Sussex pair Robertson and Davis on alert as World Snooker Championship gets new date

Bexhill-based Jimmy Robertson and Mark Davis, from St Leonards, learned last week that the sport's blue riband event will now take place, subject to government policy, from July 31 until August 16 at The Crucible Theatre.

The competition, which has been played at the famous Sheffield venue for 43 consecutive years, was originally due to run from April 18 until May 4, but was postponed on March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

World Snooker Tour hopes to stage the event with a full crowd. If that is not possible, based on government advice at the time, the options of playing it with a reduced crowd or behind closed doors, or postponing it again will be considered.

The world's top 16 ranked players earn automatic places at The Crucible and they will be joined by the 16 who come through the qualifiers, the dates for which have yet to be confirmed.

Davis has negotiated the qualifiers more times than any other player. Last year was the world number 32's 10th successful trip to the qualifiers, having first made it to The Crucible back in 1994. The 47-year-old progressed to round two in 1995, 2010 and 2013, beating four-time champion John Higgins in the latter year.

Robertson has qualified on four occasions (2011, 2015, 2017 and 2018). The world number 24, who will celebrate his 34th birthday on Sunday (May 3), has yet to win a match at The Crucible, although his opponents have included three-time champions Mark Selby and Mark Williams.

Davis' career-best performance in a full ranking event came in reaching the 2018 English Open final (after defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals). He also notably reached the last four of the UK Championship in 2012.

Davis is a three-time winner of the Six-Red World Championship and clinched the World Seniors Championship in 2016. This season he reached round three of the UK Championship and Haining Open.

Robertson's career highlight to date was winning the European Masters in 2018, beating Joe Perry in the final. His best result this season was reaching the quarter-finals of the Gibraltar Open, just before the coronavirus shutdown.

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