STUART Bingham says he is relishing being snooker’s ‘forgotten man’ as he gears up for his 21st year on the professional circuit.

The former world champion begins his campaign at the Riga Masters tomorrow, looking to put a below-par year behind him as he aims to reach the heights of the 2014/15 season.

Bingham won all four of his final appearances, including the world championship at Sheffield, and made three semi-finals whereas he lost his only final appearance last year, having also reached three semi-finals.

The 40-year-old from Vange takes on Wales’ Lee Walker at 10.30am tomorrow looking to start his season with a bang, and he says he is relishing the prospect of getting back in the thick of things.

“I get excited at this time of the season,” said Bingham, who travels to Latvia for the competition today. “It is quite early to see how my game is progressing but I am looking forward to it and I want to get a good start, having played well in recent qualifying events.

“Each tournament is different and I have practicing a lot. I have qualified for the first three so I am doing OK but until you get into a match you don’t know but I feel pretty good and I want to win a few games and see how it goes.

“I need to approach things in the same this season, despite last season not going as planned. It is hard to win a tournament because of the standard but I want to win two or three.

“I am level-headed but I feel like a weight has been lifted and I am not the current champion anymore. I have been a bit forgotten about and that works in my favour.

That is how I work best and I will give it a right good go.”

A revamp to the World Snooker calendar means there are eight more ranking events than last year, with increased prize money also on offer.

The Riga Open is one of the events boosted to ranking status, after the abolition of European Players’ Tour Championship events by the governing body.

Bingham will then take part in the Indian Open and World Open in the next six weeks, with those two events also now ranking competitions and, despite the increase in events, Bingham says he will do his best to compete in them all.

“Some players have entered all three competitions and I want to play in everything as it is my job but each to their own,” he said. “It is an opportunity to nick an event early on and you have practice heading into the rest of the season.

“If my game is there tomorrow that will be great. I will be there to win and will do my best to start the season well.”

World Snooker Calendar 2016

*denotes ranking event

Riga Masters* / 22-24 June

Indian Open* / 5-9 July

World Open* / 25-31 July

Paul Hunter Classic* / August 25-28

Shanghai Masters Qualifying / August 30-September 2

Six Red World Championship / September 5-10

Shanghai Masters* / September 19-25

International Championship Qualifying / September 27-30

European Open* / October 3-9

English Open* / October 10-16

International Championship* / October 23-20

Champion of Champions / November 7-12

Irish Open* / November 14-20

UK Championship* / November 22-December 4

German Masters Qualifying / December 6-9

Scottish Open* / December 12-18