The Betfred Premier League, formerly the Dr. Martens Premier League, is a professional snooker tournament, sponsored by the bookmaker Betfred. It has been running since 1987. The tournament is played in a league format over a number of weeks, normally from mid-September to early-December, around the other major WPBSA events. It is not a ranking event. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The UK Championship is a professional snooker tournament, generally regarded as the second most prestigious tournament after the World Championship. ... The Grand Prix is a professional snooker tournament. ... The Welsh Open is a professional snooker tournament. ... The China Open was a professional snooker tournament. ... Shanghai Masters is a professional snooker tournament. ... The Northern Ireland Trophy is a professional snooker tournament. ... The Masters, formerly the Benson & Hedges Masters, is a professional snooker tournament. ... Pot Black was a UK television snooker tournament that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game. ... This is a list of snooker tournaments. ... Dr. Martens is a brand of shoe, often known as Doc Martens, Docs, or DMs. They have a characteristic air-cushioned sole, dubbed Bouncing Soles, developed by Dr. Klaus Maertens (note the different spelling). ... Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a large baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. ... The Betfred logo Betfred is a UK-based bookmaker named after its characterful Northern England frontman and founder Fred Done. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see September (disambiguation). ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (also known as the World Snooker Association or the WPBSA) is the governing body of world snooker. ... The snooker world rankings are a system of ranking professional snooker players. ...

The total prize fund for the 2006 tournaments was £126,000 ($250,191) with £50,000 ($99,282) going to the winner. All matches are shown on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and this coverage is syndicated to other networks around the world. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of 9 channels. ...

Format of play

The league is an invitation-only event, contested mainly by players in the World's Top 10. The combination of players is chosen though to have maximum televisual appeal, so it is usual for a mixture of high-ranked players, upcoming youngsters yet to reach the top 10, celebrated older players now out of the top 10 and players with an appeal to international (i.e. non-UK) markets such as Asia or Australia to be selected. The players play each other once in a 6-frame match. Unlike other snooker events, a draw is a possible result in the league. 2 points are awarded for a victory, and 1 for a draw. At the end of the round-robin stage, the top 4 players in the league table go forward to the best of 9 semi-finals stage. The final is then played over the best of 13 frames. A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a type of group tournament in which each participant plays every other participant an equal number of times. ...

The major difference from other tournaments is the presence of a shot clock. Each player has 25 seconds to strike the cue ball from the time the clock starts. This is determined by the timing official, and the clock normally starts when the balls have come to rest from the previous shot. The penalty for exceeding the limit is 5 points. Each player is allowed 5 time outs per match where the clock is stopped and they may have as long as they require to take their shot. A player is permitted no more than 3 time outs per frame. The Shot Clock Monument in Syracuse, New York A shot clock is a timer designed to increase the pace (and subsequently, the score) in a competitive sport. ... A cue ball resting atop pool chalk In billiard games, the cue ball is usually the ball that a player must hit with the cue. ...

History

The event started in 1987 with Steve Davis winning for the first 4 years. It has been dominated by Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan, who between them have taken 16 of the 21 titles in the competition's history. Hendry and O'Sullivan are the most prolific, having each won 6 titles. Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although...

Media coverage

From 1987 to 2004, the Betfred Premier League matches were recorded and shown as-live by Sky Sports in a weekly slot. Since 2005 all matches have been televised live by Sky Sports, the introduction of live coverage coinciding with a relaunch of the League. Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of 9 channels. ...

Winners

Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... James Jimmy Warren White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Ken Doherty (born September 17, 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Ken Doherty (born September 17, 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... This article is about the year. ... John Higgins (born May 18, 1975, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish professional snooker player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Marco Fu Ka-chun (Chinese name: 傅家俊; b. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up spring in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the temperate season. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

2006 tournament

The 2006 tournament was won by Ronnie O'Sullivan beating Jimmy White in the final 7-0. O'Sullivan also finished top of the league table with 11 points. The other semi-finalists were Ding Junhui who had to pull out due to a conflict with the Asia Games (an event in which he went on to win the Gold medal; his place in the Betfred Premier League was taken by Steve Davis) [1], and Graeme Dott. James Jimmy Warren White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. ... Ding Junhui (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born April 1, 1987) is a Chinese snooker player, born in Yixing, Jiangsu (near Shanghai), and is now a resident of England during the snooker season. ... Asian Games Logo The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. ... Graeme Dott (born May 12, 1977) is a professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. ...

Results

Round-robin stage

Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Ding Junhui (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born April 1, 1987) is a Chinese snooker player, born in Yixing, Jiangsu (near Shanghai), and is now a resident of England during the snooker season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Graeme Dott (born May 12, 1977) is a professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... James Jimmy Warren White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... Ken Doherty (born September 17, 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player. ...

Knock-out stages

, Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the City of Manchester, in North West England. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... James Jimmy Warren White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Graeme Dott (born May 12, 1977) is a professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... James Jimmy Warren White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. ...

2007 tournament

The 2007 event will be contested by Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White and Steve Davis. It will run from 6 September to 2 December. Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... Ding Junhui (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born April 1, 1987) is a Chinese snooker player, born in Yixing, Jiangsu (near Shanghai), and is now a resident of England during the snooker season. ... John Higgins (born May 18, 1975, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish professional snooker player. ... Neil Robertson is a mathematician working mainly in topological graph theory. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... James Jimmy Warren White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. ... Steve Davis OBE (born August 22, 1957) is an English professional snooker player who was born in London and lives in Brentwood, Essex with his wife and two sons. ...

This line-up does not feature many of the top players. Jimmy White is ranked World no. 72.

In the semi-finals John Higgins beat Ding Junhui by 5 frames to 3, along with Ronnie O'Sullivan beating Stephen Hendry 5-1. John Higgins (born May 18, 1975, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish professional snooker player. ... Ding Junhui (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born April 1, 1987) is a Chinese snooker player, born in Yixing, Jiangsu (near Shanghai), and is now a resident of England during the snooker season. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

The final was a best-of-13 match eventually won by Ronnie O'Sullivan 7-4 over John Higgins. Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although... John Higgins (born May 18, 1975, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish professional snooker player. ...

This was Ronnie O'Sullivan's 4th successive final victory in this event, winning this event finals 7 times in total. Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] is an English professional snooker player, nicknamed The Rocket due to his rapid playing style, with other monikers including The Essex Exocet and The Magician. He grew up and still lives in Chigwell, Essex, although...

External links

• Official website
• Fixtures for the 2007 Premier League
• Pictures from the 2006 Betfred Premier League
• Players taking part in the 2007 Premier League