Robertson Starts Against Astley
Neil Robertson will start the defence of his Cazoo UK Championship title against John Astley at the tournament in York later this month.
The event runs from November 23 to December 5 at the York Barbican, with 128 players all needing to win seven matches to capture a title which was first contested in 1977.
The opening round from November 23 to 25 will be televised live by Eurosport, with the second round onwards screened globally by BBC, Eurosport, CCTV, Matchroom Live and a range of other broadcasters.
The tournament returns to York for the first time since 2019, having been staged behind closed doors in Milton Keynes in 2020.
Robertson beat Judd Trump 10-9 in a dramatic final last year to capture the trophy for the third time. He meets amateur Astley on Thursday November 25 at 2.30pm. Trump will be up against David Lilley on the same day at 7.30pm.
Crowd favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on two-time ranking event winner Michael White on Wednesday November 24 at 7.30pm. World Champion Mark Selby plays Ross Muir on the same day at 2.30pm.
Other top stars in the field include John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson, Ding Junhui, Mark Allen, legends Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry, top female players Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee, and many more.
The second round begins on Saturday November 27. All matches are best of 11 frames up until the final on Sunday December 5 which is best of 19.
The Cazoo UK Championship is one of snooker’s Triple Crown events, alongside the Cazoo Masters and the Betfred World Championship.