NEWS NOW: Three players have been elected to the WPBSA Players Board.

NEWS NOW: Three players have been elected to the WPBSA Players Board.

It has been announced that Mark Davis, Matthew Selt, and Shaun Murphy have been elected to the WPBSA Players Board.

On Wednesday, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) held its Annual General Meeting at the BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh.

The Accounts and Directors Report were presented at the AGM, including the most recent independently audited accounts, which were unanimously accepted by the meeting.

Mark Davis, Mike Dunn, Peter Lines, Shaun Murphy, Barry Pinches, Matthew Selt, and Ben Woollaston were among the seven players who ran for election to the WPBSA Players Board.

With three seats up for grabs, Mark Davis, Shaun Murphy, and Matthew Selt were unanimously elected by the membership.

Jason Ferguson, the chairman of the WPBSA Governance Committee, said: “I am today delighted to see such a high level of engagement from the membership in player affairs, with a turnout of 80% determining the three vacancies available on the Board of WPBSA Players.”

“Following this process I am pleased to welcome Mark, Shaun, and Matthew to the Board, where they will join Chairman Ken Doherty and Nigel Bond as part of the team.

“I have known all three players for many years and know that they are all extremely passionate about the growth of our sport and providing significant player input to our work.

“Snooker has never been bigger globally than it is today and during this season in particular it has been fantastic to see the return of major tournaments to China on the World Snooker Tour, as well as key steps being made at amateur level with the expansion of WPBSA Q Tour and other significant initiatives.

“I look forward to working with the new Players Board to further develop opportunities for all.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing directors Mike Dunn and Peter Lines for their hard work during the past four years.

“Both have played a significant role in the development of a number of projects including key constitutional changes which saw the creation of WPBSA Players, as well as the launch and expansion of the WPBSA Q Tour.

“They also played a key role in representing the concerns of the membership during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and I am grateful to them for their support during this time.”

The Full AGM results were:

Accounts and Directors Report unanimously accepted by the meeting.

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

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

Peter Lines 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 about the upcoming AGM on his One Four Seven Snooker Podcast with Phil Seymour.

Among the issues that will be on the agenda for players will be the contracts that they must sign each year in order to compete on the World Snooker Tour.

There has been much talk about that this season especially, following the controversy surrounding the so-called Macau Five.

“This thing isn’t going to go away,” Murphy said when asked about the possibility of further friction between both sides.

“The serious battle between the players, and the WPBSA players’ body that represents them, and WST with their players contract.”

“This isn’t going anywhere. It’s only going to increase in velocity and in seriousness, because these two parties are going to clash over this.

“I’m not sure which way it’s going to go. It’s a big week this week in snooker politically. We’ve got the AGM of the WPBSA and the elections to the WPBSA Players Board.

“Such is the interest in this – normally you have to crowbar players into these meetings and nominations – there are three spots available and there are seven candidates.

“That’s the first time in history that there are more candidates than spaces.

“Depending on who gets through the candidacy and the nomination process, if certain members find their way onto that board, that could cause WST a headache going forward.

“I know a few of the players who have put themselves forward have this as one of their key mandates to try to get a fairer and better deal out of WST.

“You know, we want a review of the contract. We want it looked at, we want to sit down and talk. It’s going to be interesting.”