WORLD snooker could make a sensational return to Bournemouth – after more than a decade away from the seaside.

The world’s top players look set to again grace the town’s baize after snooker chief Barry Hearn revealed he was considering bringing back the sport to the Bournemouth International Centre.

The Daily Echo reported last month that local MP Conor Burns had held talks with Hearn over the possibility of snooker heading back to the venue.

And Hearn has now confirmed that he is seriously looking at the prospect of using the BIC for a leading top-level tournament – with the exciting Snooker Shoot-Out a potential option.

The Shoot-Out, which this year saw players battling for a £130,000 prize fund, is a quick-fire tournament which sees competitors battling the clock – as well as opponents – in one-frame matches.

Hearn told the Daily Echo: “I think there is a good chance we could come back to Bournemouth.

“We are looking at something really quite big for next year and I think it will go down really well.

“I am thinking of something like the world Snooker Shoot-Out, the one-frame tournament.

“It is a bit more lively than just a normal snooker event because it is only a one-frame match and Bournemouth might be a really good venue for it.”

The town last hosted a major snooker event in 2000 when the UK Championship was held in Bournemouth.

That tournament graced the BIC for three consecutive years, with illustrious names John Higgins (twice) and Mark Williams both tasting success on the south coast.

Hearn, whose other sporting interests include football, boxing and darts, is a fan of the BIC and has already made it a regular fixture on the PDC darts Premier League circuit.

Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, said last month: “Barry is a good chum of mine. We have had lunch a few times.

“He knows the BIC really well. He didn’t promise he would bring an event, but he was positive and he thought the players would love it because Bournemouth is a lovely place.”