Darryl Hill is heading off to Bulgaria this weekend to compete in the European Men’s Snooker Championship as he targets a place on the pro tour.

The tournament runs from Saturday until February 17 and takes place in Sofia where 135 of Europe’s best players will be competing with the aim of winning a main tour card for the next two seasons.

On top of this, a number of players can book their place in the qualifiers for this year’s World Snooker Championship in April.

This will be Hill’s first international event for about 10 months and marks a significant step forward in his return from a health issue which curtailed his previous pro tour.

There are a number of other former professionals playing, most notably Darren Morgan who was ranked in the world’s top 10 in the 1990s and reached the World Championship quarter-finals.