Further proof of Germany's growing love affair with snooker comes with the news that Steve Davis, Matthew Stevens and Neil Robertson are to undertake an exhibition tour of the country in March.
The pros will play in a four-man tournament alongside Patrick Einsle, Germany's representative on the world ranking event circuit, in Landsberg on March 4 and in another exhibition event featuring reigning German champion Lasse Munstermann in Berlin on March 6.
There will be a qualifying event for the fourth place spot in a third exhibition tournament in Russelheim on March 7.
Davis, Stevens and Robertson will also play in poker events in Germany during the trip.
Germany is experiencing a snooker boom, aided by extensive coverage of all the game's leading tournaments on Eurosport. It gets bigger ratings than any other sport on the network.
The annual pro-am in August is always sold out and there are hopes to stage a ranking tournament there in the near future.
Michael Holt, the winner of this season's German Open, was so impressed by the enthusiam of local spectators that he said: 'If we can't put on a major event here, we can't put one on anywhere.'
The last professional tournament staged in Germany was the 1998 German Masters, won by John Parrott.
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