Snooker fans have been left baffled after a World Seniors Snooker Championship match was temporarily postponed at the Crucible due to an unknown issue with the table. Thursday saw the second day of the tournament being held in Sheffield, days after the conclusion of the World Championship.
Monday night saw Wu Yize claim an 18-17 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final to win the World Championship for the first time in his career. Days later, the World Seniors Championship had taken centre stage at the Crucible, but there was some confusion on Thursday. The World Seniors Snooker Tour confirmed in a statement that the match between Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale was postponed and rescheduled for a later time of the day.
The decision was made after a number of moments in the match, including one that saw Stevens pot a red into the corner pocket, with the white ball jumping in the air. This led to the 48-year-old looking bemused at the table with both arms and his cue momentarily raised in the air.
“Due to a fault with Table Two, there will be no further play on it this evening,” the statement from the World Seniors Snooker Tour read.
“Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale will conclude their match on Table One following Ali Carter v Roger Farebrother.
“Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo will play at 9pm BST in a private area of the practice room. Table Two will be replaced overnight.”
The decision led to the match between Stevens and Dale resuming on the opposite table, while Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo played their match behind closed doors in the practice room at the Crucible.
Figueiredo went on to claim a 4-0 victory over Burden to book a spot in the quarter-final, where he will face Robert Milkins.
The announcement from the World Seniors Snooker Tour led to some confusion amongst snooker fans on social media.
One fan wrote: “What could the fault be, I wonder?!”, while another said: “What is wrong with the table?”
Another fan wrote: “Like a potting up a pavement kerb that,” while one more posed the question: “Will Table one also be sorted?”
The World Seniors Snooker Championship will see some more high-profile names compete in the tournament, including seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who will face Ken Doherty in the second round on Friday afternoon (2pm).