Following this week’s Shanghai Masters qualifiers I have now updated my rankings pages, both the latest provisional list and the one-year list for the new season…
Obviously it is very early days and difficult to draw too many conclusions, but already there are a few interesting stories developing that will no doubt run throughout the season.
The first of these is the plight of John Parrott who now slips to 61st on my list, just inside the all-important 64 who will retain their tour places at the end of the season. There is a long way to go of course and he did reach the last 16 of the Grand Prix less than a year ago, but his results since have been poor and he is in a real battle to maintain his professional status now.
Elsewhere, thanks to his defeat to Matt Selt today, Steve Davis has dropped three places down to 20th in the latest provisional rankings, not the best start to a season which could see him regain his top 16 place for a third time. It is a similar story for players such as Judd Trump and Dave Harold, though the latter probably saw his best chance come and go last season when he fell at the first hurdle of the World Championship last year. The hunt for top 16 places is so close this season however that they are still well in touch and the situation could soon change around with a good run in an event.
On a more positive note, it has been a good win for Ken Doherty who thanks to his two victories moves up to 44th on the provisional list. While that may not seem too impressive and still leaves him some way short of a return to the top 32, it was important for him to get his new campaign off to a good start and halt the slide which had it continued could have seen him lose his top 48 place or worse. While this could still happen, he does at least have something to build on during the coming months.
Great news also for Matt Selt who will be looking to move up into the top 64 for the first time at the end of this season. By making it to Shanghai he has put himself right in contention and it will be interesting to see if he can produce his best on a more consistent basis now.
With regard to both Li Hang and Mei Xiwen who were forced to withdraw due to visa issues, I have for now awarded them 0 points as this is what happened in 2007/8 when several players experienced similar problems. If in fact they are awarded any points by World Snooker this time then I will change it if necessary.
If you spot any errors or miscalculations on my rankings then please let me know!