Hazel Irvine ended the BBC‘s World Snooker Championship coverage with a tribute to the late John Virgo after Wu Yize won the Crucible title. The Chinese player won a deciding frame to take an 18-17 victory over 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy in Sheffield. This was the first World Championship without iconic BBC commentator Virgo, who died at the age of 79 in February. Virgo was one of the most-loved figures in the sport and tragically died in a Costa del Sol hospital three months ago after suffering a ruptured aorta.
It came just weeks after he commentated at the Masters, having worked on the BBC microphone since 1994. Virgo was absent at the Crucible this year but certainly not forgotten, with tributes paid to the voice of snooker throughout the tournament. And as Irvine signed off the BBC’s final broadcast, she said: “Absolutely amazing and I really hope you have enjoyed the last 17 days with us. What are we all going to do tomorrow morning? I don’t know. But all I can do is thank you for your incredible company and sharing in all of the drama.
“The missed blacks, the longest frame in Crucible history and the crowning of a brand new champion. Wonderful, wonderful Wu Yize. He has got the wow factor. From all of us it’s goodbye and it’s also good night JV.”
Virgo’s daughter Brook-Leah appeared earlier on the same broadcast when she was interviewed by Abigail Davies. She said: “I am so proud. It’s amazing, this is our snooker family, what an honour to be here and we have been looked after like royalty. We are so grateful and proud doesn’t even touch what we feel about our dad.
“Obviously listening to the snooker, he’s missing, and it’s hard for us. I have been saying it all day, every day, ‘how lucky are we to have this guy as our dad?’ What a legend, the voice, keep him alive. It means everything to me and my family, everything.”
Yize becomes the new world No.4 and a second successive Chinese world champion after clinching the £500,000 top prize. And he thanks his mum and dad, labelling them “true champions” in a touching speech as he said: “Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side. My mum has also gone through a lot over the years, they are the source of my strength. I love them so much.”
BBC pundit and 1991 world champion John Parrott reacted: “Came over and were living in a one-bedroom flat, him and his father were sleeping in the same bed. [They had] Absolutely nothing.
“To be honest with you, all the sacrifices he’s made and the hours of practice and running all around the world in junior tournaments… it’s all come to this and come to fruition. “
Before his colleague and six-time Crucible king Steve Davis added: “He’s amazing. We thought we’d seen the best of China in Xintong. But maybe Wu Yize and that performance has superseded that. I’m not saying Xintong is not a fantastic player.
“He’s a brilliant champion. But the way in which Wu Yize has won this has been totally different. He’s shown bottle, he’s shown class, he’s shown control around the table on the positional shots. He’s had a bit of nous as well when needed. In the end he showed great character.
“Chinese players are setting the benchmark. They’ve put a lot of money into the game and supported their players. What you’ve got is a generation of players ready to work so hard. All of a sudden, the floodgates have opened. The style in which they’re playing is the benchmark for the European and British players for years to come.”