World Snooker to increase rankings events to 18, says chairman Hearn

World Snooker announced on Wednesday that there will be 18 rankings events next season and 20 in the season of 2017-2018.

Barry Hear, the World Snooker chairman, also said that total prize money for the World Snooker Tour will hit 10 million pounds next season for the first time ever.

He said, "We will have 18 ranking events and that is scheduled to grow to a minimum of 20. And for the first time in the history of snooker we will hit our prize money target of 10 million pounds, which again over the next few years is set to grow dramatically.

"The opportunities for sports people at the top end are growing. We are obviously a sport that has led from the front. The winners' rewards are growing dramatically because that is how sport is working.

"It's tough and we have seen in this tournament already how tough the competition is so far as five of the top 16 have already fallen in the first round. Players coming from the qualifying rounds have emerged through a brutal test and I find it fascinating to listen to the arguments of both sides as to the fairness of that. It is a brutally open system where the best shall survive."

He announced during the world championship in Sheffield that the trophy for The Masters will be renamed the Paul Hunter trophy in perpetuity, in memory of the three-time Masters champion who died in 2006.

Hearn said, "The Masters trophy will be renamed the Paul Hunter Trophy in memory of Paul and I think snooker fans around the world will appreciate that gesture to a great, great player." Endit