THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

This is an interesting story reflecting the global interest in the 888.com World Championship but it does not change the fact that of the 32 competitors at the Crucible, 27 are from the UK and Ireland.

The game is actually less international now than it was 20 years ago when various Canadians and Australians were part of the scene. Thailand, Finland, Malta and Iceland are among the other countries to have been represented at the home of snooker.

What can be done?

It would take a complete overhaul of the format to enable individual qualifying in different countries but one thing that will help is if players such as Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson continue their success.

Neil tells me snooker in Australia is starting to pick up after years in the doldrums. He's getting some recognition and his profile is gradually growing.

Ding has, of course, already inspired Liang Wenbo and Liu Chuang, who will be making their Crucible debuts next week.

Fast forward 20 years the field may well be dominated by non-British stars.

Then we'll have situation as in tennis where the British sporting public are rooting for a couple of home grown stars, with the inevitable heartbreak ensuing.