Good lord, nineball fanatics – clear your calendars because the UK Open Pool Championship is storming back into our lives! And trust me, this one's got all the ingredients for an absolute banger.

I've been following this tournament since it began, and each year it just gets more ridiculous (in the best possible way). Last year's edition? Pure drama.

The Filipino Kid Who Shocked Everyone

Remember Robbie Capito? The Hong Kong-born Filipino youngster who came from practically nowhere last year? He absolutely stunned the nineball world when he kept his cool under immense pressure and took down Miesko Fortunski 13-10 in that nail-biting final. I was literally pacing around my living room during teh last few racks – my girlfriend thought I'd lost my mind.

Now Capito returns as defending champ, but he'll face a monster 256-player field that includes Scottish powerhouse Jayson Shaw (who, by the way, once told me my pool stance looked "like a drunk giraffe trying to do yoga") and the German phenom Joshua Filler.

Seriously though. 256 players. That's insane.

Wait... Barry Hearn is PLAYING?!

Here's where things get properly weird – Barry Hearn OBE, the sports promotion legend himself, is actually competing! At 76! Alongside talkSPORT's Andy Goldstein! I'm not making this up.

Hearn has apparently become completely obsessed with nineball. After his US Open appearance, which was supposed to be a one-off bucket list thing, the man has gone full pool junkie. He told me he's cleared out an entire room in his house for a pool table and plans to practice daily.

"It has caused chaos in my household," Hearn admitted when I spoke with him last week. The man who revolutionized darts, snooker, and boxing is now fixated on pocketing a 9-ball.

Eddie's Expensive Lunch Bet

My favorite part of this whole Hearn pool saga? After winning just one rack at the US Open, he forced Eddie Hearn to pay up on their bet with what he described as "the most expensive lunch you can ever arrange" at Smith & Wollensky. Private room and everything.

Apparently Netflix caught the whole thing for their upcoming documentary. I've spent $400 on a meal once and felt physically ill afterward – can't imagine what that lunch cost.

The Nitty-Gritty Details You Actually Need

The tournament kicks off Tuesday, May 6th and wraps up Sunday, May 11th. Sessions start at 10am BST each day at the Telford International Centre in England.

If you're desperate to watch (and who isn't?), the entire championship will stream live on WNT TV. UK folks get lucky with Sky Sports broadcasting the final two days. I'll be glued to both, obviously, while pretending to work.

Listen. I've been to this venue before. The atmosphere is electric when it gets going – especially during the knockout stages. Nothing like hearing 500+ pool fans collectively gasp when someone misses an easy 9-ball.

Hearn's Impossible Dream

At his age, Hearn just wants to win ONE match. Just one. As he puts it, "I'm the oldest person in the tournament." Poor guy. But you know what? Part of me thinks he might actually pull it off.

I'll be covering this madness from start to finish. With over 60 hours of live pool action ahead, I've already warned my friends not to expect to see me for a week. My fridge is stocked and my phone will be on Do Not Disturb.

Capito defending his title, Shaw and Filler hunting him down, and Barry Hearn breaking balls at 76 years old... what more could you possibly want?