'I launched Snooker's version of the Ryder Cup – one fatal flaw led to its downfall'
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Snooker mastermind Barry Hearn has lifted the lid on why the sport's equivalent of the Ryder Cup fell to pieces. The father of the UK snooker scene had an idea back in 2017 to pit the best of Britain and China against one another in a team format. Like golf's iconic quadrennial clash between Europe and the United States, the hope was that the tournament would attract enough interest to warrant future editions.
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ding Junhui were the landmark names who led their respective five-man teams in the inter-continental contest. But the aptly named China vs UK Challenge (or CVB Snooker Challenge) didn't capture enough attention to justify future investment.
For Hearn - who is currently overseeing the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace - it wasn't the first (nor last) time one of his innovations would fail. But the Matchroom Sport chief has now explained the inner workings on why exactly he feels it fell flat.
**LOVE THE DARTS? **Get your ultimate World Darts Championship preview now. "It didn't really take off," Hearn told Mirror Sport when quizzed about his failed Ryder Cup-style plan. "This year, I think there are six major events in China, it's roughly a third of the prize money [in snooker] comes out of China. So there's a lot of attention in China, but that also means there's a lot of snooker.
"So to be different [is the key]. I think the World Cup will be coming back, which is an interesting event. We did that two times in Wuhan. But you've got to be careful about just creating something that looks more or less the same as something else. You need innovation.".
