THE new snooker season will see a number of changes intended to boost all aspects of the game. It is the island’s top players who will be most affected, though, with a revamped Premier Division, the introduction of an individual league and a return to the Home Internationals.

After a five-year absence, Craig Shorto will manage a Guernsey team at the Home Internationals in Prestatyn consisting of his son, Adam, Adrian Holley, Glenn Le Prevost, Jez Rowe, John Skillet and Martyn Desperques from the 8-13 September.

The six players can expect to face tough opposition in pursuit of team and individual success against nine other teams from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Pontins and Jersey, as well as invited teams from Qatar and France. Chris Lowe will travel as referee.

Adam Shorto’s fixture against Andy Travis will ‘kick off’ the inaugural individual league that sees 10 of the island’s top players battle each other for what will be a coveted title.

Playing each other home and away, the matches will be of five frames duration as they compete for the top four places in the league to qualify for semi-final spots towards a nine-frame final.

In the team league, the Image Group Premier Division has been reduced to six sides playing each other four times, with an added rule that a team’s top-four ranked player will only ever play each of an opposing team’s top-four ranked player once.

The new format will not only give a fairer reflection on the aggregates at the end of the season, but will, along with the individual league, also provide a meaningful tool towards island team selection.

Gremlin Galacticos will again be the team to catch as they field an unchanged side in defence of the title they won by 10 points last season, while their main rivals will call on different personnel.

Runners-up Ex-Service Chirpers have picked up Dave Bullock from Ex-Service Reds having seen Graham Peel return to Stan Lester’s team, who this season will play under the guise of La Villette Gremlins.

The remaining three teams will battle to avoid the one relegation spot that accompanies bottom place.

North Legionnaires and Sporting Lions will field the same teams as last season, while Jim Wilson’s Ex-Service Reds have two new players to replace Bullock and the travelling Brett Gallienne, who will surely be missed having picked up a third of their frames in finishing fourth.

In comes Shaun Goddard from relegated Sarnian Sharks and the talented Roscoe Cloarec from West Legion, who claimed back-to-back highest-break awards in the lower divisions.