2002 WPA World Pool Championship

The 2002 WPA World Pool Championship (Men), promoted by Matchroom Sport, is being held at the Cardiff International Arena. The event will see 128 of the world's best players shoot it out for a slice of the $300,000 prize money. The winner gets $65,000 of it and the runner-up walks away with $30,000.

The tournament will get 63 hours of live coverage on Sky Sports in the UK, and will also be broadcast live in over 60 other countries around the world.

The tournament starts with the group stages on Saturday 13th July and finishes with the final on Sunday 21st July. The group stage consists of 16 groups of 8 players who play each other once in a race to 9 racks, alternate break, with the top four from each group making it into the knockout stage. The knockout stages are winner breaks.

Tickets for the final are available from the Cardiff Internationl Arena box office on 02920 224488, at £12 each. For all other sessions, tickets are free - email matchroom.com?subject=Tickets%20For%202002%20World%20Pool%20Championship">info@matchroom.com

Prior to the championship itself, there will be a week of qualifiers in Bristol, with 11 places in the championship itself up for grabs.

Leading the Welsh challenge will be 2000 World Snooker Champion Mark Williams, who will be looking to improve this time out after failing to progress past the group stages last year. Rob McKenna, Cardiff's 8-Ball king is impressing more and more at 9-ball and with a big home town crowd behind him, will be favoured to reach the knock-out stages. Finally, Penarth-based Dominic Dale, the self-styled 'Spaceman', has gone out on a limb and vowed to win this year's championship after having a terrible time at the World Snooker Championship in April.

In addition, all the big names of world Pool will be at the CIA including defending champion Mika Immonen, Snooker legends Steve Davis and Jimmy White, previous winner's Efren Reyes and Fong Pang Chao, as well as American stars like Earl Strickland and Johnny Archer.

Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn, " Since 1999 this event has been a resounding success in Cardiff. We always endeavour to bring the very best players in from all four corners of the globe and in return we get fantastic support from the people of South Wales. This year we will be repeating the Pool Village where punters can get the chance to play themselves, often against the stars of the show and there will be a host of other attractions to keep people entertained throughout the day. Plus, it's all free!".

Picture: © Matchroom Sport - The 2001 winner Mika Immonen