World Seniors Snooker Hit by Crucible Table Chaos

The World Seniors Championship experienced significant disruption on May 7, 2026, when a technical failure on one of the match tables at the Crucible forced a schedule overhaul and the relocation of high-profile matches.

The over-40s event, which features Ronnie O’Sullivan, was thrown into chaos after players reported issues with Table Two. It was subsequently determined that a floor slate had dropped, creating a major joint and an uneven surface that rendered the table unplayable. The fault caused balls to jump during mid-play.

The technical failure immediately impacted the match between Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale, which had to be paused. The pair were eventually able to resume their contest on the remaining functional table, but only after the conclusion of the tie between Ali Carter and Roger Farebrother.

The disruption had a more severe impact on the match between Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo, both previous winners of the tournament. Because Table Two was out of action, their match was shifted to a backstage practice table.

As a result of the relocation, Burden was unable to defend his title in front of the Crucible crowd. The match ended in a 4-0 whitewash victory for the Brazilian, Igor Figueiredo.

Jason Francis, the World Seniors Championship boss and manager for Ronnie O’Sullivan, issued an apology to the affected players following the incident.

I’ve written to Igor and Alfie and apologised that we were unable to provide a table for them to play on. It was obvious that there was a major joint and slate drop on table two, which meant it was unplayable.

Jason Francis

Francis explained that the nature of the fault made an immediate fix impossible, noting that you can’t rectify a table instantly, it requires time. He further attributed the difficulty in resolving the issue to mitigating factors around the access we were given to the Crucible.