Back-to-back world snooker championship victories by China’s Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize have sparked the formation of a new Chinese Billiards Club Professional League.

Launched on Sunday, the new CBL will feature eight teams competing over the course of eight months, playing 432 matches in a home-and-away format, with the first fixtures scheduled for next Wednesday.

League position will determine the draw for the quarter-finals in early October, with a grand final schedule for the last week in December.

Wu beat Shaun Murphy 18-17 last week in the World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible Theatre, following on from Zhao’s historic victory the year before, when he became the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion.

The head of the Chinese Billiard Sports Association (CBSA) said the new league was tasked with growing the sport domestically and developing pathways for young players to reach the professional ranks.

“Chinese billiard sports has entered a golden age of high-quality development,” Jiang Shicai, its president, said. “With Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize winning world championships one after another, that gave us the confidence to launch the new league.