Huge crowds flooded in to attend a Green Carpet event outside the Crucible Theatre as Sheffield celebrated nearly half a century of hosting the Snooker World Championship.
Fans took full advantage of a fantastic opportunity to meet their heroes as 14 of the most talented snooker stars on the planet took the time to pose for photos and sign autographs for those in attendance, in a day which epitomised just how much the sport means to the Steel City.
It was the first Green Carpet event to take place since last month’s announcement that the Crucible would be remaining the home of snooker until at least 2045
It’s understood that £45m will be invested to improve the Crucible in the years to come, as part of ambitious plans to raise the venue’s overall size by 50 percent - taking the capacity to 1,500 by 2030.
Most of Snooker’s top ranked players posed for a group photo ahead of the prestigious annual tournament, while Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong also took time to play frames against fans on snooker tables in the Fanzone area, outside the Crucible after the group photo.
Here are some of the best photographs from the event as excitement continues to build for this year’s World Snooker Championship.
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1. Snooker stars pose for a group photo
14 of Snooker's top 16 ranked players posed for a photo before the start of this year's World Championship. Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan didn't attend the Green Carpet event. | AFP via Getty Images
2. Mark Selby takes selfie with a fan
Mark Selby was hugely popular with fans at Sheffield's Green Carpet event. | Errol Edwards
3. John Higgins signs a fan programme
Four-time world champion John Higgins took time to sign programmes for fans. He's chasing his first world title since 2011. | Errol Edwards
4. Mark Selby poses for a photo with a fan
Snooker star Mark Selby posed for selfies with a number of fans at the Green Carpet event in Sheffield | AFP via Getty Images