Hong Kong snooker star Ng On-yee set to test herself against men again at World Snooker’s Qualifying School
Former women’s world champion – and team champs Lee Chun-wai and Fung Kwok-wai – is ready to tackle tough competition in England to try to secure a two-year ticket to the pro tour
Hong Kong’s former women’s snooker world champion Ng On-yee will test herself against the men again this week at World Snooker’s Qualifying School.
On-yee is there for more experience against the men ... she will need to go through a sustained period of learning
Hong Kong’s 2014 IBSF World Team champions Lee Chun-wai and Fung Kwok-wai will also be in action at the event in Burton, England, which sees 174 players vying in two competitions for a total of eight two-year tickets to the pro tour.
Ng took part in the qualifying competition for the men’s World Championships last month, but was beaten comfortably in the first round as she tried to make inroads into the men’s game.
“On-yee is there for more experience against the men,” said Wayne Griffiths, billiard sports coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
“She will need to go through the process of a sustained period of learning about the strategy changes and mental strength she will need to adapt to the men’s game. This will be an ongoing process for On-yee.
“This will be the toughest event outside the main tour and with matches only the best of seven [frames], it will be extremely tough for all the players that have entered.
“For our players to win a ticket it would be up there with their best ever achievements. In such a short format and over only two weeks it will be the players who hit form and have the run of the ball at crucial times that will come through.
“Lee Chun-wai has perhaps the best chance of the three Hong Kong hopefuls: he made it to the main tour in 2009, but couldn’t deliver the consistent results necessary to stay there.”
Griffiths, who helped guide Hong Kong’s top player Marco Fu Ka-chun to the semi-finals of the recent World Championships, added: “This will be a real barometer for our players in terms of where they stand in relation to world class snooker players.
“This is an event we will use for training and assessing our players now and in the future. It will also be used as a motivational tool for our younger players as we will select based on results.
“Even if we do not get the desired ‘golden ticket’, I am sure the intrinsic benefits gained from taking part will make the players stronger for the future – and this can only be good for the Hong Kong squad in general.”
