Right on cue

Snooker has been one of sport's more traditional games, which is perhaps why it's taken the cue from another traditional sport to reinvent itself. Impressed by the success of cricket's Twenty20 format, World Snooker chairman Rodney Walker is adapting the principles to draw new fans to the green baize tables. Outlining his plans in the Guardian he said the new format - tentatively dubbed 'Super6s' - would feature balls of only six colours (as opposed to eight), with games intended to last an average of six or seven minutes.

The game is due to be trialled at this month's World Championships in Sheffield with a ‘Legends v Rising Stars’ tournament.

"As an observer of snooker you cannot churn out the same diet year after year,” Walker said. “Look at what Twenty20 has done for cricket. It has brought in a whole new audience so what we have in mind we think would be appealing to a younger audience.”