View source for Masters Qualifying Event

{{short description|Snooker tournament}}
{{redirect|Benson & Hedges Championship|the tennis tournament formerly named as Benson & Hedges Championships|Wembley Championships}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox Snooker tournament
|tournament_name = Masters Qualifying Event
|image = 
|venue = World Snooker Centre
|location = [[Prestatyn]]
|country = [[Wales]]
|establishment = 1990
|organisation = [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]]
|format = Non-[[Snooker world rankings|ranking]] event
|prizefund = 
|final year= 2009
|Current Champion =
|Final Champion = {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rory McLeod (snooker player)|Rory McLeod]]
}}

The '''Masters Qualifying Event''' was a professional [[snooker]] tournament, which ran from 1990 to 2009. Each season, the winner of the event was awarded a wild-card to play at the [[Masters (snooker)|Masters]].

== History ==
At the [[1990 Masters (snooker)|1990 Masters]] two wild-cards were added to the tournament and the following season a qualifying tournament was established for one of these wild-cards. The tournament was named '''Benson & Hedges Championship'''. The event was held in [[Glasgow]] and [[Alan McManus]] became the inaugural champion.<ref name=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk>{{cite web|last=Turner|first=Chris|title=Benson & Hedges Championship, Masters Qualifying Event|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/masqual.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216155348/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/masqual.html|archivedate=16 February 2012|work=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|accessdate=20 January 2013}}</ref>

In the [[Snooker season 1992/1993|1992/1993]] season it became one of the [[Snooker world rankings|minor-ranking event]]s along with the three [[Strachan Open|Strachan Challenge]] events. These events carried one-tenth of the ranking points of other tournaments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/strachan.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216155447/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/strachan.html|archivedate=16 February 2012|title=Strachan Open, Strachan Challenges|work=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|accessdate=12 March 2013}}</ref> but most of the top players did not enter, so it lost ranking status from the next season. The event was then moved to [[Edinburgh]] in [[Snooker season 1994/1995|1994/1995]] for three years, to [[Malvern, Worcestershire|Malvern]] in [[Snooker season 1997/1998|1997/1998]] for four years and to [[Mansfield]] in [[Snooker season 2001/2002|2001/2002]] for two years.<ref name=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/>

In [[Snooker season 2003/2004|2003/2004]] the event was renamed to '''Masters Qualifying Event''' due to restrictions on tobacco advertising in the United Kingdom. The event was held in [[Prestatyn]]; the top 16 players were excluded from the event and other non-participating Main Tour members were replaced by top players from the [[Challenge Tour (snooker)|Challenge Tour]] Order of Merit. After a season away, the Masters Qualifying Event returned to the calendar in [[Snooker season 2005/2006|2005/2006]], and was moved to the [[English Institute of Sport – Sheffield|English Institute of Sport]] in [[Sheffield]] next season for three years. The event was last held in Prestatyn during the [[Snooker season 2009/2010|2009/10 season]].<ref name=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/>

There has been five official [[maximum break]]s during the history of the tournament. [[Karl Burrows]] made the first against [[Adrian Rosa]] in 1999. The second was made in 2000 by [[David McLellan (snooker player)|David McLellan]] against Steve Meakin, the third in 2001 by [[Shaun Murphy]] against Adrian Rosa and the fourth in 2002 by [[Tony Drago]] against [[Stuart Bingham]]. The last came at the 2005 event by Bingham against [[Marcus Campbell]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Turner|first=Chris|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Max.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210111304/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Max.html|archivedate=10 February 2013|title=Maximum Breaks|work=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|accessdate=2 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kastner |first=Hugo |title=SNOOKER – Spieler, Regeln & Rekorde (July 2012 Update) |url=http://www.hugo-kastner.at/snooker_statistik_maximumbreaks_juli12.pdf |accessdate=17 November 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521021756/http://www.hugo-kastner.at/snooker_statistik_maximumbreaks_juli12.pdf |archivedate=21 May 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There was one further maximum break by [[Terry Murphy (snooker player)|Terry Murphy]] against [[Robert Thallon]] but it was not officially ratified due to the match being played on one of the outside non-templated tables.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 147 Club|url=http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/History/history_147.htm|publisher=Global Snooker Centre|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119143019/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/History/history_147.htm|archivedate=19 January 2009}}</ref>

