Doherty leading 6 Red revolution
Ken Doherty Photo: Getty Images
With the Irish snooker scene in urgent need of a makeover, former world champion Ken Doherty believes this month's 6 Red World Championship in Killarney can halt the decline of the game and revolutionise the snooker scene as we know it.
As the name suggests, 6 Red is a hybrid brand of snooker which retains all the regular features of a normal game but with just six red balls. And just as Twenty20 has done for cricket, it is hoped the new discipline can inject some excitement into snooker and attract more spectators to attend competitive events.
The Irish public will have the unique opportunity to witness the first 6 Red World Championship later on this month, with 13 of the world's top 16 players arriving in Killarney for the four-day event, running from December 15 to 18.
The competition is the brainchild of Doherty, who came up with the idea whilst playing in a similar competition in Thailand last July and quickly set about registering the name '6 Red World Championship' as an exclusive trademark.
On the back of their outstanding success holding the World Series of Snooker earlier this year, the INEC Killarney was decided as the obvious venue and so far the response from professionals and amateurs alike has been phenomenal.
Over 130 players have already signed up, including Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Shaun Murphy. English-born ladies' world champion Reanne Evans will also take part and Doherty believes the exciting new format may throw up some unexpected results.
"The good thing about 6 Red is that you could end up potting more balls than your opponent and still end up losing the frame," he said.
exciting
"That doesn't normally happen in a game of snooker but that's what can happen in 6 Red. And that's what makes it all so exciting. From an amateur's point of view, it gives them a great opportunity to pit their wits against all the best players in the world, and I fully expect a couple of surprise results."
The tournament consists of two days worth of group matches -- 320 in total -- before the field is eventually whittled down to 64 for the knockout stages.
Entry is free for the first three days with the cost of a ticket for the final day's action just €10. The final will be televised live and the event carries a prize fund of over €35,000.
Doherty -- who was knocked out of the UK Championships last Monday -- is expecting the competition to be a great success and anticipates a positive knock-on effect.
"The good thing is that we are going to have the first 6 Red World Championship on our own shores, and it's not just going to be a once-off," he said. "The core of the game is always the traditional way and, at heart, I am a traditionalist.
"But at the same time I love new concepts and anything that can help promote snooker is alright by me. At the end of the day, we're trying to encourage people to play snooker and also to come and support it, and ultimately to start bringing the kids back into snooker halls.
"This is a five-year plan and hopefully it will be the start of something that we can continue to hold annually. Once we bring all these players down to Killarney they'll see exactly what a wonderful place it is and with any luck they'll keep coming back.
"6 Red is different, it's fresh, and it might just catch on."
Anyone wishing to attend the event as a spectator or a player should visit www.6redworldchampionships.com for more information.
- Ian Bransfield
Irish Independent
