• Players Head to Ireland for Tour Finals

    The Finals of the inaugural Players Tour Championship will herald World Snooker’s return to the Emerald Isle with the staging of a major tournament in the Republic of Ireland for the first time in six years.

    The event will run from March 16 to 20 at The Helix in Dublin and will feature the top-24 ranked players on the PTC Order of Merit.

    The new twelve event series, featured events in England, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic and produced twelve different winners.  The likes of Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Ding Junhui, Shaun Murphy and John Higgins proving that the cream always rises to the top.

    Players were required to enter a minimum of six tournaments in a combination of three events at the Academy in Sheffield and three in continental Europe.

    That restriction will mean that despite finishing in the top ten, Ding and Higgins will miss out on a trip to Ireland.

    Ding missed the first four events due to visa problems and Higgins’ suspension meant he could only play in the last two events, winning one and losing to Michael Holt in the final of the other.

    They will be replaced in the draw by Gerard Greene and Joe Jogia, who finished 25th and 26th respectively.

    World Snooker’s last event in Dublin was the 2005 Irish Masters. A spokesman said: “We are absolutely delighted to bring top draw snooker back to Ireland, where the popularity of the sport is very strong and we know we will be well supported.

    “The Helix is a fantastic arena and will generate a sizzling atmosphere when the top players take the stage. The Players Tour Championship is a cornerstone of the exciting new era for snooker which we are building, and Dublin will provided a fitting stage for its conclusion.”

    Masters champion Mark Selby said: "It's been quite a few years since we've had an event in Dublin but I know how much the fans love snooker in Ireland and all the players will really be looking forward to it.

    "The new PTC series has been very successful as it's kept us playing snooker week-in, week-out, which is what we've always wanted. I'm keen to go on to do well in the final event in March."

    A spokesman for the Helix added: "Everyone at The Helix is excited to welcome the PTC Grand Finals and be a part of putting Ireland back on the World Snooker map. We know the players will love the atmosphere and hope it's the first of many a successful event here."

    The full list of the 24 players is below.

    1. Shaun Murphy
    2. Mark Selby
    3. Barry Pinches
    4. Marcus Campbell
    5. Judd Trump
    6. Mark Williams
    7. Dominic Dale
    8. Stephen Lee
    9. Tom Ford
    10. Stephen Maguire
    11. Michael Holt
    12. Liang Wenbo
    13. Martin Gould
    14. Marco Fu
    15. Ricky Walden
    16. Anthony Hamilton
    17. Stuart Bingham
    18. Jack Lisowski
    19. Jamie Jones
    20. Andrew Higginson
    21. Mark Davis
    22. Matthew Stevens
    23. Gerard Greene
    24. Joe Jogia