Ex-world champions slam ‘unplayable’ conditions which marred UK Championship clash as snooker chiefs give bizarre excuse
JUDD TRUMP and Neil Robertson slammed the “unplayable” table conditions in York which marred their UK Championship clash – before snooker chiefs gave a bizarre explanation.
Both former world champions were unhappy with the playing surface and the quality of the cushions as they tussled in the last-32.
At 3-1 down at the mid-session interval, Trump returned to the action and clinched the next five frames with breaks of 73, 126 and 67 to progress with a 6-3 result.
But the two cueists walked away feeling frustrated with the situation in the sport’s second-biggest tournament.
Trump, 35, said: “I’ve played in some bad conditions but that was close!
“It’s disappointing as it always seems to be in the big events over here. Very heavy all of the time. The cushions were bouncy and heavy.
“From the first day, they didn’t look great. Hopefully they can do something about it. I think all of the players are struggling. It’s disappointing for the people watching.”
Australian potter Robertson, 42, said: “The table was pretty much as unplayable as it gets for professional conditions. That was as tough as I’ve ever played.
“It’s such a tough sport, it can make either player look stupid. The only people who can be critical of our shots and performances are ourselves. Neither of us could play at our level.
“It could probably do with a new cloth. Maybe it wasn’t warm enough in the arena.”
But snooker chiefs gave their explanation of events afterwards, blaming the cold weather outside.
A WST spokesperson said: “We always strive to provide the best possible conditions and welcome feedback from players.
“The recent weather has seen a large volume of rainfall and high humidity around the country. This can negatively influence the conditions.”
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Scotland’s four-time world champion John Higgins – who plays Trump in the last-16 on Thursday – was a 6-0 winner over China’s He Guoqiang.
Yet the afternoon session was suspended for up to 20 minutes when the Barbican arena was cleared as a fan fell ill – the man was conscious and seen talking to paramedics.
Higgo, 49, said: “It happens quite a lot now. It’s so warm in the auditorium now.
“Some of the older generation come and you feel for them because it gets really warm in there.
“That’s what has happened. I hope the gentleman is okay.”
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins