Satisfying, spellbinding

Acknowledging success and excellent endeavour is only natural especially when the achievement is related to a special occasion where the build-up and preparation have been demanding and weary. Wilfred Sultana reviews the Malta Cup which was played earlier this month at the Hilton Portomaso.

Winning for 25-year-old Shaun Murphy was most significant as, after near misses earlier this season in Pot Black, the Grand Prix, the Northern Ireland Trophy and UK Championship, the Wiston Warrior finally got his hands on some silverware.

Another milestone for Murphy was when he joined Stephen Hendry in becoming the second player to win back-to-back tournaments in Malta.

"Very, very chuffed, to get my name up there with someone like his in the record stakes is very pleasing and hopefully it won't be the first record of his that I either break or equal."

For the record Hendry's back-to-back were the Rothmans Grand Prix and the European Open both staged in 2001 with Murphy winning the last two editions of the Malta Cup.

Satisfaction in a big event like the Malta Cup is not just a modestly proud moment enjoyed only by the tournament winner and his cluster of friends and fans.

The fulfilment from such a fascinating occasion is experienced by a broad spectrum of people at different levels of the organisation set-up and others, whose association with the event may vary from an arena ticket usher to the players' hotel staff.

One major factor of the event's success story is the exposure attained through the priceless broadcast by Eurosport.

Forty-two hours of total air-time spread over eight days of which 36.75 hours were live transmission. These were transmitted in 59 countries, in 20 languages, to over 108 million homes across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The Malta Cup has proved to be a valuable experience which goes beyond the sport concept of the event itself. A milestone in the sport-tourism sector which truly enough was endorsed by the support of a sponsorship pool which included the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta, Hilton Malta, Allevents Malta and GO Mobile.

Such a potential opportunity ought to be analysed carefully, eventually with the drawing up of a marketing plan to carry out an aggressive drive to encourage more foreign spectators at the event, not only from the UK, but from countries like Germany, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and even northern Italy where interest in snooker, thanks to Eurosport strategy, is increasing.

Such an initiative is bound to have an ample spill-off effect for the benefit of the tourism industry in general.

Kevin Dean, Managing Director of Fraser Eagle, said:

"Eurosport broadcasts have undoubtedly raised high the name of Malta not merely as a tourist destination but effectively it portrayed a sense of competence and personality so significant in the conference and special events business. Our introduction to snooker as Official Travel Partners to the Malta Cup was a positive experience and has definitely bolstered our name in the sports arena on a wider spectrum."

Commitment

Moreover, "Fraser Eagle and Allevents are keen to strengthen their commitment in this event. We look forward to be part of the winning team striving to lift up the prestige of the Malta Cup to feature among the most sought after tournaments world-wide."

Satisfaction was also in the air among the players and their managers.

John Carroll, a Director of 110 Sport Management Ltd, a firm involved in the management of players and events in snooker, golf, football, rugby, cycling, boxing, horse racing and skiing said:

"Our company was represented at the Malta Cup by Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Marco Fu, Ken Doherty, Stephen Maguire and Joe Perry. We have been taking part in Snooker Promotions events from the beginning.

"The players like to travel to Malta. They feel they are well looked after here and the events are run to a high standard."

On the same wavelength was Murphy who, at the Champion's Cocktail reception hosted by 'Allevents by Fraser Eagle' at the end of the tournament, revealed the reason for his success here over the last two seasons.

"We always get really good support here," he said.

"The Maltese are always respectful of people who are good at what they do and I think if we're respectful to them they always treat us very well. As long as we're invited we'll keep coming back."

And so the curtain falls on yet another successful Snooker Promotions event sanctioned by World Snooker.

Today, Malta enjoys the respect of the international body of professional snooker which one trusts will further enhance the prospects of a fifth edition of the Malta Cup, next year.