2025 snooker review: this year’s lows

It’s time for the annual SnookerHQ.com highs and lows, and there are many talking points over the course of 2025 in snooker to recall.

Every year produces moments worth celebrating, and later this week we’ll take a look at some of the best memories from the year gone by.

However, 2025 was also marked by a number of uncomfortable and unwelcome talking points across the snooker environment.

As we continue our annual end-of-year review, here are the major lows of the calendar year that would be better left behind.

Graeme Dott accusations

For once, snooker went through an entire year without any major betting scandal hitting the headlines.

However, that probably would have been preferable compared to the shocking news that circulated around Graeme Dott towards the end of last season.

The 2006 world champion was in court accused of the extremely serious charge of child sex abuse.

That case surrounds accusations made against Dott of lewd behaviour and sexual misconduct of minors between 1993 and 2010.

The former world number two has pleaded not guilty but will stand trial in August of next year, and what’s left of his snooker career is obviously in tatters in the meantime.

An explosive – and expensive – new streaming era

For more than two decades, Eurosport had been an important broadcaster for the sport, one that proudly called itself the ‘Home of Snooker’.

It was a pretty apt moniker to boast as it basically covered everything and showcased the game across the European continent, something it continues to do in mainland regions.

That kind of exposure helped develop the game in new countries, the fruits of which are particularly evident now with players from the likes of Belgium, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, and Hungary performing well on the main tour.

It was sad, then, when it was announced in February that Eurosport was to integrate with TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland – almost with immediate effect.

A similar style of coverage – perhaps with higher production values – has existed on TNT since but at a significant financial burden to the viewer.

Monthly subscription fees have multiplied to unaffordable levels for most, representing a slap in the face to a lot of snooker’s die-hard fans in the region.

With the Warner Bros. Discovery takeover on the horizon, snooker’s future on TNT and Eurosport at all could be up in the air again.

• QUIZ! Event winners of the 2025 calendar year

Kick the buckets

The outcry of “buckets” on social media at various tournaments on the calendar has made for familiar reading for years.

Yet there could hardly have been a more prolific period for the disapproving wisecrack than in 2025.

We are constantly being reminded that the table specifications for each event are the same, and that table fitters follow these guidelines to a tee.

But it has been obvious that some events – particularly those outside of the UK but not always – have endorsed looser interpretations of those specifications.

There was praise at the recent UK Championship when the tighter pockets provided the players, who of course are the best in the world at their craft, with an appropriate test.

Prior to that, it felt like pool-like pockets had become the new norm, highlighted by the ridiculous number of 147 breaks being compiled.

A record tally of 25 maximum breaks were made this year, including two memorable instances of players recording a brace in a single match.

A 147 remains a special feat, but its increased regularity has unquestionably watered down the achievement and buckets are primarily to blame.

Regulating the refs

Leo Scullion ended a 26-year career as a referee on the main tour on Sunday in fitting fashion by officiating the final of the Scottish Open.

The Glaswegian was a respected referee for decades with his crowning moment coming in 2019 when he enjoyed the best view of Judd Trump’s maiden World Championship success at the Crucible Theatre.

Scullion will be remembered fondly overall, and reports from various people of his friendliness off the table always seemed genuine.

But the latter stages of Scullion’s career had been curbed by numerous incidents of questionable refereeing – the latest of which involving Michael Holt and Wu Yize at the UK Championship appearing to confirm in his own mind that it was the right time to hang up the gloves.

At this point, it should be made clear that referees have a tough job and often perform their duties without much in the way of appreciation.

However, the overall standard has been on a steady regression for years and 2025 was another full of controversial moments involving ball replacements, free-ball situations, and other careless errors that should have been avoided.

Standing out in this regard was the fiasco involving Ben Williams during a round-of-32 match at the British Open featuring Barry Hawkins and Jak Jones.

With the pink ball covering one of the corner pockets at the top end of the table and the reds grouped in an awkward way, both players agreed that a stalemate existed and duly asked for a re-rack.

Yet upon making their feelings clear to Williams, the official initially refused to cede to their request.

“It’s not a stalemate, gents. It’s not a stalemate,” Ben Williams, who previously made headlines in 2022 for a bad-tempered exchange with Jimmy White, audibly said.

A fiery tit-for-tat argument between the players and the ref followed before Williams eventually yielded to the re-rack.

But it was a needless exchange and a sloppy interpretation of the rules that led to an unwanted piece of distraction for the players.

Certain referees appear desperate to be part of the show and others simply make too many rudimentary mistakes, but generally the consistency of officiating needs to improve.

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The 2025 snooker review will continue later this week with a look at some of the positive talking points from the last year.

Featured photo credit: WST