Former world number 13 Jamie Cope has made a winning start to Q School as he bids to earn his card to play on the main tour for the next two seasons. This week’s competition in Burton is the first of three events taking place to see which players can secure their place on the tour for the next two years.
There are a number of high-profile players that are competing this week, including Englishman Cope, who has reached the final of two rankings events in the past, while he has also made it through to the main draw of the World Championships on five occasions. However, Cope has suffered a fall from grace over recent years and he failed to secure his card for the main tour last year, which meant he was only able to play in a handful of ranking tournaments, although he did reach the third round of both the Paul Hunter Classic and the Gibraltar Open.
The 32-year-old is now hoping to earn back his full playing privileges at this year’s Q School and he has made a strong start after beating fellow Englishman John Pritchett 4-1 in the first round on Tuesday. Next up for Cope will be a second-round clash with another compatriot, Adam Edge, on Wednesday, but the Stoke-native still has a long way to go if he is to secure his tour card this week, as he will need to win six matches in total. Other players who secured wins during Tuesday’s morning session in Burton were Wang Zepeng, Lee Daegyu, Anthony Jeffers, Hammad Miah, Phil O’Kane and Daniel Womersley.