The 2022 Ultimate Pool Amateur Championship takes place later this week with extensive live television coverage on FreeSports and a £12,800 prize fund on offer.
Another new addition to the UPG circuit, the 64-player straight knockout event – which runs from Friday to Sunday at the Players Pool & Snooker Lounge in Newcastle-under-Lyme - was open to any amateur 8-ball pool player in the world.
THE FORMAT
Matches throughout the tournament are races to eight frames.
However, matches that are selected for the main arena will be timed and played under shot-clock conditions:
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Main arena matches in the last 64 and last 32 will have a 45-minute time limit
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Main arena matches in the last 16 and last 8 will have a 40-minute time limit
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Main arena matches in the semi-finals and final will have a 45-minute time limit
(The final will now be a race to 9 frames with a 60-minute time limit)
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For main arena matches that are tied when the time expires, the winner will be decided via a 6-red shootout.
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The Golden Break and Golden Duck rules will not be in operation throughout the event.
TELEVISION SCHEDULE AND BROADCAST COVERAGE
FreeSports schedule for the 2022 Ultimate Pool Amateur Championship:
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Friday 25th March: 12pm-6pm, 7pm-11pm
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Saturday 26th March: 12pm-5pm, 8pm-11pm
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Sunday 27th March: 10.30am-2.30pm, 4pm-8pm
Several early round matches will be selected to feature on the TV table on Friday.
It is hoped that from the last 16 onwards, every match will feature on the TV table, with the last 16 being played and completed on Saturday, the quarter-finals taking place Sunday lunchtime and the semi-finals and final set for Sunday evening.
For fans outside of the UK, you can watch action from the TV table via livestream on ultimatepool.tv for FREE. Sign up for an account HERE.
PRIZE MONEY
The prize money breakdown for the 2022 Ultimate Pool Amateur Championship is as follows:
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Winner: £4,000
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Runner-Up: £1,600
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Semi-Finalists: £800 (each)
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Quarter-Finalists: £600 (each)
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Last 16 Losers: £400 (each)
ENTRIES
Several familiar names have entered the Championship including recent Challenger Series winner Neil Brittain and Challenger Grand Slam winner Jez Graham.
Challenger Series finalists Aaron Priest and Lewis Roberts have also thrown their names in, as too has Challenger Grand Slam runner-up Phil Parkin.
Other faces returning to the Ultimate Pool arena include Tony Blount, Andy Blurton, Bryan Cumming, Mark Fleming, Oussama Masskini, Martin McIntosh, Chris Patient and Zak Shepherd.
Three-time Mosconi Cup winner Mark Gray and former European blackball champion Ryan Fleming are also all set to compete.
The draw - and subsequent scores and results - can be viewed on the Live Scoring tab here.
