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The Junior Pot Black winner starred with Knowles at The Crucible

Veteran Tony Knowles won the inaugural snooker 'Super 6s' tournament being trialled at the World Championship.

It is hoped the shorter format, which has the same number of colours as the regular game but just six reds, will boost the popularity of the sport.

In the one-frame contests between young stars and legends such as Dennis Taylor and Neal Foulds, Knowles beat Scottish 13-year-old Ross Muir in the final.

World Snooker is looking to emulate the success of Twenty20 in cricket.

It is the first time World Snooker has experimented with the six-reds game at The Crucible in Sheffield with none of the game's current elite players involved.

The sport has come under attack in recent years with players such as Ronnie O'Sullivan saying snooker was "dying" and demanding the governing body do more to attract new audiences and improve tournaments.

Two weeks ago, World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker hailed the appeal of Twenty20 saying: "It has brought in a whole new audience so what we have in mind we think would be appealing to a younger audience.

"As an observer of snooker you cannot churn out the same diet year after year."

With frames averaging six to seven minutes, Walker is looking to develop the format with further tournaments to be played involving five or 10 frames, rather than the one seen in Sheffield on Thursday.

Bolton's Knowles, who reached the World Championship semi-finals on three occasions and famously demolished defending champion Steve Davis 10-1 in 1982, beat Foulds to set up the final clash with Muir.

Muir, Junior Pot Black winner and Scottish Under-14 champion, defeated 15-year-old Welsh player Jak Jones in his semi-final.

The young star from Musselburgh, who has a top break of 142, lost the final 52-18 to Knowles and said: "It was very nerve-racking and playing in the Crucible was totally different to what I expected.

"It's every snooker player's dream to play here. There were some very good players in Junior Pot Black so I'm really happy to win. It was my first appearance on TV and I'm pleased with the way I played.

"This makes me want to practise harder and strive for more."

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