Neil Robertson’s quarter-final against John Higgins was briefly delayed on Tuesday afternoon at the Snooker World Championship after the Australian’s chair broke
Neil Robertson’s match against John Higgins at the Snooker World Championship was delayed after the Australian’s chair broke. Robertson was leading Higgins 3-2 in the quarter-final on Tuesday afternoon when there was an unscheduled break in play.
Robertson completed a break of 70 to take the fifth frame in the match, but did not return to his seat while the balls were re-racked. Instead, the players disappeared while a maintenance man was called to repair his chair.
BBC presenter Seema Jaswal explained what was happening while in conversation with snooker legends Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. “I don’t know if either of you have brought your toolkits with you, because apparently there is a slight issue with Neil Robertson’s chair not quite sitting correctly?” she said.
“I don’t know what has happened there. They’ve had to get maintenance in to help fix it.
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“I don’t know what he did to it, or what happened to the chair! That is why there might be a slight delay in us getting back to the action. [It gives] them a bit of time to think and reflect on what has just happened.”
Seven-time World Championship winner Hendry said he had never experienced anything like it, before giving his take on the state of the match. “You’re waiting for someone to take this by the scruff of the neck and stamp their authority on it,” he said.
“It’s been a bit like snooker by numbers, if you like. Nobody’s really taken charge of this quarter-final.”
The match had failed to catch fire on Tuesday evening, after the Crucible crowd were treated to an all-time classic match between Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan the previous night.
Higgins came through 13-12 to book his place in the last eight, having come back from 9-4 and 8-3 down against The Rocket. The Scot won six straight frames over Sunday night and Monday morning to take control in an epic comeback to deny O’Sullivan a shot at a record eighth title in Sheffield.
“What a turnaround from John. He just dug in and played some of the best snooker we’ve seen for years,” 1997 champion Ken Doherty said on the BBC. “Maybe it was one of the greatest last-16 matches I’ve ever seen. The snooker he was producing was from the Gods.”
Before taking on Robertson, Higgins said: “I’m just delighted I came to the party in the third session, because the first two sessions, how I was only 9-7 behind, I’ll never know.
“It was just about not giving up. At 6-2 behind, I said to the family ‘I’ve got to win the next two sessions’. I wasn’t having any negative thoughts. Ronnie played amazing in that game, his cue ball control. I’ve played him for years and I thought he was striking it great.”
