Alfie Burden won the 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship title on Sunday with an 8-4 victory over Aaron Canavan in the final.
Both players were contesting the title-deciding affair at the World Seniors Snooker Tour’s most prestigious event for the second time.
Canavan was attempting to add a second world crown to the seniors title he captured back in 2018.
Burden, on the other hand, was bidding to etch his name onto the silverware for the first time having narrowly missed out on glory with defeat in the 2023 final.
Two years ago, Burden was pipped in a close final by Jimmy White, but the Londoner comprehensively overcame the four-time champion in the first round this year.
A 4-1 triumph against White set Burden up to mount a serious challenge again, and his chances increased on the back of a dramatic quarter-final defeat of Tony Drago.
Trailing 3-0 to the Tornado, Burden conjured a remarkable fight back by winning the concluding four frames for a deciding-frame success.
Burden’s 6-2 victory over fellow qualifier Hassan Kerde subsequently saw him reach Sunday’s showdown for the title in Sheffield.
The 48 year-old, who was relegated from the World Snooker Tour at the end of the 2024/25 snooker season after failing to break into the top 64, dominated the final.
After losing the opening frame, he established a 4-1 lead at the mid-session interval and then extended his advantage to 7-2 with breaks of 109 and 81.
When Canavan won two frames on the bounce to reduce his arrears, a repeat of his semi-final heroics seemed to be on the cards.
The Jersey potter won the last four frames to overturn a 5-2 deficit against Dominic Dale and reach the final on Saturday.
But any aspirations of another unlikely turnaround were quashed in the 12th frame when Burden completed the win.
“It sounds amazing,” Alfie Burden told Alisha Singh for the WSST when asked how it sounded to be the world seniors snooker champion.
“I’m absolutely delighted. I thought I played well in the final. It was a bit twitchy at the end.”
“I needed a big bit of luck to get the opportunity, and then I took the opportunity.
“You have enough bad luck in your career, so when a little bit of good fortune comes along, you’ve got to take it with both hands – and I did.
“It’s been a massive journey. There are so many ups and downs being a snooker player.
“I’ve been well documented with saying I’m not happy with how I’ve underachieved in my career.
“But you’ve got to enjoy this moment. We all know I’m not the best over-45 player in the world.
“There are players ineligible to play in this event, but you can only beat what’s in front of you.
“I’ve beaten the best that was on offer. It was a strong field this week. I felt like I played the best snooker and deserved to win the tournament.”
Victory in the World Seniors Snooker Championship will represent one of the biggest wins in Burden’s career.
He won the 2009 IBSF World Amateur Championship and spent the best part of three decades competing on the World Snooker Tour as a professional.
Burden, who won £20,000 for his exploits at the Crucible Theatre, previously reached a career-high ranking of number 38 in the world.
2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship Draw
Round of 16 (bo7)
Igor Figueiredo 2-4 Wayne Townsend
Aaron Canavan 4-1 Andrew Norman
Dominic Dale 4-2 Craig Steadman
Fabio Anderson Luersen 2-4 Joe Perry
Jimmy White 1-4 Alfie Burden
Tony Drago 4-3 Gerard Greene
Hassan Kerde 4-0 Tony Knowles
Charl Jonck 4-2 Ken Doherty
Quarter-Finals (bo7)
Wayne Townsend 2-4 Aaron Canavan
Dominic Dale 4-1 Joe Perry
Alfie Burden 4-3 Tony Drago
Hassan Kerde 4-2 Charl Jonck
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Aaron Canavan 6-5 Dominic Dale
Alfie Burden 6-2 Hassan Kerde
Final (bo15)
Aaron Canavan 4-8 Alfie Burden
Featured photo credit: Monique Limbos
Great win for Alfie! Typically gritty performance from him. Only $20K…seems a bit mingy!
This victory arguably represents a career highlight for the AB of London. The Crucible setting and TV coverage giving it the edge over his triumph at the World Amateur Championship.
Burden best showing on the Main Tour is four ranking event quarter-finals. He made a solitary Crucible appearance in 1998, going down 10-8 to Tony Drago.