THE 2021 World Snooker Championship final will begin this weekend capping what has been a strangely successful season for the sport.

The isolated nature of snooker as an individual rather than team game has seen it generally cope well through a difficult period, and it is now playing a key role in exploring ways to get fans and spectators back to events safely.

The continuation of professional snooker tournaments during the past year has often given them pride of place on TV, and the sport could emerge from this period stronger than it has been for some time.