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Snooker stars set to return to region for week of action

A city sporting centre is ready to welcome back some of the world's best snooker players for a week of action.

By James Vukmirovic
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Aldersley Leisure Village will be the setting for the Duelbits Players Championship, with the top 16 players on the one-year money list playing for the title and a prize of £125,000 with play starting today.

It will be the second time the tournament will take place at the venue, which has become a centre for sporting events, concerts and comedy shows, including the PDC Grand Slam of Darts, which has been at Aldersley since 2018.

Crew members at Aldersley were working hard to get the venue ready, with a two-table set up for the first round matches as well as full music and entrance way for the players.

Crews at Aldersley check the players entrance tunnel
Crews at Aldersley check the players entrance tunnel

The 2022 event boosted the city's economy by £350,000, with the 90 players and event staff staying in local hotels and fans spending money in the city during the event and more than 4,000 people attending the event over seven days.

The opening night on Monday sees current one-year money leader Mark Allen competing, having been part of the tournament in 2022 and he said it was a great tournament to be involved in.

He said: “This week in Wolverhampton, it’s another chance to win silverware especially as it’s a small field of 16 players, albeit the best 16 players of the season so far.

"Just being in that event means you’ve had a good season.”

Members of the crew work to get the tables ready for the action
Members of the crew work to get the tables ready for the action

Some star names like Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy will also be in the field in Wolverhampton but defending champion Neil Robertson, 2021 winner John Higgins and current world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan have all missed out.

Despite this, tickets have sold well for the tournament, with the final weekend close to selling out, and start at £20, with afternoon and evening sessions, as well as tickets for the whole day.

Visitors to the event will also be able to buy World Snooker Tour merchandise, including snooker cues.

The tournament, which is being televised on ITV, runs from Monday, February 20 to Sunday, February 26 at Aldersley Leisure Village, with parking costing £6.50 per person.

To find out more and to buy tickets, go to wst.tv/tickets/2023-players-championship/