The Pro Challenge Series was a series of non-ranking

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

tournaments held during the

2009–10 snooker season The 2009–10 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between 16 May 2009 and 8 May 2010. There were six ranking events, two less than in the previous season. The Bahrain Championship was not held again, and the North ...

. The events were open to all players on the main tour and were intended to give tour players more playing opportunities. Seven events were planned but only four took place before the series was cancelled, due to low player participation. The series was not repeated and was replaced by the Players Tour Championship, which started the following season.

Prize fund

Except for event 2, events had a prize fund of £15,000 with the winner receiving £5,000. Event 2, which was played using the six-red format, had a prize fund of £10,000 with the winner receiving £3,000. In event 2 the £500 break prize went to the player with the fastest maximum break.

Schedule

The schedule for the Events 1 to 5 is listed below. Event 4 was cancelled and event 5 was the final tournament played. Event 2 was played using the six-red format. Events 6 and 7 were cancelled.

Event 1

Prize fund

* Winner: £5,000 * Runner-up: £2,500 * Semi-final: £1,500 * Quarter-final: £500 * Last 16: £250 * High break: £500 The first event took place at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, from 28 to 30 July 2009. Stephen Maguire beat Ken Doherty 5–2 in the final. Dave Harold made the highest break of 128. Results are given below.

Preliminary round

* 0–4 * 2–4 * 3–4 * 4–0 * w/o–w/d * 4–1 * 1–4 * 3–4

Century breaks

*128 Dave Harold *127 Ken Doherty *126 Andrew Norman *115 Ricky Walden *107 Mark Boyle *107 Stephen Maguire *106

Matthew Couch Matthew Couch (born 30 June 1974) is an English former professional snooker player. Career During a professional career lasting from 1992 to 2012, Couch had little success in ranking events, although he reached the quarter-finals of the UK Ch ...

*100 Tom Ford *100

Joe Swail Joe Swail (born 29 August 1969) is a Northern Irish former professional snooker player from Belfast. He retired in May 2019 after being relegated from the tour. He has reached ten major ranking semi-finals, including the 2000 and 2001 World Cha ...

Event 2

Prize fund

* Winner: £3,000 * Runner-up: £1,500 * Semi-finals: £800 * Quarter-Finals: £400 * Last 16: £225 * Fastest maximum break (x75): £500 The second event took place at Pontins, Prestatyn, on 31 August and 1 September 2009, using the six-red format. Ken Doherty beat Martin Gould 6–2 in the final. Stuart Pettman took the prize for the fastest maximum break. Results are given below.

Preliminary round

* 2–5 * 4–5 * 3–5 * w/o-w/d * 2–5 * 5–2 * 5–0 * w/d–w/o * 4–5 * 4–5 * 1–5 * 4–5 * 1–5 * 3–5 * 2–5

Maximum breaks

Note: a maximum break in six-red snooker is 75 points. * Stuart Pettman (2 min 31 sec) * Dave Harold (3 min 16 sec) * Fergal O'Brien (4 min 30 sec) * Ryan Day (no time)

Event 3

Prize fund

* Winner: £5,000 * Runner-up: £2,500 * Semi-final: £1,500 * Quarter-final: £500 * Last 16: £250 * High break: £500 The third event took place at the Willie Thorne Snooker Centre in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, from 9 to 11 November 2009.

Robert Milkins Robert Milkins (born 6 March 1976) is an English professional snooker player. Considered one of the most naturally talented and quickest players in the game, Milkins has been a mainstay on the tour since regaining his tour card in 1998. Milkins ...

beat

Joe Jogia Shailesh "Joe" Jogia (born 13 November 1975) is an English retired professional snooker player of Indian descent. Early life Born in Leicester, England in 1975, Jogia lived for a time in the Hertfordshire town of Letchworth, before returning ...

5–3 in the final. Ricky Walden made the highest break of 140. Results are given below.

Preliminary round

* 3–4 * 1–4 * 4–0 * 3–4 * w/d–w/o * 4–2 * 4–2 * 4–0 * w/d–w/o * 1–4 * 4–3 * 4–1 * 1–4 * 2–4 * 3–4 * 2–4 * 4–2 * 2–4 * 4–2 * 4–3

Century breaks

* 140, 105, 103, 102, 102, 100 Ricky Walden * 137, 118

* 137 Simon Bedford * 137 Craig Steadman * 129 Jamie Cope * 125, 104 Stuart Bingham * 123, 116, 102 Judd Trump * 121 Rod Lawler * 120 Ken Doherty * 113, 103 Sam Baird * 113 Liu Song * 110 Mark King * 107

* 102

Event 5

Prize fund

* Winner: £5,000 * Runner-up: £2,500 * Semi-final: £1,500 * Quarter-final: £500 * Last 16: £250 * High break: £500 Event 5 took place at the George Scott Snooker Club in Liverpool, from 16 to 18 February 2010. Barry Hawkins beat Michael Holt 5–1 in the final. Judd Trump made the highest break of 138. Results are given below.

Preliminary round

* 4–2 * 2–4 * 1–4 * 1–4 * w/d–w/o * 0–4 * 2–4

Century breaks

* 138 Judd Trump * 137 Ken Doherty * 135, 129, 121

Liang Wenbo Liang Wenbo (; born 25 March 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player based at the Oracle Snooker Club, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. Liang, who plays left-handed, has reached one Triple Crown final, made three Masters appearances, and ...

* 134 Rod Lawler * 132, 128, 104 Stuart Bingham * 131 Graeme Dott * 130 Craig Steadman * 128, 105 Tom Ford * 125 Nigel Bond * 124 Mark Joyce * 123, 106 Barry Hawkins * 122 Jamie Cope * 122 Adrian Gunnell * 109, 102 Michael Holt * 106 Simon Bedford * 104, 100 Daniel Wells

References

{{Snooker season 2009/2010 Snooker non-ranking competitions Snooker competitions in the United Kingdom Snooker tours and series 2009 in snooker 2010 in snooker 2009 in English sport 2009 in Welsh sport 2010 in English sport