EUROSPORT AT THE CRUCIBLE

This is the first 888.com World Championship I shall be commentating on.

I joined the Eurosport team for last December’s Maplin UK Championship and have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it ever since.

Although I’ve been on the circuit for the last decade, I can’t remember ever watching so much snooker.

This just in: it’s a great game – skilful, dramatic and fascinating, even when the standard isn’t that high.

Eurosport International and British Eurosport are showing hour upon hour of coverage from the Crucible. All sessions are live during weekdays and there is much live snooker at weekends, although we obviously have to fit in other sport as well.

My fellow lead commentators will be Mike Smith, Simon Golding and Patrick Winterton.

Our experts are Mike Hallett, Joe Johnson, Neal Foulds, Dominic Dale and, joining us for the first time, Alan McManus.

Matthew Syed will be backstage conducting interviews with the players and going behind the scenes of the tournament.

Eurosport have been instrumental in raising interest in snooker across Europe, just as the BBC were in Britain with Pot Black in the 1970s.

I’m sure all viewers, whether in Prague or Peterborough, Riga or Romford, will enjoy the championship.