A record number of visitors attended the World Championship Snooker at The Crucible in Sheffield this year.
The title, which was claimed by Austrailia's Neil Robertson in a drawn out 18-13 win over Scotland's Graeme Dott on Monday night, drew massive numbers of snooker fans across the country to Sheffield, not just to visit the Crucible, but also to watch the action across the city and on the big screens outside the venue.
Former Champion Steve Davis also praised the merits of hosting the tournament in Sheffield this week, outlining that the Crucible was fundamental to the continued popularity of the sport:
"The Crucible is like Wimbledon, it's the dream. It's the holy grail of snooker."
He also went on to add: "It's taken years to build up the tournament's reputation here. If you're a snooker player, the dream is to play here."
It was also announced over the weekend The Crucible has secured a contract to host the next five years of the Championship, bringing world class snooker to Sheffield until at least 2015.
