SNOOKER ace John Parrott once joked he would fly to the UK Championships in Preston to make believe he was jet-setting far and wide.

The Scouse star was referring to how close Preston is to his home town of Liverpool and implied it was so near he could walk to matches!

But this week the former world and UK champion spoke with a tinge of sadness about the news that the tournament will move to Bournemouth after this year - its last stay at the Guild Hall.

The 33-year-old talked of his fond memories of the town where he scooped the title in 1991. John said: "It was the first tournament I ever went to watch as a boy.

"I came to the Guild Hall with my dad when I was 14 and it started a love affair that's never gone away. To come here and win years later was a dream come true."

But John said it wasn't the end for Preston, despite sponsors Liverpool Victoria taking the championships to the seaside, as snooker's prestigious Grand Prix will move now up north.

He said: "Preston has been a hotbed for many a year. It would be a great shame if it was to lose out on the snooker calendar altogether, but that's not the case."

Bruce Beckett, of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, said: "Preston will still stage world class snooker. The Grand Prix, played in October, is moving to the Guild Hall next year."

M-VJohn took a break from practice when he visited Royal Preston Hospital to present a £600 table donated by E J Riley to the children's ward.

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