We’re in for another festive feast of top quality 8-ball pool action next week with the second edition of the Ultimate Pool Pro Cup taking place between December 27-30 live on BT Sport.

The first professional ranking event winner of the new 2023 season will be discovered at the Players Pool & Snooker Lounge in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Following the qualifying rounds there last weekend, the 32-player field for the televised stages is now known. Here is the second and final part of our preview (player's rankings are in brackets, all times are approximate and in GMT).

View the qualifying results on our Live Scoring page here.

Group 5 – Wednesday, December 28

• Tom Cousins (3) v Phil Harrison (21) – 14:00
• Tom Ford (New) v Dom Cooney (18) – 15:00
• Final at 16:00

Arguably the most eagerly anticipated section of this opening phase, the group features possibly the most in-form player in the world at this moment in time – Tom Cousins.

Following a run to the final of this event last year, the season was fizzling out for an underperforming ‘Top Cat’, but the former back-to-back world champion has enjoyed a memorable December. The Welshman won his maiden Ultimate Pool title at Pro Series Event 8 and then triumphed at the end-of-season Champion of Champions the next weekend – two victories that banked him £25,000 in total.

Cousins then defeated 1998 WEPF World Champion Carl Morris 10-6 in qualifying to make the TV stages of this event again. In a mouthwatering last 32 clash, he’ll meet 2009 WEPF World Champion Harrison who had a brilliant 10-4 victory over a former World Blackball Champion in Jon McAllister.

Snooker star Ford showed his serious 8-ball pool pedigree with a 10-7 win over the number 13 ranked Karl Sutton in the qualifiers. The Leicester cueman – who reached the UK Snooker Championship semi-finals just a few weeks ago – plays another Pro Series event winner in Cooney – a quarter-finalist in this event 12 months ago.

Group 6 – Wednesday, December 28

• Jordan Shepherd (8) v Arfan Dad (31) – 19:00
• Aaron Davies (17) v Karl Boyes (25) – 20:00
• Final at 21:00

Shepherd memorably won this title last year with a string of remarkable performances in front of the live BT Sport cameras.

Coming out of a group following victories over Michael Hill and Chris Melling, he went on to defeat Liam White, Jack Whelan and then Tom Cousins in the final. The defending champion finds himself in another tasty quartet this time out.

With all four players ranked inside the top 32, it is a section with tried and tested quality. Welshman Shepherd meets the dangerous Dad, who qualified by virtue of a 10-7 win over Jason Waters.

One of the most consistent players on the circuit, youngster Davies came close to his first Ultimate Pool title last summer when he reached the final of the Champions League. In the qualifiers, he denied recent Scottish Open snooker runner-up Joe O’Connor 10-4.

Davies' opponent is Boyes who - despite only joining the pro ranks halfway through the 2022 season – enjoyed several very deep runs including to the final of the Players Championship.

Group 7 – Thursday, December 29

• Jack Whelan (6) v Lewis Roberts (New) – 11:00
• Shaun Chipperfield (11) v Phil Parkin (New) – 12:00
• Final at 13:00

Two of the professional circuit’s top performers with Ultimate Pool titles to their names will both face new top tier exponents.

Whelan made the last four last year, only being stopped by eventual winner Shepherd. However, ‘The Wonder’ turned the tables when he defeated Shepherd in the 2022 Pro Series Event 3 Final a few months later in Birmingham. The former world blackball champion comes here fresh after a run to the final of the Champion of Champions, but has a tough assignment against two-time Challenger Series event finalist Roberts who saw off Liam White 10-6 to get here.

A consistent collector of ranking points, Chipperfield also won the first edition of the Pairs Cup alongside Karl Sutton and nearly retained it earlier this week, only losing to Gareth Potts & Mark Selby in the final. The 2016 WEPF World Champion will be looking to claim his first individual Ultimate Pool title; he made the last eight here in 2022.

Parkin will make his televised debut as a professional, although he has experience of performing in this arena having reached the final of the Challenger Grand Slam earlier in the year. He defeated Greg Batten 10-7 to qualify.

Group 8 – Thursday, December 29

• Chris Melling (2) v David McNamara (22) – 14:00
• Andy Williams (New) v Dan Eaton-Lees (30) – 15:00
• Final at 16:00

A three-time Ultimate Pool event winner, number two ranked Melling will be favourite to progress from this section, but he will certainly need to have his wits about him to do so with three very dangerous players who have a recent track record of upsetting the odds.

In a repeat fixture from this exact stage last year, Melling meets McNamara. On that occasion, Melling ousted it 6-5, and this is now a more experienced McNamara with a Pro Series event final appearance to his name after a brilliant run at Pro Series 5 in the summer.

Eaton-Lees is another cueist who thrives on causing an eye-catching result. 'DEL' recorded the biggest win in the qualifiers – a 10-1 victory against Jimmy Carney – and earlier this month he ended Hill’s undefeated run of first match wins in Pro Series events.

Williams registered one of the shocks in the qualifiers as the recently promoted player from the Challenger ranks pipped Pro Series event winner Declan Brennan 10-9.

How to Watch

For viewers in the UK, coverage of the 2022 Ultimate Pool Pro Cup is live and exclusive on BT Sport.

For viewers outside the UK, you can watch via ultimatepool.tv and the Ultimate Pool App if you are a subscriber. If you haven't already subscribed, you can do so with either a monthly or annual pass here.