Following the omission of the tournament from the calendar on the recently re-launched World Snooker website, it has been confirmed by Dave Hendon of Snooker Scene in his blog that Pot Black will not take place this year.
It is a shame in some ways that the event last won by Ireland’s Ken Doherty has been discontinued after just three years. When Doherty won the event, despite it not being a major ranking event or a tournament run over a long distance, the victory clearly meant a lot to him. Given that many of the older players now will have grown up watching the event when they were youngsters it is easy to see why it would be such a thrill to have their names on the trophy now.
In addition the tournament was also a chance for the players to play in a relaxed environment and be able to express themselves a bit more. From the TV interviews that have been given during the event over the last few years it is clear that those taking part enjoyed themselves as I’m sure did those attending in the audience.
Hopefully the tournament can return once again in the future in some form or another.