Mark Davis has hit back at Barry Hearn’s claims there are too many mediocre players earning a living in snooker.

The recently appointed chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association has angered players like Davis with plans to cut the tour from 64 to just 16.

Davis is currently 29th in the provisional rankings for next season and almost guaranteed a place in the top 32 for the first time in his 18-year career.

The 37-year-old from St Leonards could climb even higher after qualifying for the China Open, which starts this weekend, and the World Championships next month.

But Hearn insists the current ranking system does not work and believes introducing a qualifying school, like the one in operation in golf, would eradicate “lazy” players who are happy being “journeymen”.

That would affect both Davis and fellow Sussex professional Jimmy Robertson, who is 68th in the provisional rankings after only returning to the tour this season.

Davis said: “He is not chairman of just the top 16, he is the chairman of the whole tour so he has got to be careful. We all get a vote and if he says something ridiculous it won’t go down too well.

“You are still a good player if you are in the top 64. Is he trying to say that if you are 40th in the world then you don’t deserve to earn a living from the game? If I was a golfer or a tennis player in the world’s top 30 then I would be a millionaire.

“He seems only want to look after the top boys. That is fair enough but you can’t just discard the other players.

“There has been plenty of talk among the players about what he has said but until we know exactly what he plans to do then it is hard to say too much.

“I’m not entirely surprised as we knew he had a lot of changes in mind when he took over but it’s typical that the first time I get into the top 32 they talk about changing the system.”

Davis flies off to China on Friday ahead of a clash with wild card Tian Pengfei knowing victory will secure a first round meeting with world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan.

A good run in Beijing followed by the World Championships, where he has been drawn to play Ryan Day in the first round at The Crucible, would cap his best ever season since turning professional back in 1991.

Davis, who ran the Hastings Half Marathon on Sunday, added: “I’ve been to China a couple of times before but lost in my first game both times.

“I’ve always wanted to go back because I didn’t get a chance to look around before and so I’m keen to do some sightseeing this time.

“The Great Wall is not far from where we are playing so I’ll have a day out there. It helps you relax and that is when I play my best snooker.

“It’s been a great season for me so the pressure is off a little bit. I’m 12th on the ranking list for the season but hopefully I can improve even more on that in the last couple of events.”