World Snooker Championship

April brings us professional snooker’s most prestigious tournament, the 2025 Cazoo World Championship, which brings together the 32 most talented to compete in a knockout-style tournament from 19 April to 5 May. Most of the matches will be available to view on the BBC.

The event has taken place in the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977, a venue which carries a special place in the sport’s history. However, as this intimate venue has a capacity of just 980 seats, there is endless speculation that the championship could soon be moved to China or Saudi Arabia to cater for a much bigger audience and help develop emerging markets.

2024 final

Twelve months ago, Kyren Wilson faced qualifier Jak Jones in the final, Wilson competing in his third major final after finishing runner-up in both the 2018 Masters (to Mark Allen) and the 2020 World Championship (to Ronnie O’Sullivan). Those experiences held him in good stead as he rushed to an early 7-0 lead, the enormity of the occasion seeming to affect Welshman Jones in what was his first major final. Despite a spirited comeback from his opponent, Wilson went on to become world champion – winning 18-14.

The 2025 contenders

Ronnie O’Sullivan: The ‘Rocket’ is undoubtedly the people’s favourite and already has seven world titles – a feat which is matched only by Stephen Hendry. Ronnie secured his magnificent seventh title in 2022, at 46 becoming the oldest ever world champion. In 2024 there were no signs of letting up, having won the Masters in January and the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in March. However, this season has been far from plain sailing and he pulled out of the Masters after a double blow of suffering from exhaustion and eventually snapping his cue in frustration. They say that form is temporary and class is permanent, so don’t rule out the ‘great eight’!

Judd Trump: The current world ranked number 1 will go into the tournament as the bookies’ favourite to lift the trophy that he won in 2019. The Ace in the Pack also finished runner-up in 2011 and 2022. For Trump, 2024 was another successful year, with several final appearances and victories at the German Masters, World Open, Saudi Arabia Masters and UK Championship, so definitely the one to beat.

Mark Selby: The Jester from Leicester is regarded as one of the most talented players ever to pick up a cue and has an excellent World Championship pedigree. Selby won his first world title in 2014, following it up in 2016, 2017 and 2021 whilst finishing runner-up in 2007 and 2023. The current world number 4 won the British Open in 2024 and started 2025 in good form, winning the Welsh Open.

Kyren Wilson: The defending champion from 2024 backed up his first major trophy victory by winning the Xi’an Grand Prix in China and the Northern Ireland Open. The Warrior’s solid form has continued into this season, having won the German Masters for the second time – beating Barry Hawkins 10-9 in a tense final. 

Shaun Murphy: In January, 42-year-old Murphy rolled back the years to beat Kyren Wilson 10 -7 in the Masters final, after hitting a maximum break in his semi-final. This was The Magician’s second Masters title – 10 years after winning his first. Has the 2005 world champion got one more trick up his sleeve?

Saudi snooker

Since 2021, over £6 billion has been invested in bringing a variety of sports to the desert kingdom, including football, boxing, MMA and golf. It is therefore no surprise that the Saudi Snooker and Billiard Federation (founded in 1991) launched the first Saudi Masters in August 2024. With a generous total prize fund of £2.3 million (second only to the World Championship), it encouraged the elite players to make the trip, including eventual winner Judd Trump. 

In December, Mark Allen won the second Riyadh Snooker Championship, which featured the unique but somewhat controversial ‘Golden Ball’. This additional ball, also called the ‘Riyadh Season ball’, is worth 20 points. It is placed on the centre of the baulk cushion at the start of each frame. It can only be potted after a player has completed a maximum break of 147, to extend the break to 167. A cool $1 million (£770,000) is on offer for the first player to hit a 167!

Sports Bites

Golf

Sport’s most spectacular sign that spring has well and truly arrived is the Masters at Augusta National, Georgia, USA. Players will head up Magnolia Lane to the idyllic course flooded with azaleas from 7 to 13 April. World number one Scottie Scheffler returns to defend his title, and has the additional responsibility of choosing the menu for the Champions Dinner – which means that former champion Angel Cabrera, who has recently returned from a stint in jail, will be tucking into cheeseburger sliders, firecracker shrimp and tortilla soup. Can Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy finally win the only major title that has eluded him?

Horse racing

Following on nicely from the Cheltenham Festival, saddle up for the 2025 Randox Grand National on Saturday 5 April at 4pm, free to view live on ITV. Last year saw ‘I Am Maximus’, the 7/1 joint favourite, romp home for top trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend. If you see yourself as ‘Mr Incredible‘, the ‘Kandoo Kid’ or even a ‘Fantastic Lady‘ – all entries for the big race – then just remember that picking the winner at Aintree is traditionally a ‘Bravemansgame’. 

The Great Debate: Should big events be free to view on TV?

In the UK, the biggest sporting occasions – including the Olympics, Wimbledon, and the FA Cup Final – must be shown free to view on TV. But other major events are not protected in this way. The recent announcement that media giant Warner Brothers Discovery is replacing the Eurosport channel with TNT Sports means that to watch cycling’s Tour de France, viewers will have to take out a monthly subscription.

YES, SHOW THEM FREE

• Without free to view coverage, participation plummets. When the TV rights to cricket test matches in England and Wales were sold to Sky in 2005, viewing figures for the Ashes series dropped from 8.4 million to 950,000 – resulting in a 35 per cent drop in the number of people playing cricket.

• Sport is a core part of public service media content on TV, so it’s important that whether it’s watching a British rider win the Tour de France or watching England compete in a major sporting final, the experience brings people together and offers a sense of community.

• The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) believes that free to air coverage encourages audience and participation at grassroots level. This can lead to health benefits for the individual, which in turn can reduce national healthcare costs.

NO, IT’S OK TO PAY 

• The extra financial support provides each sport, and the country, with invaluable revenue for its development. The launch of football’s Premier League in 1992, and most importantly the investment from Sky, has been an enormous success and it is now the envy of world football. 

• With the extra finances, clubs or sporting organisations have been able to grow their product, upgrade or build new stadiums, and launch new events – or, as in football, sign some of the best players in the world.

• In a world that we know seems to crave everything on demand, is there not too much live sport on TV already? Watching it all from the comfort of your own home discourages special trips to the stadium with family, or even just popping to the pub to watch with friends. We all need things to look forward to and social interactions that are good for our mental health.