Also in the line-up are Philippines pool legend Francisco Bustamante, World Pool League veteran Steve Davis (England), and current European 9-ball champion, Germany’s Thomas Engert.

The final spot was awarded to Holland’s Niels Feijen following some solid performances throughout the year, culminating in a third-place finish at the recent US Open 9-Ball Championship.

Matchroom Sport will be making 18 x o­ne hour programmes of the League, and even though there is no Polish TV coverage, the success of the event in Warsaw over the years means that it was a natural choice to stage the event.

The format is simple, with each contender playing the others o­nce, with two points for a win and o­ne for a 5 – 5 draw. At the end of the league section, the top four players will contest the race-to-8-racks semifinals, and that will be followed by the final.

Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn, “We have changed the prize money structure this year with more of the fifty-thousand dollar prize fund going to the winner and less to the players who come at the bottom of the league.

“We are all looking forward to coming to Warsaw o­nce again. The crowds we generate at this event are quite superb, and I know the players enjoy playing in such a wonderful atmosphere.

“There are a couple of new players this year, and I am sure that Alex Pagulayan will make a tremendous impact in the tournament.

“Anyone of the six players can win this event, and the Matchroom team are o­nce again very excited at the prospect of coming over to Warsaw. "

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