==Winners==
<ref name=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto"
|-
! style="text-align: center; background-color: #00af00" | Year
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Winner
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Runner-up
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Final score
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Season
|-
! colspan=5 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Benson & Hedges Championship (Non-ranking)
|-
| [[1991 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1990]]
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Alan McManus]] 
| {{flagicon|THA}} [[James Wattana]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–5
| [[Snooker season 1990/1991|1990/91]]
|-
| [[1992 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1991]]
| {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Ken Doherty]] 
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Darren Morgan]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–3
| [[Snooker season 1991/1992|1991/92]]
|-
! colspan=5 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Benson & Hedges Championship (Minor-ranking)
|-
| [[1993 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1992]]
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Chris Small]] 
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Alan McManus]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–1
| [[Snooker season 1992/1993|1992/93]]
|-
! colspan=5 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Benson & Hedges Championship (Non-ranking)
|-
| [[1994 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1993]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ronnie O'Sullivan]] 
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[John Lardner]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–6
| [[Snooker season 1993/1994|1993/94]]
|-
| [[1995 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1994]]
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Mark Williams (snooker player)|Mark Williams]] 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rod Lawler]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–5
| [[Snooker season 1994/1995|1994/95]]
|-
| [[1996 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1995]]
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Matthew Stevens]] 
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Paul McPhillips]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–3
| [[Snooker season 1995/1996|1995/96]]
|-
| [[1997 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1996]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Brian Morgan (snooker player)|Brian Morgan]] 
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Drew Henry]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–8
| [[Snooker season 1996/1997|1996/97]]
|-
| [[1998 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1997]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Andy Hicks]] 
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Paul Davies (snooker player)|Paul Davies]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–6
| [[Snooker season 1997/1998|1997/98]]
|-
| [[1999 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1998]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[David Gray (snooker player)|David Gray]] 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dave Harold]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–6
| [[Snooker season 1998/1999|1998/99]]
|-
| [[2000 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|1999]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ali Carter]] 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Simon Bedford]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–4
| [[Snooker season 1999/2000|1999/00]]
|-
| [[2001 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2000]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Shaun Murphy]] 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Bingham]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–7
| [[Snooker season 2000/2001|2000/01]]
|-
| [[2002 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2001]]
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ryan Day (snooker player)|Ryan Day]] 
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Hugh Abernethy]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 9–5
| [[Snooker season 2001/2002|2001/02]]
|-
| [[2003 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2002]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Davis (snooker player)|Mark Davis]] 
| {{flagicon|CYP|1960}} [[Mehmet Husnu]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–6
| [[Snooker season 2002/2003|2002/03]]
|-
! colspan=5 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Masters Qualifying Event (Non-ranking)
|-
| [[2004 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2003]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Neil Robertson]]
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Dominic Dale]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 6–5
| [[Snooker season 2003/2004|2003/04]]
|-
| [[2006 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2005]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Bingham]] 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ali Carter]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 6–3
| [[Snooker season 2005/2006|2005/06]]
|-
| [[2007 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2006]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Bingham]] 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Selby]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 6–2
| [[Snooker season 2006/2007|2006/07]]
|-
| [[2008 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2007]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barry Hawkins]] 
| {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Kurt Maflin]]
| style="text-align: center" | 6–4
| [[Snooker season 2007/2008|2007/08]]
|-
| [[2009 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2008]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Judd Trump]]  
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Joyce]]  
| style="text-align: center" | 6–1
| [[Snooker season 2008/2009|2008/09]]
|-
| [[2010 Masters (snooker)#Qualifying|2009]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rory McLeod (snooker player)|Rory McLeod]]  
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Andrew Higginson]] 
| style="text-align: center" | 6–1
| [[Snooker season 2009/2010|2009/10]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Masters (snooker)}}
{{Snooker tournaments}}

[[Category:Snooker minor-ranking tournaments]]<!---For oneyear role as minor-ranking event.--->
[[Category:Snooker non-ranking competitions]]<!---For larger role as non-ranking event.--->
[[Category:Masters (snooker)|Qualifiers]]<!--Some people may look for it here.-->
[[Category:Snooker competitions in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1990]]
[[Category:Recurring events disestablished in 2009]]
[[Category:1990 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:2009 disestablishments in Wales]]
[[Category:Defunct snooker competitions]]
[[Category:Defunct sports competitions in the United Kingdom]]