The World Seniors Snooker Championship has gone through a fair few makeovers over the years, but now it seems bigger than ever, it is also creating more talking points than ever before.
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Ronnie O’Sullivan of England chalks the cue in the first round match against He Guoqiang of China on day 4 of Halo World Championship 2026 at Crucible Theatre on April 21, 2026 in Sheffield, England.
The World Seniors Snooker Championship has gone through a fair few makeovers over the years, but now it seems bigger than ever, it is also creating more talking points than ever before. Ronnie O’Sullivan lifted the trophy on Sunday night, beating Joe Perry 10-4 in the final at the Crucible and making the bookmakers correct as they priced him as a clear odds-on favourite before a ball was struck in Sheffield.
The 50-year-old was making his debut in the tournament after a rule change last year which meant any player, anywhere in the world rankings or an amateur, could compete as long as they are over 40. Previously a player had to be outside the world’s top 64 and it is not only O’Sullivan who has taken advantage of the change, with the likes of Ali Carter and Stuart Bingham also taking to the tables in Sheffield.
Gone are the days of Cliff Thorburn making 12 while cracking jokes with the crowd. How appropriate this change is has split opinions, as did other things during the event, while some incidents were not opinion-splitters, but unanimously condemned. There is no doubt that the World Seniors Championship has got snooker fans talking and it’s gone from a gentle, exhibition-style event to a hot topic. Here’s a look at what has caused the most chat.
Mark Williams was due to play but pulled out late in the day A late change to the line-up This was a blow before the event began as Mark Williams, the second highest-profile player in the field, pulled out and was replaced by Nigel Bond. The three-time world champion was due to play but was called up by his sponsors to attend an exhibition in China.
There’s no suggestion of chicanery here, but it’s bad admin at least, with Williams saying he was contractually obliged to be at the Chinese event. Fans who bought tickets to see the Welshman were not impressed. Tablegate https://www.instagram.com/p/DYCd4Oat5Tp/ Let’s get the white tables out of the way. They were genuinely shocking on the eye at first, but became less so over the tournament as you got used to them.
Love them or hate them, they were designed to ruffle feathers and get people talking. A harmless discussion point really. How the tables played was much more controversial and led to a shambolic Thursday evening in Sheffield. The tournament organisers had very little time to get the tables up and the whole set built as World Snooker Tour had the Crucible booked until Wednesday lunchtime.
In the past the Seniors were allowed in to set up before then, but were not this year because the two sides are basically at war. World Seniors chairman Jason Francis is leading something of a revolt against WST and the WPBSA, with his NST Worldwide alleging anti-competitive practices and suing the snooker powers-that-be for over £10m. That rumbles on, but while Francis is battling snooker bosses, he is not going to get any favours out of them.
It probably wasn’t the wisest decision to start the tournament on that date, leaving so little time to get things ready. The tables were getting poor reviews from players on the opening couple of days and there was a remarkable scene as a slate dropped on Table Two, with balls jumping around the place and play cancelled as a result.
Dominic Dale and Matthew Stevens were hauled off mid-match and returned later on Table One, but Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo were forced to play their game in the practice room. Look at some of those shots 😳Due to a fault with table two, Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale have concluded their match and will play in a private area. pic.twitter.com/lhurI3j77w— Channel 5 Sport May 7, 2026 A sad scene for any two players who were expecting to walk out at the Crucible, but for defending champion Burden it felt like a hefty kick in the teeth.
He lost 4-0.
‘To say I’m disappointed would be a huge understatement, don’t remember feeling this low after a snooker event,’ Burden posted. ‘I wasn’t in the mental state of mind to play that match in a practice room to be honest I was in a state of shock at what was unfolding. Literally heartbroken.
’ He added: ‘Can I make it perfectly clear I wasn’t given an option to play my match in the morning, I asked could I play the next morning was flatly refused was told I had to play in the cupboard. Dale Stevens was given a choice , I wasn’t and I should have refused to play.
’ Francis told The Express: ‘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.
‘You can’t rectify a table instantly, it requires time. There are mitigating factors around the access we were given to the Crucible. We were only given five hours to set up four snooker tables .
‘The fitters who have done the World Snooker Tour for 20 years are here, so there’s no lack of expertise. But the reality is that tables need time to settle.
‘We do the best we can. You can’t mitigate for everything. We are experienced promoters and the team have put in a tremendous effort overnight. We learn and will try to do better.
And again, we apologise to Alfie, Igor, Matthew and Dominic. ’ Obviously this whole situation was a terrible look for the event and unacceptable for the players involved and fans who had gone to see them. After Thursday, the tables were less of a controversy, although were still getting bad reviews, with O’Sullivan noting the difficult conditions in his semi-final with Rob Milkins. The Rocket is not one to moan about conditions too much.
