Happy New Year to you all, although it is rather belated. But better late than never. It’s a new era for the Masters as well, as the tournament moves to Alexandra Palace after 33 years at Wembley.

I have some fantastic memories of the Masters during the past four years. It was where I won my first title as a professional in 2008. In 2009 I reached the final again, and then I was back in 2010 to lift the coveted crown once more. It’s a wonderful tournament and I will always have a special connection with it.

But just because we have moved to the Ally Pally now does not mean an end to those happy memories. In fact, I hope it can be the start of some new ones.

I’ve been to the Ally Pally before to watch the darts and I’ve seen some of the snooker there on TV the last couple of days. It looks a great venue and I’m excited to be playing there. I love playing at the Masters, the one-table atmosphere makes it feel like the latter stages of a tournament and they are conditions I thrive in.

The top 16 players in the world are there and, even though it’s a non-ranking event, it is one of the most prestigious. Stephen Hendry used to rank it as second only to the World Championship – and he won at Wembley six times. I’m sure the Ally Pally will feel different but, when it comes down to it, it’s still a 12 x 6ft table with the same amount of balls and the same amount of pockets.

I play Stephen Lee in the first round on Wednesday. He’s a very fluent, attacking player and has shown glimpses of his old form during the last 18 months. He’s won four ranking titles but I’ve always felt he’s under-achieved in his career. It was Stephen I beat in the final to win my first Masters so I’ll definitely look back at 2008 and take inspiration from that win. Hopefully it will be the start of another great run...

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I’m delighted to be have been nominated once again in the Leicester Mercury Sports Awards, in the Sportsman of the Year category.

I’ve been nominated the last few years but never won, I’ve always been pipped at the post. Some top names have won it down the years and it would be a marvellous achievement for me to win because Leicester has some great sportsmen. I would feel very proud.

The ceremony is on Thursday night and, fingers crossed, I won’t be able to make it. I don’t mean that ungratefully, it just means that I’ll still be in the Masters! If I get past the first round I play my second-round game on Friday, so I will need to prepare hard for it. As much as I would like to be at the Mercury Awards, the Masters has got to be my priority and I’m sure everyone will understand that. Especially if I bring the trophy back to Leicester on Sunday!

I hope everyone has a great night, and good luck to Willie Thorne who is the host for the evening.