SNOOKER wizard John Higgins hits York on Wednesday aiming to keep up his magical form and spell trouble for his opponent in the Travis Perkins UK Snooker Championship.

The 30-year Scot, nicknamed the Wizard of Wishaw, rewrote the record books seven weeks ago when he cast aside Ronnie O'Sullivan to capture the Grand Prix title.

Higgins made four consecutive centuries, the first time anyone has done that in competition. And he broke the record for unanswered points, scoring 494 without reply to beat Stephen Hendry's 487 in 1996.

The former world and UK champion potter, who has slipped to seventh in the world ranking list, resumes a long-haul mission when he plays his opening match at the Barbican Centre on Wednesday morning and evening against either Aussie Quinten Hann or Kent's Gerard Greene.

"I've slipped down the rankings in the past few years and my target now is to get back into the official top four," he said after his GP feats took him up to provisional third place. "I'll have to keep producing this form if I'm going to get back to the top."

Workmen have been busy this week refitting and modifying the Barbican Centre to accommodate the second most important tournament in world snooker.

The carpets were laid on Thursday and yesterday and the tables are being put up this weekend for Monday's start at 10am. There will be five cubicles in the arena for the first four days, until the television stages start next Saturday, December 10, when the theatre will be re-rigged for two tables.

Yorkshire hero Paul Hunter is set to travel from his Leeds home to York on Wednesday morning for his opening match. A recent report of him having suffered a setback in his recovery from cancer is untrue, according to Hunter's manager, and he is geared up to play either Ian McCulloch or Jamie Burnett.

John Parrott, the former world and UK champion, who is also in York to work for television, has his first round match on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

The world's top 16 players come into play in the second round. They include defending champion Stephen Maguire, crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan and Rotherham-based world champion Shaun Murphy, all of them in action a week today. Jimmy White's opening match is on Thursday.

Tickets are still available for the early rounds, with sessions at 10am, 2.30pm and 7pm until Thursday and afternoons and evenings in the second week. Prices start at £6.50.

Personal bookings can be made at the Barbican Centre weekdays from 9.30am to 7pm and on Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11 from 11am to 8pm. You can also book on www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call 0870 4000 670.

Travis Perkins UK Snooker Championship 2005 at York Barbican Centre, December 5 - 18

Round One

(best of 17 frames)

Match 1: Andy Hicks v Joe Swail (Tuesday, December 6, 10am and 6pm).

Match 2: David Gray v Mark Allen (Tuesday, December 6, 10am and 7pm).

Match 3: Marco Fu v Michael Judge (Monday, December 5, 10am and 7pm).

Match 4: Quinten Hann v Gerard Greene (Monday, December 5, 10am and 7pm).

Match 5: Barry Pinches v Dominic Dale (Monday, December 5, 10am and 7pm).

Match 6: Allister Carter v Jamie Cope (Monday, December 5, 10am and 7pm).

Match 7: Michael Holt v Ricky Walden (Tuesday, December 6, 10am and 7pm).

Match 8: James Wattana v Drew Henry (Tuesday, Decmber 6, 10am and 7pm).

Match 9: Mark King v Ryan Day (Tuesday, December 6, 10am and 7pm).

Match 10: Barry Hawkins v Stuart Pettman (Monday, December 5, 2.30pm, and Tuesday, December 6, 2.30pm).

Match 11: John Parrott v Mark Davis (Monday, Decmber 5, 2.30pm, and Tuesday, December 6, 2.30pm).

Match 12: Robert Milkins v Stuart Bingham (Monday, December 5, 2.30pm and Tuesday, December 6, 2.30pm).

Match 13: Ian McCulloch v Jamie Burnett (Monday, December 5, 10am and 7pm).

Match 14: Anthony Hamilton v Ding Junhui (Monday, December 5, 2.30pm and Tuesday, December 6, 2.30pm).

Match 15: Neil Robertson v Rory McLeod (Monday, December 5, 2.30pm ande Tuesday, December 6, 2.30pm).

Match 16: Nigel Bond v Dave Harold (Wednesday, December 7, 10am and 7pm).

