Day Two of EPSB Junior Elite Performance Programme Staged in Sheffield

The second day of the 2024/25 EPSB Junior Elite Performance Programme took place on Thursday in Sheffield during the Halo World Snooker Championship.

First held last season, the Programme provides additional benefits and opportunities for the elite junior players who have qualified as the top seeds on the EPSB Junior Tour, as well as additional invited players who have been selected based upon their achievements at EPSB Junior competitions and other tours such as the World Women’s Snooker Tour.

Day one of this year’s Programme was staged in October at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy where an elite practice masterclass session was run by WPBSA Head of Coaching and Training Development Chris Lovell and WPBSA qualified snooker coaches Andrew Highfield and Steven Hallworth.

Eight players were in attendance for the second day, which took place on the day the Halo World Snooker Championship semi-finals got underway at the Crucible Theatre.

The day began at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy where WPBSA Advanced Level 3 Coach Highfield led the players through advanced practice drills and routines on the baize.

The group then headed behind the scenes at the nearby Crucible Theatre, starting in the media centre where MC and broadcaster Rob Walker put the players through their paces with some mock press interviews before World Snooker Tour (WST) Head of Media Ivan Hirschowitz advised them on the media requirements of the professional players.

Finally, the elite junior stars were taken to the arena floor of snooker’s most iconic venue for a picture with the famous World Snooker Championship trophy before WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson gave a few words of advice to the group to conclude the day.