Snooker’s World Championship now set to start on July 31st

Snooker’s World Championship has been rescheduled to run from July 31st to August 16th, subject to UK government policy.

The Crucible in Sheffield seats just under 1,000 but the event could be played with a reduced crowd, behind closed doors or postponed again depending on the advice at the time.

World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn said: "The world is going through a very challenging period but live sport can be a massive inspiration for the public and can boost morale. This gives fans of top-class sport something on their calendar to look ahead to and enjoy for 17 days.

“It is crucial for our 128 tour players to know that we are doing everything we can to get our circuit going again as soon as it is considered safe to do so by the government.”