THE draw and format for the Betway UK Snooker Championship in York has been announced, with all of the game's top players heading to the Barbican later this month.
Champion Mark Selby will face Egypt’s Basem Eltahhan when he gets the defence of his title underway at the event which runs from November 28 to December 10.
Selby won the title for the second time when he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in a fantastic final last year. The world number one will start against a player 130 places below him in the rankings, the match taking place on Wednesday, November 29 at 7.30pm.
Five-time UK champion O’Sullivan will be up against Scotland’s Rhys Clark in his opening match on Thursday, November 30 at 7.30pm.
Rising York star Ashley Hugill, ranked 116th in the world, faces a tough opener as he racks up against Scotland’s Anthony McGill, ranked 16th, at 9.30am on November 29.
Pickering’s Paul Davison, the world number 115, does not have it any easier and he goes up against two-time UK champion Mark Williams in his opening game 24 hours later. The Welsh former world champion is currently ranked 17th.
Meanwhile, three-time UK champion John Higgins faces a Wishaw derby against up-and-coming Chris Totten on Tuesday, November 28 at 7.30pm, while the 2011 UK winner Judd Trump plays Australia’s Michael Bolton the following day at 2.30pm.
Other top stars among the 128-man field include Aussie Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, China's Ding Junhui - the first UK Championship winner to hail from outside the British Isles - and the ever-popular Jimmy White.
Other Yorkshiremen involved include Chris Keogan (Doncaster), Adam Duffy (Sheffield), Sanderson Lam (Leeds), David Grace (Leeds), Peter Lines (Leeds) and Oliver Lines (Leeds).
The final and semi-finals are already sold out, but tickets for other sessions are still available.
The UK Championship is one of snooker’s Triple Crown events, with a rich history dating back 40 years to 1977. Total prize money this year is £850,000 with the winner taking home £170,000.
For the full draw and format, visit www.worldsnooker.com
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