History
Matchroom Sport is synonymous with snooker as the company and Chairman Barry Hearn rose to prominence during the great 1980’s snooker boom. Initially managing the stars of the game like Steve Davis, Jimmy White and Dennis Taylor – the company soon produced their first ever snooker event in 1987.
Initially known as the Matchroom League, the event has evolved considerably over the years as it approaches its 25th running in 2010. Since the late 90’s the tournament has been known simply as Premier League Snooker and it has developed into snooker’s strongest international brand.
Since its inception, the competition has been dominated by the biggest names in the sport. In the early years of the event it was Steve Davis who swept all before him and then it was Stephen Hendry’s turn in the 1990’s with six victories. Latterly it has been Ronnie O’Sullivan who enjoyed an unbroken run of five titles in the 2000’s.
A showcase for the major stars of the game, the League moved from being a tape delayed event into a live broadcast in 2005 and is played out on Thursday nights at sell-out venues across the UK throughout the autumn and winter.
In 2008, Matchroom Sport, in association with Perform, introduced Championship League Snooker, a ground-breaking internet only event, produced exclusively for the world-wide betting market.
On the basis that in-running wagers now dominate the gambling market, coupled with the fact that betting companies do not have easy access to internet rights to major sports events, Championship League Snooker fills a huge gap in the market.
Now into its fourth year, CLS features the top 25 players in the world competing in a series of leagues, with the winner of each moving into the final group where the ultimate champion is decided.
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