Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Trophy was staged for the first time in 2005 as an invitation event, won by Matthew Stevens. The following year it became the first ranking tournament to be staged in Northern Ireland and was won by Ding Junhui. Northern Ireland is a hot-bed of snooker which has produced top players from Alex Higgins and Dennis Taylor to Joe Swail and Mark Allen, and the Waterfront Hall is considered one of the best venues on the circuit.