RIBSA have just announced details on the new Junior Structure for 2013 – 2014 in the Republic Of Ireland Billiards & Snooker Association.
A Junior sub-committee has been set up to organise the Junior events which run from September to May. The committee consists of PJ Nolan, Brendan Cooney, Kenny Hurley, James Bateman, John Doherty and Marion Leacy and Finbarr Ruane.
The RIBSA Junior events for the 2013 – 2014 season will consist of three stages of events.
1. Nationwide ( To Promote Snooker in the Regions )
RIBSA have appointed 4 Nationwide Junior Venues. In these venues U-16 & U-21 events will be ran on the same day to promote snooker in each region.
- Ivy Rooms Snooker Club Carlow
- Douglas Snooker Club Cork
- Northwest Snooker Club Letterkenny
- Cross Guns Snooker Club Dublin
A Player can play in any region they wish for and for The Under 14 & Under 19 events last year’s final RIBSA Rankings will be used for seeding for the first events of the season.
These events will be used only as a seeding process for the next stage. These events will be organised by the Club and The Clubs will make the draw, publish photos and results on the web site and update their own regional rankings. The top 4 in each region will be seeded for the first Q School U-16 & U-21 events. For U-14 & U-19 Q School events last season RIBSA rankings will be used to seed the players in the first event.
2. Q Schools ( To qualify players for Irish Teams and International Events )
The RIBSA Junior Q School events will be open to all players in U-14, U-16, U-19 and U-21 Age Groups next season. Two events will be run over a weekend with the winner of each event qualifying directly to the Irish team. U-14 & U-16 Events will be played on same weekend and U-19 & U-21 events will be played on a different weekend. The winner of each event will not be allowed to play in that age group in the next event. All 3 event winners will be allowed to enter the National Championships in that age group.
- Under 14 Events – Celtic Challenge Team
- Under 16 Events – Celtic Challenge & Home Internationals Teams
- Under 19 Events – Home Internationals Team
- Under 21 Events – EBSA Under 21 Championship & IBSF World Under 21 Championship Team
3. RIBSA National Championships ( To find National Champions )
This upcoming RIBSA season will feature 6 National Junior Championships in Under 14, Under 16, Under 18, Under 19, Under 21 and this season RIBSA will introduce the National Under 12 Championship. The six National Championships will be ran over three different weekends. The winner of the National U-14, U-16, U-19 & U-21 Championship will also qualify directly to the Irish team.
If a Q School winner also wins a National Championship then the Q School rankings which include the National Championship results will determinate who qualifies. If extra players are needed for any team the Q School ranking will qualify the players.
The Dates of all events will be posted soon and if you need any more information please contact PJ Nolan on 086 8634507 or pjcoach147@hotmail.com
