cheltenham | world snooker
CHELTENHAM’S BIG BREAK
Beat the ‘cue’ and book now for snooker’s World Grand Prix, coming to Cheltenham Racecourse in February next year
T he Jockey Club venue’s auditorium – The Centaur – is hosting the 2019 snooker World Grand Prix for the first time, and tickets are on sale now. Running from February 4 to 10 2019, the tournament will see 32 of the sport’s biggest names descend on the picturesque Gloucestershire venue for a week. Players who have achieved the best results over the first part of the 2018/19 season will be in the running, with fans hoping to see title holder Ronnie O’Sullivan and formidable opponents like World Champion Mark Williams, World Number One Mark Selby, Judd Tump and John Higgins. World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn hopes the venue will become synonymous with snooker. “As soon as we saw The Centaur we knew it had great potential to host a top-class snooker event,” he said, “and now that will become a reality when the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix comes to town. The standard will be incredibly high, and in snooker these days we know we are guaranteed drama and excitement. Cheltenham might be best known for its fabulous horse racing facility but we want snooker to become synonymous with the venue as well.” For racing fans who aren’t sure if snooker’s for them, Hearn’s message is simple: give it a try. “The atmosphere is unique: it is intense and thrilling. Anyone who has seen live snooker before will know how exhilarating it can be as the tension mounts and the best players on the planet show their remarkable skills.” At Cheltenham, the world’s finest will compete for a total prize fund of £375,000, with the winner taking home £100,000. They will then go on to
compete in two more events in the Ladbrokes Series: the Players Championships in Preston and the Tour Championship in Llandudno. It’s a coup for the venue to be hosting such a prestigious snooker championship, according to Lee Moulson, the racecourse’s regional head of sales. “We are thrilled that the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix is coming to Cheltenham Racecourse. There are a range of tickets on sale, including hospitality packages, but we would urge you to book as soon as possible, as this is going to be a popular event.” The tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4, but by booking your tickets now you can see the action up close and enjoy the atmosphere at the biggest venue of its kind between Bournemouth and Birmingham. “This is year one in Cheltenham,” said Barry Hearn, “and I sincerely hope the arena will be packed out every day of the tournament and that the people in and around Cheltenham really get behind it. We tend to decide year on year where to stage our tournaments; if they don’t work in one location, we’ll move. But when a tournament finds a true home – as the World Championship has at the Crucible and the Masters has at Alexandra Palace – it creates a magical bond. Let’s see if Cheltenham can create that.” TICKETS All-day tickets for the showpiece final day on February 10 are available for £52. Hospitality packages for tables of 10 are also available for the semi-finals (£95 pp) and final (£120 pp) and include a seat, programme, two- course meal and drinks voucher. For tickets and information , call 0871 620 7052 or visit: worldsnooker.com/tickets
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