The World Snooker Championship was briefly delayed on Tuesday with the BBC studio left stunned after an issue with Neil Robertson’s chair
The World Snooker Championship was briefly delayed on Tuesday (28 April) – with the BBC studio left puzzled by the stoppage.
Neil Robertson was due to clash with John Higgins in the quarter-finals, but their match had to be paused after some equipment malfunction. The Australian had headed back to his corner after taking the fifth frame when he realised there was a problem.
Robertson, who had just gone 3-2 up, had to call for some assistance after dislodging part of his chair. Two men were forced to rush across with an electric drill to try and sort the issue.
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BBC host Seema Jaswal was left baffled by the ongoing incident, as she joked: “I don’t know if either of you have brought your tool kits with you because apparently there’s a slight issue with Neil Robertson’s chair.
“Not quite sitting correctly? I don’t know what’s happened there but they’ve had to get maintenance in to fix it.”
The game was stopped for around three minutes while the Aussie’s chair was fixed. Stephen Hendry, who was on punditry duty, was then asked if he had ever had a similar issue: “Definitely not! I mean, what’s happened?”
Steve Davis then jumped in: “It’s all gone goldilocks!”
It’s not the first time in the tournament that Robertson has been involved in an incident with Chris Wakelin also part of a scene during round two.
Wakelin was at the table looking to draw the Crucible match level at 7-7 when he potted a long red, only for Peggy Li to call a foul for feathering a nearby yellow with his cue on his through stroke.
Wakelin was left stranded in his seat as Robertson took advantage to go on win the frame. Li’s call was controversial – but Wakelin accepted the call: “She was in the best position to see.
“I was looking at the red because it was a difficult pot anyway, so I wasn’t even looking at the white ball or the yellow. She was standing in the right place. If she thought it was a foul, then I trust Peggy.”