Ronnie gives his full post-match thoughts after making it to the 2026 World Seniors Snooker Championship Final! Watch | Stream on 5: https://t.co/ABW52824Mu pic.twitter.com/EqVJ7s1a2T— Channel 5 Sport May 9, 2026 The shot clock Some will be for or against a shot clock in any circumstances. The 30-second timer in this event was largely not an issue at all, apart from when Nigel Bond was timed out on a black ball decider with Craig Steadman to lose 4-3.
Thems the rules, Nigel, but maybe that needs a tweak because it was a pretty farcical way to lose a match. On the black ball decider itself, that also split opinion. If a match reached a deciding frame, there was no deciding frame, it was just a re-spot on the black for the match. Personally, I didn’t mind this, it gave penalty shootout vibes, which is always exciting.
But I can understand why some would feel that a hard-fought battle through all the available frames should get that final frame to decide the match. HOLD YOUR BREATH EVERYBODY 😳Black ball drama at the Crucible as Ken Doherty sets up a second round meeting with Ronnie O'Sullivan! #SeniorsSnooker pic.twitter.com/tastQbnZIf— World Seniors Snooker Tour May 7, 2026 Should O’Sullivan and the other top players be involved?
This appears to be the biggest talking point of the lot and there is no right or wrong to it, so it will continue to cause debate. Is a Seniors event really meant for any player over 40, even if they are still one of the world’s best? Or should it be for older players who no longer have much or any chance of success on the main tour?
The Rocket celebrates with his daughter Neil Robertson summed it up nicely on Twitter, writing: ‘The spirit of the event was to give the guys who are at the back end of their careers or retired to have half a chance at some decent money. Tough one because having huge names will help with sponsorship etc.’ The rules have changed to allow anyone over 40 to play, so whatever anyone feels about it, it’s moot really, but O’Sullivan breezing to the title has bothered some people.
World Snooker Tour wrote in a statement when the partnership with WSS was terminated last year: ‘WST have worked with WSS for several years to support the running and promotion of their events to benefit senior players who have dropped off the tour. The original purpose of WSS was to enable senior players to continue to benefit from earning opportunities and allows fans to see them in action.
On this basis WST offered a broad range of assistance, from promotion to logistical support.
‘Recently however, WSS have fundamentally changed their objectives. A request was made to include players currently inside the top 64 on the World Rankings. This is clearly contrary to the intended purpose of the senior’s tour as originally supported by WST. ’ So why are top players now involved?
Commercially it is obviously incredibly beneficial to have the sport’s biggest star involved. Tickets sold and TV viewing figures vastly benefited from O’Sullivan’s presence, and the other big names. Four-time Seniors champ Jimmy White is unlikely to add to his haul under the new rules Some would say that is an irrelevance.
A Seniors event is not for the world’s best and this is treading on the wrong side of the fine line between sporting merit and chasing commercial success. Others just feel if you’re old enough, you’re bad enough. O’Sullivan should not be punished for being too good at his age and the happy punters at the Crucible and watching their televisions are evidence that it was the right move.
It was a funny scene as the debate was ‘covered’ on TV by putting the question of whether O’Sullivan should be allowed to play to the fans who had paid to go and see him. You will never guess what they all thought? For me, something about it does feel a bit off and not just for O’Sullivan, I would have felt the same about Williams had he played.
These are genuine contenders for the actual World Championship and more could join them, which would make the Seniors even more just like a main tour event. What a moment! Ronnie O'Sullivan lifts the World Seniors Championship trophy 🏆Watch | Stream on 5: https://t.co/ABW52824Mu pic.twitter.com/yUEbpIeZ9Y— Channel 5 Sport May 10, 2026 In the top 16 we have Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins and Mark Allen also of age to qualify.
Pray for Craig Steadman if they all came along. Perhaps the big name involvement has helped secure a good TV deal with Channel 5 and will ultimately benefit the other older players in the long run as a tour is built. Only time will tell on that front, but as O’Sullivan pocketed the £30,000 top prize on Sunday, leaving Perry, Milkins, Peter Lines and Ken Doherty in his wake, it did feel a bit strange.
Senior stars shone Yes O’Sullivan won the thing, but three of the four semi-finalists are not currently on the professional tour. The speed, spin and precision 😮💨What a shot! Watch live on 5ACTION or 5 app: https://t.co/pk1jR91aG2 pic.twitter.com/4bbty8yCOy— Channel 5 Sport May 7, 2026 The relative big names of Carter, Bingham and Matthew Stevens were all beaten by this point. Perhaps that goes some way to suggesting the anyone over-40 rule does work.
The old school seniors vibe was brought by Australian champion Roger Farebrother, who was a new name on my radar. He beat the iconic Tony Drago and his sparkly shoes in round one then gave Carter a scare before losing 4-2 in the last 16. It was the plucky 66-year-old Aussie who ticked the box for fans of the seniors before the rule change. But Roger Farebrother just doesn’t sell tickets like the Rocket.
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