SNOOKER fans in Basingstoke are in for a real treat next month when four of the best players in the world play at The Anvil as part of the Betfred.com Premier League Snooker tournament.

The star quartet of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Paul Hunter and Steve Davis are set to entertain a packed arena on Thursday, February 24, with their potting prowess.

The evening, which gets under way at 7pm, will be made up of two six-frame matches.

It is the first time since 1998 that the town has played host to masters of the green baize. That event also took place at The Anvil when Jimmy White took on Dennis Taylor in an exhibition match.

This time, the big matches will be for serious money as every frame won is worth £1,000 to the winner. The cash pot will be doubled if a century break is made.

Premier League Snooker has been running for 18 years, with seven top names playing each other in a total of 21 matches. The winner of each match gets two points for a victory and one for a draw.

The top four players then go on to the semi-final stage of the competition, which takes place in early May. All the matches - including The Anvil contest - are being screened live on Sky Sports One.

The first match, in what should be a feast of snooker magic, will see current world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan take on world number four Paul Hunter.

Fellow Englishman Hunter met O'Sullivan in the final of the Masters at Wembley last February and produced a great comeback to take the title 10-9 after trailing 7-2, so expect a close contest once again.

The other game in the double bill of top action will see a clash between two players who, between them, have won the world crown 13 times. They are current world number three Stephen Hendry and the legendary Steve Davis.

Scotsman Hendry is the current holder of the Premier League Snooker title - he beat John Higgins last March - so he will be particularly keen to retain the crown.

Ken Upperton, who is promoting the Basingstoke event, said: "I have run snooker events at The Anvil before. It is a great venue and the atmosphere is amazing.

"I can see no reason why this one will be any different as there are four of the top players in the game on show."

Tickets for the night are selling fast and are available from The Anvil, priced £15 and £17.

The Gazette, which is supporting the Basingstoke snooker showdown, will be publishing a pre-match special on the event in The Monday Gazette of February 21.

And in the coming weeks, we'll also be revealing how readers can get in the running for some fantastic prizes which every snooker fan will want to win.