Crucible snooker match halted as players forced to compete behind closed doors

Snooker fans have been left scratching their heads after a World Seniors Snooker Championship match was briefly suspended at the Crucible following an unexplained problem with the table. Thursday saw the second day of the tournament in Sheffield, just days after the World Championship concluded. Monday saw Wu Yize secure an 18-17 triumph over Shaun Murphy in the final to claim the title for the first time in his career. Now, the World Seniors Championship had taken over at the Crucible, only for proceedings to be thrown into disarray on Thursday. World Seniors Snooker confirmed via a statement that the match between Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale had been postponed and rescheduled for later in the day. The call was made following several incidents during the match, including one where Stevens potted a red into a corner pocket, causing the white ball to leap into the air. This prompted the 48-year-old to stare in bewilderment at the table, momentarily raising both arms and his cue in disbelief. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page "Due to a fault with Table Two, there will be no further play on it this evening," the statement said. "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 ruling led to the match between Stevens and Dale being switched to the arena's other table. Stevens won 4-2. Meanwhile, defending champion Alfie Burden and Brazilian Igor Figueiredo had to contest their match behind closed doors in the practice room. Figueiredo secured a 4-0 win to set up a quarter-final against Robert Milkins. The issue sparked considerable confusion among snooker followers on social media. One fan wrote: "What could the fault be, I wonder?," while another asked: "What is wrong with the table?" A third fan wrote: "Like a potting up a pavement kerb that," while yet another posed the question: "Will table one also be sorted?" The World Seniors Championship, which has a prize pot of £80,000, has attracted some big names, including seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, who will take on Ken Doherty in the second round on Friday afternoon.