Increase of Chinese on Tour

Tian Pengfei and Liu Song are excited about joining their Chinese colleagues on the World Snooker Tour next season.

The two qualifers from the Pontin's International Open Series will stand alongside Ding Junhui and world under-21 champion Liang Wenbo to make up a Chinese quartet on the professional circuit.

Ding has taken most of the headlines so far, winning the China Open in sensational style in Beijing last season then adding the UK Championship crown in December.

Countrymen Liu and Tian were busy battling it out on the PIOS and the duo filled two of the top eight places needed to gain promotion.

Liu actually finished top of the rankings with a total of 890 points. Most of that tally came from just three tournaments, including victories over Stephen Rowlings (6-1) and Paul Davison (6-3) in the finals of events three and six.

"I am very happy to finish number one which makes me very proud," says 22-year Liu, who spent two years on the Tour from 2003 to 2005 and became the first Chinese player ever to qualify for the final stages of a ranking event when he made the last 48 of the 2004 Welsh Open.

"I worked very hard on my game after being relegated from the Tour," added the cueman from Tianjing, who was runner-up to Neil Robertson in the 2003 World Under-21 Championship.

"I feel I am better prepared this time around and looking forward to the new season."

Tian was the only other player to win more than one PIOS event, beating Martin Gould in the season's opener followed by a win against Song.

The 18-year-old, who like many overseas players on the Tour has been based at the Snooker Academy in Rushden, said: "Ever since I was invited to England in 2002 with Ding to practice with Peter Ebdon it has been my goal to play on the Tour.

"Now, I have achieved this I am really looking forward to my first season as a professional and joining my fellow Chinese players."