Snooker loopy

THE final of the big snooker tournament in York next month is already a sell-out.

And demand for tickets for other big matches is also so high that the Barbican Leisure Centre will be almost full to the rafters.

There is seating for 529 spectators at the UK Championship final on December 16 and all the tickets have gone.

"They went very quickly," said Barbican snooker event co-ordinator Leon Shouksmith. "The queue outside the Barbican when tickets for the tournament went on sale on Monday was huge. As well as telephone bookings from all over the country the interest from York people has been immense.

"There has never been an event as big as this in York before, lasting a fortnight, and it is creating a lot of excitement. This is the first time York people have had a major sports event like this in the city."

Tickets for the semi-finals starting on Friday, December 14, are also selling fast and there has been a big call for December 8 tickets when snooker big guns like world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, seven times world champion Stephen Hendry, people's favourite Jimmy White, and Leeds star Paul Hunter come into play. That is also the day when BBC television start live coverage of the tournament.

"People are buying tickets to see their favourite players, of course," added Shouksmith. "Day tickets have also been popular."

For match up to and including the quarter-finals there will be seating for 664 spectators in the arena, which will be split into two with a partition lowered between the two tables. When the partition is raised for the semi-finals, seating capacity drops to 529 to allow more space for the playing area.

If every ticket for every match is sold the total attendance for the whole tournament would be just over 21,100.

The championship starts on December 3. The ticket booking line at the Barbican is York (01904) 65668 from 10am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Saturday and 10am to 4pm Sunday.

Tickets vary in price, starting at £3.50, for each session and depending on the stage of the competition. Day tickets are also available.

27/10/01

Updated: 16:53 Thursday, November 01, 2001