Only two weeks to go and the Island renowned for its Knights will host the Masters of the Green Baize for one of this year’s main challengers on the World Snooker Main Tour – the third edition of the Malta Cup

This event is one of only two Main Tour tournaments being held outside the United Kingdom this season yet the prime significance of this edition is the fact that this Malta appointment will be the 200th World Ranking Tournament organised by World Snooker since 1976. It is true that the rankings started in 1976 but the previous three years World Championships were used to work out the placing so the first list was based on results from the 1974, 1975 and 1976 World Championships.

When the world rankings were introduced Ray Reardon, who dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade was the first number 1, retaining that position until 1980/81.

For a few years the World Championship was the only ranking held but from 1982 the number of tournaments began to increase and in 1989 the first ranking outside the United Kingdom was held. This was won by John Parrott who incidentally was also the winner of the first ranking held in Malta in 1996.

The past 199 rankings held over a period of 33 years produced 41 different winners with three players in particular leaving their mark on each of the past three decades. These were Ray Reardon who dominated the 70’s, Steve Davis who was magic in the 80’s with Stephen Hendry who was amazing in the 90’s.

As years went by snooker gained further recognition both with increasing number of followers and most significantly also with important sponsorships.

Undoubtedly a determining factor in the promotion of the sport was television and more effectively colour television. In fact from 1978 the BBC started providing major television coverage to the sport which over the years contributed to make snooker internationally followed and played.

As the game progressed the number of high-quality players increased which brought about more tough competition making the game more spectacular and rewarding. In the first ranking taken into account, the Worlds Championship of 1974 had a total prize-fund was £10,000 with the winner getting £2,000. In 2006 the ‘Worlds’ had a total Prize Fund of £896,240 with £200,000 going to the winner and £100,000 for the runner-up. A further £147,000 was on offer for a 147(TV) break.

The Malta Cup line-up of participants is made up of the world’s top sixteen and 16 other qualifiers. Sixteen of those on this Malta appointment are on the elite list of forty-one past rankings winners, who between them cherish 152 title victories.

At the top of this famous representation is snooker’s supreme star of the past 199 rankings, Stephen Hendry winner of the first edition (2005) of the Malta Cup. Also present will be defending holder Ken Doherty.