Back for more as snooker fans enjoy night of action in Wolverhampton

There were high breaks and a warm feeling for those coming to watch some of the best snooker players in the world.

Joe O'Connor ponders his next move as those in attendance watch on

The first night of the Duelbits Players Championship brought people from across Wolverhampton and the surrounding area to Aldersley Leisure Village to watch the action.

While there were a few empty seats, there were still more than 250 people in to see the current one-year money list leader Mark Allen take on Joe O'Connor and Welshman Ryan Day up against Chris Wakelin on the two table set up.

Mark Allen takes aim during his first round match with Joe O'Connor

The arena at Aldersley was a colourful setting, with the Duelbits branding everywhere alongside the ITV and World Snooker Tour (WST) logos, and the table set up allowed everyone watching to have a good view of both games.

The two table set up at Aldersley Leisure Village allowed for a good view wherever people were sat

The first people in the queue to get in were Andy Brittain, Leon Grant and Abigail Brownrigg from Wednesfield, with Andy saying they had been the year before and had been looking forward to coming back for the new tournament.

He said: "I'm buzzing to be here as last year, I came and watched the whole tournament. so I'm glad it's back in Wolverhampton and as soon as I saw the tickets were on sale, I said to the missus that I was going to book them.

Andy Brittain, Leon Grant, Abigail Brownrigg were first in the queue for the first night and Andy said he'd bought tickets as soon as they'd gone on sale

"I'm coming here until Thursday, then coming back for the final on Sunday and what I think makes this place so great is that Wolverhampton is a great hotbed of snooker and we get to see the best players here like Mark Allen.

"I'm a bit gutted that the class of 92 aren't here this week, but it opens up the tournament to players like Joe O'Connor and there's a lot of great players here."

Outside of the arena, there were opportunities to buy WST merchandise, including a snooker cue and case, as well as a bar serving a range of drinks and paninis.

Sue Rapp and Rich Lloyd both said they were excited to see players such as Robert Milkins and Shaun Murphy

Among those enjoying a drink beforehand were Sue Rapp and Rich Lloyd from Newbridge, both of whom had been to the 2022 tournament and both said they were delighted to be back again.

Sue said: "We're massive snooker fans and we came last year and really enjoyed it, so we said we wanted to come again and we've booked up for a lot of sessions, including the final.

"This venue has a memories for me as well as I was vaccinated here during the Covid pandemic and it's really nice to be here to see the tournament.

"It would have been nice to see Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan, but we're very pleased with the line up and I'm looking forward to seeing Robert Milkins."

Referee Olivier Marteel gets the balls ready for the game on Table 1

Rich said: "It's fantastic to be back here as it promotes the sport and makes it feel like a proper city of sport.

"I like it here as it's very spacious, plus it's right on our doorstep and there's good access from public transport, and I'm looking forward to seeing Shaun Murphy this week."

The TV coverage for the event was being provided by ITV, with experts such as Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty in the studio alongside presenter Jill Douglas.

The announcer and MC on TV and in the arena was Tahir Hajat, who had performed the same role in 2022 and said it was a pleasure to be back in a city with a high level of participation.

Tahir Hajat said the crowd were very knowledgeable and a pleasure to announce for

He said: "Wolverhampton has the highest level of participation for snooker in the country and the fans are very knowledgeable about the game, so they are fantastic here.

"As an MC, it's great to have the opportunity to work with them and we have the opportunity to present some of the best snooker players in the world.

"What I think makes this place special is that it's quite intimate and while it's a little sparse in places tonight, I know it'll be a great spectacle throughout the week."