Away from the Crucible, a brief bit of news to bring you concerning the All Africa Snooker Championship which took place earlier in the week and was won by South Africa’s Peter Francisco, who last competed on the main tour back in 1995 prior to receiving a five-year ban from the governing body…
Held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the final stages of the All Africa Snooker Championship had slipped somewhat under my radar with all eyes on the Crucible Theatre this week, but as detailed over at Snooker Island, the event has been played over the last couple of weeks, culminating in the final last Tuesday.
Won by former professional Peter Francisco, who defeated Egypt’s Mohamed Khairy in the final, in accordance with the new tour qualification criteria for next season, the reward would appear to be a place on the main tour following the introduction of a new African nomination.
Of course however there are other factors to take into account, firstly that at 50 years of age, Peter would become the tour’s second oldest player and may not have the desire to commit to a full season on what is an increasingly hectic main tour.
The other consideration however is the fact that Peter was previously banned from the sport for five years, following an inquiry into his 10-2 defeat to Jimmy White at the 1995 World Championship. While the ban has long since expired, if Peter is to take up the tour place then it is something that will no doubt hang over him during the course of the next two seasons.
We shall see…