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations.

There are changes to the ‘miss’ rule and when a frame is over if a player needs more than three snookers to tie compared to the standard rules of snooker from the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association (WPBSA) found here. These changes can be found in the UPC rules and regulations on the UPC website.

The entry fee provides competitors entry into both the Individual competition, as well as the Team competition if they enter as part of an institution team.

Team Competition: Team Championship & Trophy

• The competition begins with a round-robin group-stage where all teams play each other to determine the final placings. Each player will play a single frame against an opponent as indicated on the team matchsheet.
• Subject to having won at least one match, the top two first teams from each group will progress to the Team Championship knock-out stage. The next highest ranked team, of any    denomination, not qualifying for the Team Championship will qualify for the Team Trophy knock-out stage. All knock-out stages will be single-elimination to determine the champions of both competitions.
• Each knock-out stage match will consist of a maximum of ten frames in the Team Championship and a maximum of five frames in the Team Trophy. Each player will play one frame against a maximum of two different opponents as indicated on the team matchsheet. Once a team reaches six frames in the Team Championship and three frames in the Team Trophy, they are declared the winners and the match is over, any frames in progress are stopped immediately. Should a match in the second phase end in a draw after the completion of ten frames, the winner shall be determined by shoot-out. This will begin by the two respective captains nominating three players who will play a single opponent over a single re-spotted black. Once a team wins two of these re-spotted blacks, they are deemed to be the winners.

Individual competition: Individual Championship & Trophy

• Both the Individual Championship and Individual Trophy will be single-elimination throughout.
• All Individual Championship and Individual Trophy matches will be races to two frames apart from the Individual Championship final which is a race to three frames. Individual Trophy matches which go to 1-1 will be decided by a single respotted-black rather than a third frame.
• All players in institution first teams, as well as unattached individuals, will play in the Individual Championship.
• All non-first team players will by default play in the Individual Trophy, unless the Player Details Form sent to the UPC states they would like to play in the Individual Championship instead.
• The Individual Trophy is subject to the field being at least a fifth of the total number of individual entrants with a minimum number of sixteen entrants in the Individual Trophy; if these criteria are not met there will be no Individual Trophy for that event and all entrants will play in the Individual Championship.

Please see REG 7.9 for our withdrawal policy

This event does not have a para-sport category.

Some of the playing arenas may involve navigating steps or staircases. If disability access pertains to any competitor, we recommend they get in touch with the venue to check disabled access.

The UPC values players from all backgrounds and aims to create and maintain an inclusive playing environment where everyone is encouraged to reach his or her full potential. The UPC commits to the concept of reasonable adjustments. Where any player with a pre-existing condition feels that this may apply to them at a forthcoming UPC event, the UPC should be notified at the earliest opportunity before the event begins and if applicable appropriate medical evidence supplied in order for any adjustment to be made. Any situation arising during a UPC event should be brought to the attention of the Tournament Director immediately, again with any available medical evidence if applicable. Players are wholly responsible for informing the UPC where a reasonable adjustment is required. Adjustments cannot be made in retrospect and the UPC cannot be expected to make an adjustment of which it has not been informed. Adjustments will be made until the end of the current playing season unless the player informs the UPC otherwise. A new application for reasonable adjustment must be made separately for each subsequent season and will be considered on its merits. The UPC will handle each case in the strictest confidence.

Anyone wishing to take photos or video at this event must complete the BUCS Media Accreditation Form prior to the event

All questions at first instance should be directed towards your Institution Administrator

For further enquiries please contact Joe O'Loughlin (Event Coordinator)