Williamhill.com have been announced by World Snooker as the new title sponsor of the 2011 UK Championship.
Watch and bet on live snooker at William Hill > Snooker
Europe’s leading online betting firm, who offer the widest range of sports betting and gaming products in the market, will support the televised nine-day snooker extravaganza.
Snooker’s second biggest ranking event and a firm fixture on the sporting calendar since 1977, the williamhill.com UK Championship starts this Saturday at the Barbican in York and runs until the following Sunday, 11th of December.
This year’s williamhill.com UK Championship will feature 32 of the best players in the World – including the reigning world champion and defending UK champion John Higgins. the current world number one Mark Selby, and the recent Premier League winner Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Other former world champions who’ll be playing in York include Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, Graeme Dott, and Shaun Murphy
Kristof Fahy, Chief Marketing Officer at William Hill said “The UK Championship is one of the crown jewels in the world of snooker and we’re delighted to put our name to such a prestigious event.”
“William Hill is a worldwide brand and our sponsorship of the UK Championship gives us the opportunity to promote our online and mobile betting products to a global audience.”
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said "We're delighted to welcome William Hill as the new title sponsor of the UK Championship. Having worked with their team at the Grand Slam of Darts I know they are a fantastic company, so it's fitting that they're sponsoring one of snooker's biggest tournaments.
"The UK Championship is one of the highlights of the snooker calendar and receives outstanding exposure through coverage on BBC and across the world, providing exceptional brand exposure for the sponsor to hundreds of millions of fans globally.”
"It promises to be a superb tournament with 32 of the best players in the world gunning for the title."
Coverage of the williamhill.com UK Championship on BBC starts at 1pm this Saturday, 3rd December. Tickets for the event are on sale now - for details call 0844 854 2757 or visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
Latest tournament odds
williamhill.com UK Championship:
6/1 Ronnie O'Sullivan
13/2 Mark Selby
8/1 John Higgins
8/1 Mark Williams
9/1 Ding Junhui
9/1 Neil Robertson
12/1 Shaun Murphy
12/1 Judd Trump
16/1 Mark Allen
25/1 Allister Carter
35/1 Graeme Dott
35/1 Stuart Bingham
40/1 Stephen Maguire
40/1 Matthew Stevens
50/1 Ryan Day
50/1 Marco Fu
50/1 Martin Gould
66/1 Stephen Hendry
66/1 Stephen Lee
80/1 Ricky Walden
100/1 Robert Milkins
100/1 Mark Davis
100/1 Marcus Campbell
100/1 Dominic Dale
125/1 Tom Ford
125/1 Matthew Selt
125/1 Rory McLeod
125/1 Peter Lines
150/1 Li Yan
150/1 Steve Davis
200/1 Adrian Gunnell
200/1 Joe Jogia
--- 1/2 Odds Place 1,2