The 2007/2008 Main Tour programme sanctioned by World Snooker set off last June with the qualifying rounds of the Roewe Shanghai Masters.

Over the past seven months no fewer than six of the ten events making up the current Main Tour have been decided. Six titles producing six different winners where surprises were part of the exciting scenario which produced new title holders and confirmed traditional winners.

The first tournament on the Main Tour was the World Snooker Roewe Shanghai Masters held in China between 6 and 12 August. This turned out to be a surprise victory for a winner originally quoted as a 100-1 outsider. Winning the second ranking title of his career Dominic Dale leapt into the Top 16 of the provisional ranking. In the Final Dale beat fellow Welshman Ryan Day 10-6.

The Pot Black Cup is a particular event on the Main Tour programme as it features single frame matches between eight of the world’s top professional snooker players in what is described as ‘a light-hearted atmosphere? Before getting the better of Shaun Murphy in the final played on 6 October the Irish snooker celebrity Ken Doherty eliminated John Higgins and Graeme Dott.

The third event on the current Main Tour was the New Royal London Watches Grand Prix played at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in Scotland between 13th and 21 October. The jet-setting Manchester United fan Marc Fu look upon this victory with great satisfaction as there were times when the Hong Kong cueman feared he would never capture a ranking title. In the final Fu beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-6.

The Waterfront Hall in the city of Belfast hosted the last edition of the Northern Ireland Trophy staged between the 4 and 11 November which saw Scotland’s Stephen Maguire beat in the final Fergal O’Brien 9-5.

This victory meant the third ranking title to the Scotsman who won his other two honours in 2004, namely the European Open in Malta and the UK Championship. The Belfast success also meant a move then for the Glaswegian up the ranks to third place.

The fifth Main Tour event was the Maplin UK Championship held between 8 and 16 December at the Telford International Centre in Shropshire. This was definitely one of Ronnie O’Sullivan great moments where he not only felt, but acted big. An impressive 10-2 win over Stephen Maguire in the final pulling off his first title in 33 months. The Rocket, who also made a 147 in the deciding frame against Mark Selby in the semi, assumed pole position in the latest world rankings following this success.

The renowned Wembley Arena in London hosted the SAGA Insurance Masters between 13 and 20 of this month which turned out in a moment of pride to 24-year-old Mark Selby who clinched his first major title. Beating Stephen Lee 10-3 in the final with a superb display where he won the last eight frames, making four centuries and equaling the tournament’s highest break of 141. On his way to the final Mark faced Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire and Ken Doherty all of whom he beat by a 6-5 margin.

Now all snooker eyes focus on our Island for the seventh appointment on the World Snooker Main Tour calendar and the fourth in the series of the Malta Cup.

A whole week of exciting snooker hosted at the Hilton Conference Centre in Portomaso between 4 and 10 February where five of the six winners of the current Main Tour tournaments will be among the 20 participants. It is to be said that this year’s event is not a ranking tournament, but spectators will be able to watch all the players playing at least four games as this event will see the qualifying round being played on a round-robin basis.

With over 30 hours of Eurosport LIVE transmission envisaged to be transmitted, the Malta Cup is bound to be not only a splendid manifestation of snooker but a superb branding exercise for Malta.

Following the Malta appointment the World Snooker Main Tour continues with the Welsh Open at the Newport Centre in South Wales between 11 and 17 of February, the China Open at the Beijing Students University Stadium between 24 and 30 March, and finally the grand finale of the Tour being the 888.com World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield between 19 April and 5 May.

The Malta Cup, organised by Snooker Promotions and sanctioned by World Snooker, is sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta, the Hilton Malta and Allevents Malta, which forms part of the UK based Fraser Eagle Group.