'Waterfront Hall is the perfect venue' - snooker fans from Wales and the Republic of Ireland descend on Belfast for the Northern Ireland Open final

The week-long tournament is set to finish tonight, with world champion Kyren Wilson taking on world number one Judd Trump in a mouth-watering closing clash.

Nearly 3,000 tickets have been sold across both sessions of the final, attracting fans from all over the UK and Ireland - with some special words of praise for the Belfast setting.

Before the first session, the News Letter spoke to Jonathan Richards, who travelled from south Wales for the showpiece decider.

"I'm just here for the snooker as I tend to follow the tour,” he explained.

"I've been to the German Masters, the Welsh Open, the English Open and wherever I can get tickets for really.

"It's my first time here and I love it already.

"The locals are so friendly it's unbelievable.

"I think it's going to be a tight one, but then again I fancy my chances with Judd Trump.”

The plaudits for the Waterfront Hall were echoed by Chris Kelly from Roscommon, who was excited to watch the two best players in the world in action.

He explained: "It's a brilliant venue to watch snooker and I've been here before.

"I'm delighted to come back and Kyren Wilson and Judd Trump are two of the best players in the world right now, so it's great to watch them today.

"It's the perfect venue. I've been to York for the UK Championship but the Waterfront Hall matches it for me.

"It's central, good for the crowd and a great atmosphere...so it's brilliant all around.

"I think Wilson will win today by a 9-7 scoreline.”

Patrick Tynan and his son, also Patrick, were visitors to the venue as part of a 60th birthday present.

"It's our first time up here for the snooker,” Patrick senior explained.

"I used to play a lot of snooker when I was younger and entered the Irish Championships at Goffs, where Alex Higgins and Dennis Taylor used to attend.

"It's great to be back at an event like this as I haven't been here for a while.

"In Kilkenny, we used to have four snooker halls but now we only have one, which is half-open.

"When I was playing there used to be a massive interest in snooker but it seems to be making a bit of a comeback now.

"I think Wilson might sneak it but it's a good final regardless.”

Son Patrick replied: "I will go the opposite to him...so Trump!”

WST chief marketing and communications officer Tom Rowell says the tournament is one of the most popular on the circuit.

He said: “It has been a fantastic week at the Waterfront Hall and as always the fans have flocked to see the biggest names in snooker. We have sold more tickets than 2023, in fact we had to release extra tickets for the final to meet demand.

“The consistent year-on-year growth shows that this event is becoming ever more popular for the people of Northern Ireland. So many of the top players have spoken about the electric atmosphere in the arena, and they also love the backstage facilities at the Waterfront and of course the city of Belfast. This tournament is clearly established as one of the most popular on our global circuit.”