Q School 2021

[malcy93]

Given these are jobbers trying to get tour cards it’s definitely not elite sport in the same way non league football is.
So the U.K. qualifiers must at least be delayed again.

Boris said they will think again for late February after school half term but only if all the top four priority groups
Over 70s
Care homes
Medical staff
Those with critical medical conditions
Have been vaccinated which is the current plan.

Best the PDC can hope for is it may be possible to run in March.

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

There's no way on earth they're going to get all those groups vaccinated in less than two months. The fact you've already got the government, medical regulator, and drug companies all fighting like ferrets in a sack over whose fault it will be when they don't achieve it tells you all you need to know.

I think Ginge has got the right idea. Bin Q-school off this year and give all 2020 card holders another go.

Trying to put together a season on the assumption you might be able to get Q-school out of the way at some point in the future is a fool's errand.

[Ginge]

The only issue with my plan would be the quarter of a million plus in revenue in entry fees they woule be saying goodbye to.

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

That's a problem, definitely.

But they can't wait around for ever. At some point in the near future they're going to need to know which 128 players have got tour cards for 2021.

Waiting for Matt Hancock to get his act together is asking for trouble.

[oche balboa]

Or tell people who have lost their Tourcard anyway that its tough and you will have to spend time on the challenge tour. Have the 38-40 cards taken up by the top players in the Challenge Tour & Development tour and have them as 1 year cards so if they fail to get to the top 64 they are doing Q School in 2022.

PDC are not going to start anything (Outside the Masters) until March. So its better to just hit the ground running with the season instead of Q School and push the UK Open back with the Premier League. PDC did a fine job from June. So it should be no issue regardless of the rescrictions from March onwards.

[1205]

The only issue with my plan would be the quarter of a million plus in revenue in entry fees they woule be saying goodbye to.

Quarter of a million is a small percentage.

Target April, and have a compressed year. Cancel World Series again, and it frees up a bunch of weeks in the summer for PCs.

Given the skew in severe cases, should see hospitalisation rates drop significantly as the vulnerable groups get vaccinations (which will be much easier now Oxford-AstraZeneca is approved) which means that by April getting a controlled event approved should be much easier.

[Bomber]

boris now saying plans to lift lockdown will run to end of march, more likely to over-run than end sooner

[Eastbourne]

I’d imagine a ‘Spring Series’type event for the lack of players championships will happen - but they have a decision to make on Q School...

[malcy93]

I’d imagine a ‘Spring Series’type event for the lack of players championships will happen - but they have a decision to make on Q School...

Exactly they really need to be doing a Spring Series of 5 PC events BCD in Milton Keynes in March.
However they don’t have 128 tour card holders and as said can’t see how they can have Q School before.

As noted surely the fairest approach is keep the 128 tour card holders from last year and then just throw out anyone not in top 64 at end 2021. There wasn’t a full tour last year so that may well have impacted some players last year. Particularly with the number of ET and PC cancelled.

[Eastbourne]

I’d imagine a ‘Spring Series’type event for the lack of players championships will happen - but they have a decision to make on Q School...

Exactly they really need to be doing a Spring Series of 5 PC events BCD in Milton Keynes in March.
However they don’t have 128 tour card holders and as said can’t see how they can have Q School before.

As noted surely the fairest approach is keep the 128 tour card holders from last year and then just throw out anyone not in top 64 at end 2021. There wasn’t a full tour last year so that may well have impacted some players last year. Particularly with the number of ET and PC cancelled.

Yep agreed. This year certainly wasn’t normal. We see some players have amazing weekends and then play poor the next. Given last year was mainly 3 blocks of competition, it didn’t suit some in and around the 64-128 mark in my opinion. Keep it as it is is surely best as Q School really isn’t an option. Or run a much smaller Q School only with those who have played challenge tour last year and those who have lost their card last year? Something like that..? They’re clearly trying to keep Joe Public away from playing anyway with their new seeding rules....

[only85]

its sharron ferrock i feel for, sod the other card holders, a world tour awaited

[malcy93]

You could play a mini Q-School with those ejected from tour (65 and below) and some invited others from top of Challenge Tour, Development Tour and Women’s Series (to bring in Deta and Fallon) so you have 64 players in U.K. and probably only 32 in Europe that would be manageable as a BCD bubble.

Problem though may be the Europe one as travel around the EU is also very much restricted at present. Guess if in Germany, Dutch players could drive but it would exclude most others. Plus international players whether ex tour or invited unless they stayed in U.K. or Europe aren’t going to be allowed back in for Q-School.

Without a tour card you can’t claim you are an elite sportsperson so international travel is restricted as for all of us.

[Deleted User]

You could play a mini Q-School with those ejected from tour (65 and below) and some invited others from top of Challenge Tour, Development Tour and Women’s Series

Stopped reading at that point.....

[malcy93]

You could play a mini Q-School with those ejected from tour (65 and below) and some invited others from top of Challenge Tour, Development Tour and Women’s Series

Stopped reading at that point.....

I’m sure though Hearn would like more Women in the 128 tour card holders. Helps for PC reasons in getting good press and attracting sponsors and TV these days.

I am sure he would love Deta and Fallon to join Lisa in the 128 on tour.

[Deleted User]

You could play a mini Q-School with those ejected from tour (65 and below) and some invited others from top of Challenge Tour, Development Tour and Women’s Series

Stopped reading at that point.....

I’m sure though Hearn would like more Women in the 128 tour card holders. Helps for PC reasons in getting good press and attracting sponsors and TV these days.

I am sure he would love Deta and Fallon to join Lisa in the 128 on tour.

No. He absolutely wouldn't. Imagine Rachel Brooks chucking her 62 averages on the ProTour.

What he actually wanted was Fallon Sherrock and no others but it backfired and he got Lisa Ashton.

[SAFC]

You could play a mini Q-School with those ejected from tour (65 and below) and some invited others from top of Challenge Tour, Development Tour and Women’s Series

Stopped reading at that point.....

I’m sure though Hearn would like more Women in the 128 tour card holders. Helps for PC reasons in getting good press and attracting sponsors and TV these days.

I am sure he would love Deta and Fallon to join Lisa in the 128 on tour.

No. He absolutely wouldn't. Imagine Rachel Brooks chucking her 62 averages on the ProTour.

What he actually wanted was Fallon Sherrock and no others but it backfired and he got Lisa Ashton.

This

Sherrock isn't good enough fact.

[Black Velvet]

Sherrock will likely end up much better than Ashton, hits much better averages in patches. Her ceiling is higher.

[ILAD]

Sherrock will likely end up much better than Ashton, hits much better averages in patches. Her ceiling is higher.

Needs to be the size of that conk.

[Deleted User]

Sherrock will likely end up much better than Ashton, hits much better averages in patches. Her ceiling is higher.

Needs to be the size of that conk.

Beat me to it

[chateauman]

For all the conjecture, it appears qualifying school is going ahead as planned given this update yesterday.

https://www.pdc.tv/news/2021/01/07/2021 ... ies-update