Throughout the decades, we have seen many snooker events, both ranking and otherwise, come and go as the game has evolved. Certain events such as the Grand Prix, or various ‘Opens’ have undergone revisions and re-brandings, while others have been discontinued completely. Out of the many events that are no longer on the calendar, I’ve picked a few which I wouldn’t mind seeing return at some point in the future.
Dubai Classic/Masters
Run primarily in the late 1980s and a majority of the 1990s, the Dubai Classic was the only real snooker tournament that took place in the Middle East. It was a location and tournament remembered by many players, including Hendry and O’Sullivan due to the hospitality of the venue. With a distinct lack of tournaments held in the Middle East, there is an opportunity to bring money as well as a unique desert backdrop to a potential revival of this event.
Pontins Professional
This was a tournament which ran in Wales from 1974-2000 and mainly took place after the World Championship. Players would often use this invitational tournament as a way to supplement their income from competition. It doesn’t necessarily need to be this specific event, but I think an exhibition-like tournament such as Pontins would be a great way to close out a season, particularly after a tough grind at the Crucible.
World Doubles Championship
This variant edition of snooker was run throughout the 1980s which offered an alternative to the traditional game that viewers were used to watching. This event was dominated by Steve Davis and partner, Tony Meo as they won four out of the six iterations. Even though we have the World Cup, it would be nice to see an exhibition return of this tournament with a more unique ruleset or mixed doubles concept (male, female or professional, amateur).
Charity Challenge
Most notably known for Hendry’s deciding frame 147 against O’Sullivan, the Charity Challenge brought a refreshing motivation for players during the late 1990s. It was an event in which the prize money won by players would be donated to the charities of their choice. Despite not offering any ranking rewards for players, it would be great to include a tournament that solely focuses on the charitable contributions that could be generated.
More Internationals
What I mean by this is if you look through the 1980-90s, you’ll see snooker tournaments held in incredible locations that you wouldn’t see nowadays. Many countries hosted their own ‘Masters’ events, including the likes of Singapore, Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong etc. I would love to see snooker reach more of these locations but the difficulties with this in the current, packed game is understandable. Perhaps a dedicated series of tours can return to aid with this but for the moment, one can only hope.
What do you think? Which tournaments do you miss and would like to see return one day? Let me know either in the comments or using the socials below!
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