talkSPORT will exclusively broadcast the draw for the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship live on Monday 16 April. The top snooker players in the world will find out live on air who they are due to face at the sport’s longest running and most famous tournament. The draw will take place at 1.30pm on the Hawksbee and Jacobs show, with reaction from World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn and last year’s finalist Judd Trump.

The World Championship dates back to 1927 and this year’s event runs from 21 April to 7 May at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, which has been the tournament venue since 1977. Millions of fans in over 100 countries around the world will watch the greatest snooker players battle for £1.1million prize money.

The field for this year’s tournament consists of the top 16 players in the world plus 16 qualifiers. Defending champion John Higgins will face contenders including Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui.

Moz Dee, Programme Director, talkSPORT said: “The World Snooker Championship is an iconic, long running sporting event and it’s fantastic that talkSPORT are able to be a part of this year’s tournament. It’s great news for our listeners that Barry Hearn has agreed to broadcast the draw live and testament to the station’s dedication to 24 hour sport content.”

Barry Hearn, World Snooker Chairman, said: “The draw is the most exciting moment in the build-up to the Betfred.com World Championship as the top 16 find out which of the 16 qualifiers they will face in the first round at the Crucible. We’re delighted that talkSPORT are broadcasting the draw live for the first time and no doubt every fan who loves snooker will be tuning in to hear it unfold.”

Tickets for the Betfred.com World Championship are on sale - to book call 0844 6565 147 or visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk