2009 Premier League fixtures and venues announced - 26/08/2009

MATCHROOM SPORT can announce the venues and fixtures for the 2009 PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker competition.

The event, which will be screened live on Sky Sports on Thursdays begins on September 3 and ends with the final on November 29.

Ronnie O'Sullivan after winning the Premier League in 2008

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is in action on the first night at the Penrith Leisure Centre in Cumbria where he meets Hong Kong's Marco Fu, with the other match being between Neil Robertson and Judd Trump, who won the Championship League to qualify.

The competition features seven of the greatest stars of the game contesting snooker’s most prestigious invitational event.

Now entering its record-breaking 24th season, Premier League Snooker is the world’s only major snooker tournament played to a league format.

There are two games on each night (apart from three at Llandudno on November 19) and each match is over six frames, with two points for a win and a point for a 3-all draw. Following the round robin section of play, the top four players move forward to the big money play-offs in November at the Potters Leisure Resort in Norfolk.

The field consists of seven of the very best players in the world and each player plays the others once over the best of six frames, making a total of 21 matches.

Six of the current top ten in the world rankings are taking part including world number one O'Sullivan, who has won the Premier League for the last five seasons, and current World Champion John Higgins.

Shaun Murphy, who Higgins beat in the Crucible final in April, returns to the event for the first time since 2005, while Hong Kong's Marco Fu is also back after a resurgence in form saw him move up to eighth in the rankings.

Seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry is also included, Australian Neil Robertson will be making his second appearance in the Premier League, while Trump qualified through the ultra-competitive Championship League earlier his year.

2009 PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker
(all events run from 7.30pm to 11pm apart from the one in Llandudno on November 19. This begins at 6pm and finishes at 11pm)

Week 1 - September 3 - Penrith Leisure Centre, Penrith, Cumbria
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 01768 863450
Neil Robertson v Judd Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Marco Fu

Week 2 - September 17 - Malvern Theatre, Great Malvern, Worcs
Tickets £19.50 (adults), £18.50 (concessions). Box office 01684 892277
Shaun Murphy v John Higgins, Stephen Hendry v Judd Trump

Week 3 - September 24 - Southampton Guildhall, Hampshire
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 02380 632601
Neil Robertson v Stephen Hendry, John Higgins v Marco Fu

Week 4 - October 1 - Charter Hall, Colchester, Essex
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 01206 282020
Judd Trump v Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Neil Robertson

Week 5 - October 15 - Aberdeen Exhibition Centre
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 0844 477 9000
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Shaun Murphy, John Higgins v Stephen Hendry

Week 6 - October 22 - Grimsby Auditorium, Lincolnshire
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 0844 847 2426
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stephen Hendry, Shaun Murphy v Marco Fu

Week 7 - October 29 - Preston Guild Hall, Lancashire
Tickets £15 (adults) £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 01772 258858
John Higgins v Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy v Stephen Hendry

Week 8 - November 5 - Riverside Leisure Centre, Exeter, Devon
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 01392 221771
Marco Fu v Neil Robertson, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Judd Trump

Week 9 - Nov 12 - Hutton Moor LC, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 01934 425900
John Higgins v Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy v Neil Robertson

Week 10 - November 19 - Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (concessions). Box office - 01492 872000
S Murphy v J Trump, M Fu v S Hendry, R O'Sullivan v J Higgins

Semi-finals Nov 28 Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton on Sea, Norfolk
Tickets £18. Box office - 01502 730345
1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd (order of matches may be changed)

Final - Nov 29 - Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton on Sea, Norfolk
Tickets £22. Box office - 01502 730345
Winner of semi-final 1 v winner of semi-final 2.