Round Two

(best of 17 frames)

Match 17: Stephen Maguire v winner Match 1 (Saturday, December 10, afternoon when Match 25 play ends, and Sunday, December 11, noon)

Match 18: Steve Davis v winner Match 2 (Thursday, December 8, 10am and 7pm).

Match 19: Ken Doherty v winner Match 3 (Wednesday, December 7, 10am and 7pm)

Match 20: John Higgins v winner Match 4 (Wednesday, December 7, 10am and 7pm).

Match 21: Peter Ebdon v winner Match 5 (Wednesday, December 7, 10am and 7pm).

Match 22: Alan McManus v winner Match 6 (Wednesday, December 7, 2.30pm and Thursday, December 8, 2.30pm).

Match 23: Mark Williams v winner Match 7 (Wednesday, December 7, 2.30pm, and Thursday, December 9, 2.30pm).

Match 24: Stephen Hendry v winner Match 8 (Saturday, December 10, afternoon when Match 32 play ends, and Sunday, December 11, noon).

Match 25: Ronnie O'Sullivan v winner Match 9 (Saturday, December 10, noon and 7pm).

Match 26: Joe Perry v winner Match 10) Wednesday, December 7, 2.30pm, and Thursday, December 8, 2.30pm).

Match 27: Graeme Dott v winner Match 11 (Wednesday, December 7, 2.30pm and Thursday, December 8, 2.30pm).

Match 28: Matthew Stevens v winner Match 12 (Wednesday, December 7, 2.30pm, and Thursday, December 8, 2.30pm).

Match 29: Paul Hunter v winner Match 13 (Wednesday, December 7, 10am and 7pm).

Match 30: Jimmy White v winner Match 14 (Thursday, December 8, 10am and 7pm).

Match 31: Stephen Lee v winner Match 15 (Thursday, December 8, 10am and 7pm).

Match 32: Shaun Murphy v winner Match 16 (Saturday, December 10, noon and 7pm).

Round Three

(best of 17 frames)

Match 33: winner Match 17 v winner Match 18 (Monday, December 12, 7.30pm and Tuesday, December 13, afternoon when Match 37 play ends).

Match 34: winner Match 19 v winner Match 20 (Sunday, December 11, 7pm, and Monday, December 12, afternoon when Match 36 play ends).

Match 35: winner Match 21 v winner Match 22 (Sunday, December 11, afternoon when Match 24 play ends, and Monday, December 12, 7.30pm).

Match 36: winner Match 23 v winner Match 24 (Monday, December 12, 1.30pm, and Tuesday, December 13, afternoon when Match 40 play ends).

Match 37: winner Match 25 v winner Match 26 (Tuesday, December 13, 1.30pm and 7.30pm).

Match 38: winner Match 27 v winner Match 28 (Sunday, December 11, 7pm, and Monday, December 12, afternoon after Match 39 play ends).

Match 39: winner match 29 v winner Match 30 (Sunday, December 11, afternoon when Match 17 play ends, and Monday, December 12, 1.30pm).

Match 40: winner Match 31 v winner Match 32 (Tuesday, December 13, 1.30pm and 7.30pm).

Quarter-finals

(best of 17 frames)

QF1: winner Match 33 v winner Match 34 (Wednesday, December 14, 2pm and 7pm).

QF2: winner Match 35 v winner Match 36 (Wednesday, December 14, 2pm and 7pm).

QF3: winner Match 37 v winner Match 38 (Thursday, December 15, 1.30pm and 6pm)

QF4: winner Match 39 v winner Match 40 (Thursday, December 15, 1.30pm and 6pm).

Semi-finals

(best of 17 frames)

SF1: winner QF1 v winner QF2 (Friday, December 16, 2pm and 7pm).

SF2: winner QF3 v winner QF4 (Saturday, December 17, 2pm and 7pm).

Final

(best of 19 frames)

Sunday, December 18, 3pm and 8pm.

From December 10-13 all matches are played on a roll-on/roll-off basis. Play will start at the allocated time each day, with a 15 minute interval between matches. The third and fourth match each day will not start before 2.30pm.

Note: There is no play on Friday, December 9 because the arena is being re-rigged for television.

Updated: 08:47 Saturday, December 03, 2005