Snooker / Paul Krishnamurty / 29 November 2011 /

Paul Krishnamurty looks at the in-form men going into the UK Championships, which get under way in York on December 3...

Armchair snooker fans can at last rejoice, at the return of snooker to terrestrial TV next week with the UK Championship.

Unlike recent seasons, when the game seemed in terminal decline, the world's best have been anything but quiet in the six months since most punters last saw them at the World Championship.

Barry Hearn's snooker revolution has well and truly gathered pace and where once players went months between tournaments, this year they've hardly had time for a breather. In addition to two ranking events and another couple of overseas invitationals, we've already had nine PTC events, (the tenth is ongoing at the time of writing).

Not only is this great news for players and fans, it means punters can go into the sport's second biggest event armed with a substantial formbook. Here's six men who on this season's evidence, should go well.

Ronnie O'Sullivan [7.4]
Many will be surprised to see the 'People's Champion' precariously placed at 11th in the provisional world rankings, meaning he cannot afford any slips now they are updated throughout the season. If recent evidence is any guide though, the Rocket has knuckled down to the task in hand, and heads to York as a worthy favourite. Already this season, he's won two PTC events, lost in another final and set a new record with his 11th official maximum break. Last week, Ronnie landed his tenth Premier League title in resounding fashion, beating Ding Junhui 7-1.

Judd Trump [13.5]
Second to Ronnie on the PTC-orientated Order of Merit, Trump is well on course to fulfil the enormous expectations generated by his thrilling run to the World Championship final. Judd has won two PTCs, been runner-up in another and was a semi-finalist in the Premier League. As nobody finished the 2010-11 season stronger than Trump, there's a plausible argument that he is already snooker's man to beat, and odds of [13.5] for York are not to be sniffed at.

Neil Robertson [10.0]
There's very little to choose between any of the top-three on the Order of Merit, as Robertson has also won two PTCs. The 2010 World Champion is another serious candidate for top-dog status these days, and with the possible exception of John Higgins, has proved the most reliable in latter stages of events.

Mark Selby [7.8]
Of course, the fact that Ronnie, Trump and Robertson have dominated the PTCs doesn't necessarily mean they'll transfer that form to this prestigious event, which is played over longer matches with an interval. As provisional world number one, with a great record in long matches, Mark Selby has watertight credentials of his own. He's already won three times in different formats this season - at PTC4, the invitational Wuxi Classic and most significantly, the Shanghai Masters ranking event.

Graeme Dott [42.0]
This former world champion has had his share of ups and downs since that career highlight in 2006, but on this season's evidence is definitely back on the right track. Dott is seventh on the Order of Merit after reaching the semis of three PTCs, and also reached the final of the invitational Brazil Masters. He could be under-estimated for York at around [50.0].

Tom Ford [160.0]
The most interesting outsider at York could be Tom Ford, who has been extremely impressive in qualifying rounds over the past month. Ford whitewashed the capable Xiao Guodong 6-0 to reach the televised stages here, and repeated the trick last week, thrashing Anthony Hamilton 5-0 to qualify for the forthcoming German Masters. Robertson should take nothing for granted in their first round match.

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