- Premier League Snooker
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Premier League Snooker Tournament information Country United Kingdom Established 1987 Organisation(s) Matchroom Sport Format Non-ranking event Total prize fund £210,000 Current champion(s) 
Ronnie O'SullivanPremier League Snooker is a cue sport tournament played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker. It has been running since 1987. The tournament is played in a round-robin format over a number of weeks, normally from mid-September to early-December, around the other World Snooker events in various locations.
All matches are shown live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and this coverage is syndicated to other networks around the world. The reigning champion is Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Contents
History
The event started in 1987 as the Matchroom League. The inaugural event was won by Steve Davis, who won the first 4 years. The matches were of eight frames and all frames were played out. Three points was awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The winner of the tournament was the player, who finished top of the league. In 1991 there was also a tournament in Europe, called Matchroom International League.[1]
In 1992 a play-off system was added. The top four players after the leagues phase played semi-finals and finals to determine the winner. In 1993 the event was renamed the European League and in 1998 the Premier League Snooker.[1]
In 2005 Betfred took over the sponsorship of the tournament and introduced a 25 second shot clock[1] and the matches in the leagues phase were shortened to six frames. In addition they offered £1000 for every century and frame won in the leagues phase. In the 2005/2006 season the event was moved from the second half of the calendar in the first half, thus there were two events in 2005.[1]
It has been dominated by Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan, who between them have taken 19 of the 24 titles in the competition's history. O'Sullivan has won the most titles, having won 9 in total and 5 in row between 2005 and 2008.[1]
Format of play
The league is an invitation-only event, contested mainly by players in the world's top 10. The combination of players is chosen though to have maximum televisual appeal, so it is usual for a mixture of high-ranked players, upcoming youngsters yet to reach the top 10, celebrated older players now out of the top 10 and players with an appeal to international (non-UK) markets such as Asia or Australia to be selected. The players play each other once in a 6-frame match. Unlike other snooker events, a draw is a possible result in the league. 2 points are awarded for a victory, and 1 for a draw. At the end of the leagues phase, the top 4 players in the league table go forward to the best of 9 semi-finals stage. The final is then played over the best of 13 frames. From 2008 Matchroom Sports holds a qualifying event, called Championship League. The winner of this competition is invited to the leagues phase of the Premier League Snooker.
The major difference from other tournaments is the presence of a shot clock. Each player has 25 seconds to strike the cue ball from the time the clock starts. This is determined by the timing official, and the clock normally starts when the balls have come to rest from the previous shot or after a potted colour is respotted. The penalty for exceeding the limit is 5 points and is classed as a miss. Each player is allowed 5 time outs per match where the clock is stopped and they may have as long as they require to take their shot. A player is permitted no more than 3 time outs per frame.[2]
In 2011 the format was changed. All evenings in the league stage feature three matches. Two semi-finals and a final. All matches are best of 5 frames, with no dead frames played, points are awarded for every frame won. Meaning that the maximum number of points a player can obtain is 24 and the minimum is 0. All frames are subject to a 20 second shot clock and the miss rule is changed; meaning that a player has three attempts to make legal contact with a ball or otherwise ball in hand is given to the incoming player anywhere on the table. The final frame of any match is played under shoot out rules. Each player appears on 4 nights and is seeded to determine who they face. The play-offs will be played to the rules used in previous editions.[3]
Prize fund
The winner of the Premier League Snooker competition collects £60,000, while the runner-up will receive £30,000. Both of the losing semi-finalists also pocket £20,000 each. Until 2011 there was also a bonus fund of £1,000 per frame won and £1,000 per century break during the league phase section making a total of £252,000 available. The £1,000 frame winning and £1,000 century bonus didn't apply during the semi-finals or final. In 2011 the highest break of the night is awarded with £1,000.
Winners
Media coverage
From 1987 to 2004, the Betfred Premier League matches were recorded and shown as-live, initially by ITV until the early 1990s when Sky Sports took over coverage. Since 2005 all matches have been televised live by Sky Sports, the introduction of live coverage coinciding with a relaunch of the League.
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Premier/Matchroom League, Matchroom Championship League". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/league.html.
- ^ "2010 Premier League Snooker - 25-second shot clock rules". Premier League Snooker. http://premierleaguesnooker.matchroomcms.com/rules.htm. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "New Format For Premier League". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2360839,00.html. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
External links
Premier League Full results by year 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1990
1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000
2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005
2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010
2011Winners and statistics Categories:
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