Snooker chiefs hold top-secret talks over changing red, green and brown balls to gold, purple and orange
SNOOKER chiefs are ready to make radical changes to the sport — to help colour-blind fans.
Top-secret talks have taken place over replacing the red, green and brown balls to make them more eye-catching and easier to see.
It comes after World Snooker Tour bosses commissioned extensive medical research from vision experts on how to combat colour blindness.
The reds will now become GOLD, the green ball will be PURPLE and the brown a fluorescent ORANGE.
Discussions are also ongoing over switching the colour of the table’s baize from green to MAGNOLIA.
A WST spokesperson confirmed: “We wanted to help our fans who suffer from red-green colour blindness.
“The colour of the balls hasn’t changed since the sport was invented in 1875 in India by British Army officer Neville Chamberlain.
“But I’m sure he’d agree any changes that benefit fans are for the best.
“We hope the changes will also open the door for a new army of supporters and keep snooker current in an ever-changing 21st century.”
SunSport understands snooker bigwigs dismissed suggestions to swap the reds for crimson and white STRIPED balls as used in American pool because “that would be a step too far”.
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If the changes are voted in at a special WPBSA meeting today, they will come into force for the first time in the World Championship at the Crucible, which starts later this month.
Northern Ireland star Mark Allen, who has won 11 ranking titles, including the 2022 UK Championship, is partially colour blind.
While three-time world champion Mark Williams, 50, revealed earlier this month that his eyesight is failing, admitting he “couldn’t even see the scoreboard at the end of the table”.
Snooker ball colours have always been a topic of discussion ever since the late, great BBC commentator Ted Lowe stunned TV viewers by saying: “For those of you watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green.”
Renowned British ophthalmic optician Dr Pat Firrils gave the green light to WST’s new ball-colour recommendations and changes.
He revealed: “In tests with club players, gold, purple and orange proved to be the best colours.
“We also experimented with spotted and striped balls but we wanted to protect the integrity of Mr Chamberlain’s original game.”
It is not the first colour switch in the game — in 2005 the legendary player Jimmy White temporarily changed his name by deed poll to Jimmy BROWN after a sponsorship deal with HP Sauce.