Mark Davis, Matthew Selt, and Shaun Murphy have been elected to the WPBSA Gamers Board, it has been introduced.

The World Skilled Billiards and Snooker Affiliation (WPBSA) held its Annual Basic Assembly in the course of the BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The AGM noticed the presentation of the Accounts and Administrators Report, together with the most recent independently audited accounts, which had been unanimously accepted by the assembly.

Seven gamers stood for election to the Board of WPBSA Gamers: Mark Davis, Mike Dunn, Peter Strains, Shaun Murphy, Barry Pinches, Matthew Selt, and Ben Woollaston.

With three seats to be decided, the outcome was that Mark Davis, Shaun Murphy, and Matthew Selt had been efficiently elected by the membership.

WPBSA Governance Chairman Jason Ferguson stated: “I’m right this moment delighted to see such a excessive degree of engagement from the membership in participant affairs, with a turnout of 80% figuring out the three vacancies out there on the Board of WPBSA Gamers.”

“Following this course of I’m happy to welcome Mark, Shaun, and Matthew to the Board, the place they are going to be part of Chairman Ken Doherty and Nigel Bond as a part of the workforce.

“I’ve identified all three gamers for a few years and know that they’re all extraordinarily passionate in regards to the progress of our sport and offering important participant enter to our work.

“Snooker has by no means been greater globally than it’s right this moment and through this season specifically it has been unbelievable to see the return of main tournaments to China on the World Snooker Tour, in addition to key steps being made at newbie degree with the enlargement of WPBSA Q Tour and different important initiatives.

“I stay up for working with the brand new Gamers Board to additional develop alternatives for all.

“I might additionally prefer to take this chance to thank our outgoing administrators Mike Dunn and Peter Strains for his or her exhausting work in the course of the previous 4 years.

“Each have performed a major position within the growth of quite a few tasks together with key constitutional adjustments which noticed the creation of WPBSA Gamers, in addition to the launch and enlargement of the WPBSA Q Tour.

“Additionally they performed a key position in representing the issues of the membership in the course of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and I’m grateful to them for his or her help throughout this time.”

The Full AGM outcomes had been:

Accounts and Administrators Report unanimously accepted by the assembly.

• Mark Davis 57 votes to be elected as a director – ELECTED

• Mike Dunn 11 votes to be re-elected as a director.

• Peter Strains 13 votes to be re-elected as a director.

• Shaun Murphy 29 votes to be elected as a director – ELECTED

• Barry Pinches 8 votes to be elected as a director.

• Matthew Selt 50 votes to be elected as a director – ELECTED

• Ben Woollaston 28 votes to be elected as a director.

On Tuesday, Murphy had spoken in regards to the upcoming AGM on his OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast with Phil Seymour.

Among the many points that will probably be on the agenda for gamers would be the contracts that they need to signal annually as a way to compete on the World Snooker Tour.

There was a lot speak about that this season particularly, following the controversy surrounding the so-called Macau 5.

“This factor isn’t going to go away,” Murphy stated when requested about the opportunity of additional friction between either side.

“The intense battle between the gamers, and the WPBSA gamers’ physique that represents them, and WST with their gamers contract.”

“This isn’t going wherever. It’s solely going to extend in velocity and in seriousness, as a result of these two events are going to conflict over this.

“I’m unsure which method it’s going to go. It’s a giant week this week in snooker politically. We’ve bought the AGM of the WPBSA and the elections to the WPBSA Gamers Board.

“Such is the curiosity on this – usually it’s a must to crowbar gamers into these conferences and nominations – there are three spots out there and there are seven candidates.

“That’s the primary time in historical past that there are extra candidates than areas.

“Relying on who will get by way of the candidacy and the nomination course of, if sure members discover their method onto that board, that might trigger WST a headache going ahead.

“I do know a couple of of the gamers who’ve put themselves ahead have this as certainly one of their key mandates to attempt to get a fairer and higher deal out of WST.

“You understand, we would like a evaluate of the contract. We wish it checked out, we wish to sit down and speak. It’s going to be attention-grabbing.”

Featured picture credit score: WST