Murphy Says Germany Could Be Snooker’s Next China

Shaun Murphy believes that the snooker boom witnessed in China in recent years could soon be repeated in Germany.

World Snooker will stage a new ranking event in Berlin in February, while at least four events in the new Players Tour Championship (PTC) series will be held in Germany, in cities such as Frankfurt and Hamm.

The popularity of snooker in Germany has exploded since World Snooker's landmark deal with Eurosport in 2004 which has brought the sport into 120 million homes.

"We've seen snooker become massive in China, and in Germany it could be just as big," said former World Champion Murphy, who beat Ding Junhui 9-8 in the final of the Rundili Wuxi Classic in China last Sunday.

"I've played in various events and exhibitions there and we are playing to packed houses every day. We've seen great players like Ding come out of China, and Germany could be the next breeding ground for potential World Champions."

Sale-based Murphy is full of enthusiasm for the new events on the World Snooker calendar, particularly the PTC, which will see 12 three-day events building up to the televised finale.

"I've not been as excited about a new season since I was a junior," said the 27-year-old. "There will be tournaments virtually every week, and that is what we want - to be able to test ourselves against the other best players as often as possible. That's what we play sport for."

The first PTC event runs from June 25-27 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield. Six of the 12 short events will be at the Academy, with the other six in Europe. They are open to amateurs as well as professionals - for details on how to enter see www.worldsnooker.com

The German Masters will run from February 2 to 6 at the Tempodrom in Berlin. Tickets are available from www.snookerstars.de<http://www.snookerstars.de>