Magnificent seven
Tuesday 1 September 2009 11:30, UK
Premier League snooker is back and Barry Hearn talks you through this year's contenders.
Barry discusses the ones to watch this year
Premier League Snooker returns to Sky Sports next Thursday - and Barry Hearn insists the sport is in good health. Hearn, who devised the tournament more than 20 years ago, admits that the days when 18million people would stay up to watch Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor battling it out in the World Championships are long gone. But he believes that there is still a huge demand for snooker and that the players are more skilful now than they were in the sport's heyday. And he says the quickfire format of the Premier League has captured the imagination of modern snooker fans, both in the UK and around the world. "Snooker is not hitting the heights it was hitting in the 1980s and the 1990s," Hearn told skysports.com "There's a new breed of kids that have grown up on the back of Steve Davis, Alex Higgins and even Stephen Hendry to a certain extent. "The game needed faster action and it needed to expose the new blood. The players are very good indeed, possibly better than they've ever been but they don't have the reputation of the old players because they haven't had enough exposure. "Premier League Snooker goes around the country playing one-night stands. In other words if you miss it one night then you've lost out; you can't see it again. "That's why it's the only snooker event in the world that sells out every ticket at every session. "Because we've got the Sky Sports Shot Clock in, they see fast action. The games are pretty frenetic, the players are rewarded for every frame they win and every match is basically a marquee game. "That's why it is the most seen snooker event in the world."Barry Hearn's guide to this year's contenders
RONNIE O'SULLIVAN
"Ronnie is, by far, one of the biggest sports personalities in the world. The fact that he's won the Premier League for the last five years running shows you how much he enjoys it. The Premier League is made for Ronnie. He's not at his best when he's there for 17 days, but if you say to him there's one sudden-death game it gets the best out of him."
JOHN HIGGINS
"John is a top, top player. He's been around a long time and he's hard as nails. He's a typical Scotsman; he's too mean to give you a point! If he could take every point from every game he'd be happy."STEPHEN HENDRY
"I think he's probably the greatest player of all time, although Ronnie may take that mantle in time. His track record of seven world championships - and the fact that he's still so competitive - is a testament to the bloke's natural ability."
MARCO FU
"It's good to mix it up with a bit of Asian logic. Marco Fu from Hong Kong has come in to replace the Chinese player Ding Junhui and he's finding his form of a few years ago. He looks dangerous again."NEIL ROBERTSON
"He's one of the new breed of out-and-out attacking players who doesn't give you a chance to settle. A frame can disappear before you even get out of your chair. He's the type of new player who is totally fearless and if you leave him one shot you can't sit comfortably in your chair. He'll smash it in and make a hundred break."
JUDD TRUMP
"He's one of the ones to watch. He got his spot through the Championship League of Snooker, an internet-based event which is shown on the websites of gambling companies. Trump won his place in the big one and he's one of the new breed. There's a lot of people who haven't heard a lot about him, but they will do. He's a superstar in the making."
SHAUN MURPHY
"This ex world champion is extremely consistent. He always gives 110% and he's very difficult to beat. Like the rest of them he makes big breaks and they all play great safety shots. I don't see any match that won't be closely contested."
