A hurricane will be blowing into Killarney after Alex Higgins confirmed his entry for the inaugural Six Reds World Championship later this month.
Higgins, who won the 15 red world title in 1972 and 1982, is among an international field for the first World Championship staged under short form rules.
He joins fellow Crucible champions John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, Shaun Murphy and Ireland ’s Ken Doherty, who believes Higgins will add a bit of spice to the tournament.
Doherty said: “It’s great having Alex in the event. He’s a legend and still a big favourite with fans.
“The excitement level will certainly go up now he’s entered.
“Alex still plays and will be giving it his best. The crowds love him and I’m sure they’ll turn out to support him.”
Higgins, now 60, is one of snooker’s best known and most controversial stars. He earned the ‘hurricane’ nickname because of his fast, exciting style of play.
His life and career is the stuff of sporting legend and he remains a big draw on the exhibition circuit.
Among the other top players taking part are Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter and Mark Allen.
Six reds snooker is played using the same rules as the established game but with nine fewer reds. It has been described as snooker’s version of Twenty/20 cricket.
The World Championship runs at the INEC in Killarney from December 15 to 18. Entry is free for the first two days with tickets costing €10 on the final two days.
The 160 players from as far afield as Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates will be split into 32 groups of five for the round robin stage, played over the first two days, with the knockout phase getting underway on the 17th.