New Delhi, June 02, 2022: The final event of Q School 2022 is at an end, with James Cahill, Jenson Kendrick, Lukas Kleckers and John Astley the last four men to earn their two-year tour cards.
A number of the biggest names to enter Q School have not made it back onto the professional tour, with the likes of Michael Holt, Kurt Maflin and Andrew Higginson all set for a spell as amateurs.
Neither Maflin nor Higginson made it to the final day of Event Three, but Holt fell at the last hurdle, beaten 4-2 by Astley on Thursday in Sheffield.
Cahill beat young Chinese star Zhao Jianbo 4-1, Kleckers edged Ross Muir 4-3 and the only first-time pro coming through Q School this year, Kendrick, beat Haydon Pinhey 4-1.
The 21-year-old from Stoke has committed his life to snooker so far and his place on tour is richly deserved.
‘Words can’t describe, over the moon, I’ve shocked myself to be honest,’ Kendrick told WST.
‘I gave it absolutely everything in practice coming here, I was playing really, really well, but on the other hand there are many great players. There’s 40-50 players that could get on tour. I’m one of the 12 and I can’t believe it.
‘I left school after GCSEs, but even at school I was doing half weeks to do snooker. I’ve never had a job, nothing, I’ve dedicated my whole life to the game and finally it’s paying off.
‘I can’t thank my mum and dad enough, since I’ve left school they’ve done everything for me to be the absolute best I can.
‘Even at school people were saying, why not go down this route, college, but there was nothing on my mind other than the table and to get to the top of the game.’
On the prospect of facing the top players on the biggest stages, he added: ‘I’d love every second, every single second from the walk out. If I miss a black off the spot, I miss a black off the spot, I can sit there and enjoy it.
‘I know that I’ve worked as hard as I possibly could to get there and truly I believe I can beat most of the players on there.’
Astley is far from a rookie, with the 33-year-old first turning pro in 2013 and even beating Neil Robertson at the UK Championship as an amateur last year according to the reports published in metro.co.uk.
‘Every emotion you can think of but mainly happy and relief,’ Astley said after beating Holt in Sheffield. ‘Just amazing to get through, it’s such a tough tournament and the last match is not very nice at all, you can’t enjoy it.
‘When I got my chances I tried to keep my pace up a bit because in the past when the pressure’s on I slowed up a little bit and it doesn’t work out very well. Just over the moon.
‘It’s been a tough couple of years with Covid, so to get back on the tour where I think I belong, it’s a massive relief and that’s why it came out at the end.’
He added: ‘Playing Michael, he’s a great player, but I’ve played him quite a lot this season and got a lot of experience on the tour playing the top lads so it doesn’t really bother us. I know if I play well I’ve got a chance of beating anybody.’
