There will be an extra official tour for players next season. In addition to the main tour, on which there will be 128 players, there is the Challenge (secondary) Tour for 160 players and an Open Tour.

As the title suggests, the Open Tour is free for anyone to enter and the top eight at the end of 2001-02 who have not qualified via the other two tours will be part of the main tour for season 2002-03.

There will be six Open Tour events in all, but only the venue for the last - Pontin's at Prestatyn on May 18-25 - has so far been announced.

Next season's Main Tour will comprise the top 80 on the official 2001-02 world rankings, the next 16 highest-ranked from the one-year list, the top 16 from the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, six players from the Overseas/School of Excellence and ten concessionary places selected by the World Snooker Association board.

Provisionally, there will again be nine world ranking tournaments - the Embassy World Championship, the UK Championship, British Open, LG Cup, Regal Welsh, Regal Scottish, Thailand Masters, China Open and European Grand Prix.

As in the season just ended, there will again be four Challenge Tour tournaments, and that tour will comprise the 64 players relegated from the 2000-01 Tour, the players ranked 17 to 80 on the 2000-01 Challenge Tour Order of Merit, the 20 players whom have been compensated due to Order of Merit points being awarded to the Embassy World Cham-pionships and 12 concessionary places selected by the board.

l Dubliner Michael Judge, who prevented Jimmy White from playing in the final stages of this year's Embassy World Championship, has been unveiled as one of three new signings to the 110sport stable of stars.

Judge, beaten in the last 16 at the Crucible Theatre by new 110sport colleague Ken Doherty, helps swell the Scottish-based management stable to 22.

The Irish No 3, who climbed 18 places to number 28 in the world rankings last season, is joined by teenage Welshman Ryan Day and Wisbech's Joe Perry.

Day, brother of young Manchester City defender Rhys, Perry, the world No 17, and Judge officially join 110sport on Sunday, July 1.

Judge, a member of the Irish side that reached last season's Nation's Cup Final in Reading, said: "I've known for some time through Ken and Fergal O'Brien how well they look after players. I know joining them can only help my career."

110sport managing director Gerry Sinclair expects to announce more signings in the coming weeks.

The East Kilbride company are currently fighting a legal battle with the game's governing body World Snooker, and the two sides are due to meet in the High Court on Wednesday, June 13.