Barnsley to host snooker English Open

LONDON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Barnsley will stage a ranking tournament for the first time in October when the English Open comes to the town, World Snooker said on Friday.

The event will run from October 16 to 22 at the Barnsley Metrodome with 128 of the world's best players in action.

The tournament was new to the calendar last season and staged in Manchester, with China's Liang Wenbo beating Judd Trump in the final. Top stars including Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy also competed for the Steve Davis Trophy.

The English Open, televised live by Eurosport, will have a top prize of 70,000 pounds.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: "We are delighted to bring a ranking tournament to Barnsley for the first time. We have staged various qualifying events at the Metrodome in recent years and we are sure it will prove an excellent venue.

"We know what fantastic support there is for snooker in the Yorkshire region, the county is very much a global center for our sport as it also hosts the World Championship in Sheffield and the UK Championship in York. So we expect to see fans come out in their droves to support the English Open in Barnsley and make sure it stays in their town."