There were shambolic scenes at the 2026 World Seniors Snooker Championship on Thursday with matches disrupted by a faulty table in Sheffield.
The round-of-16 clash between Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale was interrupted after it was deemed that table two at the Crucible Theatre was unplayable.
After several complaints from the players involved regarding unusual bounces across the table’s slate, a decision to entirely halt play on the table was taken.
Stevens and Dale had already begun their match but were forced to wait until table one became available later in the evening session.
The schedule change also sent Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo to a private area of the practice room to complete their fixture.
Burden was the reigning world seniors champion and surely would have been excited to begin his defence in front of fans inside the Crucible Theatre.
Instead, the Londoner bowed out of the tournament in a limp 4-0 defeat to 2024 winner Figueiredo behind the scenes at the iconic venue.
Reaction across social media was understandably negative.
Former WSF Championship runner-up Lee Stephens said: “This is absolutely disgraceful! World Seniors should be ashamed of themselves!”
“I’m not surprised, however. They make bad decision after bad decision! [The] defending champion out the back, not getting the walk on and the intro [like] that! P*ss poor!”
Other supporters on X labelled the tournament as a “farce”, “hideous”, and with “some of the worst tables I’ve seen.”
It was another blow to a tournament that has already been heavily criticised for its questionable lineup, blinding white cushions on the table, and a draw that has caused confusion across its broadcast platforms.
It was confirmed that table two would be replaced overnight, with pre-tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan expected to enter the fray on Friday.
Joining Figueiredo in the quarter-finals, meanwhile, were Stevens, Robert Milkins, and Ali Carter.
When Stevens finally resumed his last-16 tie with Dale, he was able to complete a 4-2 victory over his fellow Welshman.
Milkins edged Jimmy White in a dramatic affair that went the distance, with the former potting a re-spotted black to end the hopes of the record four-time world seniors champion.
In a twist to the rules for this event, the outcome of all deciding frames this year will be determined through a re-spotted black rather than a traditional frame.
Carter managed to avoid such a finale after edging past Australian Roger Farebrother with a 4-2 scoreline.
Earlier on day two of the event, White and Dale had comfortably won their opening-round fixtures against Daniel Ward and Wayne Townsend respectively.
Ken Doherty and Peter Lines also successfully reached the last 16.
Doherty set up a showdown with O’Sullivan after pipping Gerard Greene in a 4-3 thriller, while Lines will face Stuart Bingham after overcoming Anthony Hamilton.
By the end of Friday’s play at the Crucible Theatre – tables permitting – the four semi-finalists will be known.
Click here: full draw and schedule
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