Selby held a healthy overnight lead. He moved one frame away from the win when he recorded a break of 91. He had a break of 56 in the next frame only to miss a red, Robertson took control and won the frame. The Aussie won the next two frames, however, he missed an easy enough black which allowed thee Jester from Leicester back in to take the frame and the match.

Selby said following the win, “Over the last 12 to 18 months I was questioning myself. I had got so used to winning tournaments then when I wasn’t winning tournaments it became very damaging to my confidence”. “I was happy with my performance against Neil. I felt if I got a chance I could score, and my safety play was back up with how it was a few years ago”.  Robertson was obviously disappointed with the defeat and said, “It was a really tough game and apart from three or four frames in the match, every frame came down to the final few reds or the colours. “Mark’s defensive safety was absolutely unbelievable. He didn’t let up really and I think he got his game plan spot-on over over the two days”.

In other games 2019 World Champion Judd Trump exited the championship after a 13-9 defeat to Kyron Wilson. In fact, it comes as no surprise given that no returning champion has yet to win back to titles since 1977. Trump reduced the gap down to two frames having registered three 50+ breaks in four frames. However, Kyron moved just a frame away after winning frame 21 with two visits. Then came a break of 104 to round of a fantastic win.

Five time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan levelled proceedings in his game with Mark Williams. The Rocket pegging back the Welsh man to level the game 8-8. O’Sullivan trailed Williams 7-2 at one period in the game, but won four frames on he bounce to edge his way back into contention.

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O’Sullivan stated that “The standard of snooker is so bad that he” would have to lose and arm and a leg to slip down the rankings”. He beat Ding Junhui  on Sunday 13-10 to set up a quarter-final clash with Mark Williams. However, O’Sullivan was having none of it in the interview and lost a an attack on the next generation of players stating “If you look at the younger players coming through, they’re not that good really”. He said that most of them would so well as amateurs or not even amateurs they’re so bad a lot of them.

Ronnie O’Sullivan just straight up brutal on the reason for his longevity in snooker pic.twitter.com/4bL5FAd1Cs

— James Dart (@James_Dart) August 9, 2020

O’Sullivan who was last crowned World Champion in 2013 continued, “A lot of them you see now, you think, cor, I’ve probably got to lose an arm and a leg to fall outside the top 50. So that’s why we’re hovering around – because of how poor it is down that end.” In the interview O’Sullivan also stated that “while he still playing snooker he wants to enjoy it”. Stating that he didn’t care if he won or lost at this stage is in career.

The man effectively known as “The Rocket” for his quick playing said he would rather the tournament in the K2 leisure centre in Crawley. However, O’Sullivan has described the venue as a “hellhole” in the past. He said, “To be honest I prefer the format of Crawley because it’s the best of seven, so it’s a quick in-and-out. “Here it’s a great venue but it’s bit hectic and a bit stressful. I’d rather take the Crawley option to be honest with you.”

The Wordsley born star raced into two frames clear with breaks of 87 and 73. However, his Chinese opponent responded with a break of 88 after O’Sullivan missed a black. O’Sullivan went into a 11-9 lead with a 60 break, only for Ding to make a break of 81. However, the Rocket then rolled off a century, with 117 and nearly made it two in a row in the next frame with a break of 93.

O”Sullivan will now face fellow veteran Mark Williams in the last eight.

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The Betfred World Championship was selected as the first indoor sporting event in the UK with a crowd, then following a revision of British Government guidelines it reverted to being behind closed doors at this stage.

As China has announced that international sporting events will not take place in the country until 2021, WST’s intention has been to reschedule certain UK tournaments into the slots usually taken by events in China.

The 2020-21 season will begin with the Matchroom Multi Sport promoted Championship League. Previously an invitation event, this has now been expanded into a full ranking event for all players on the tour.

This follows the ground-breaking success of this tournament when it was staged at the beginning of June, becoming the UK’s first major post-lockdown sporting event.

The Championship League will take place over three legs: the first from September 13-20, the second from September 28 to October 5 and the third from October 23-27.

The second ranking event of the season will be the European Masters to be played from September 21-27.

As usual, three of the Home Nations series tournaments will take place before Christmas: the English Open (October 12-18), Northern Ireland Open (November 16 to 22) and Scottish Open (December 7 to 13).

The quick-fire Shoot Out takes place from October 29 to November 1, followed by the Champion of Champions from November 2 to 8.

The first Triple Crown event of the campaign, the UK Championship at the York Barbican, runs from November 24 to December 6. And the first event of the Coral Series, the World Grand Prix, has been brought forward to December 14 to 20.

World Snooker Tour dates for remainder of 2020

September 13-20
Championship League

September 21-27
European Masters

September 28 to October 5
Championship League

October 12-18
English Open

October 23-27
Championship League

October 29 to November 1
Shoot Out

November 2-8
Champion of Champions

November 10-14
German Masters qualifiers

November 16-22
Northern Ireland Open

November 24 to December 6
UK Championship

December 7-13
Scottish Open

December 14-20
World Grand Prix

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The Rocket who is 5 time World champion stormed into a 8-1 frame lead after just 82 minutes of the match in the first session on Sunday. He needed just two more frame and he returned to get them on Monday to wrap up a record breaking win and to smash Shauna Murphy’a record of 149 minutes.

Thepchaiya had the chance to prolong the defeat in the second session on Monday but he missed an easy enough red to let O’Sullivan in to make a clearance of 93. He just needed one frame to secure a place in Round 2 against Ding Junhui. O’Sullivan made two further breaks of 41 and 48 in that final frame to secure the win. Speaking after the match O’Sullivan said, “I’m not really bothered by records – I stopped bothering about records when I reached them and they didn’t really give you that buzz for very long”.

O’Sullivan caused controversy last week when he said that players were treated as “lab rats” over the decision to have a limited crowd at the venue. However, he seemed a bit more relaxed around the situation when asked, he said,” I prefer it – I don’t have to deal with the pressure and expectation of the crowd and getting in and out of the venue.”

The World Snooker tour have also announced a new schedule for events as China will not be allowed host any sporting events till 2021. This will mean the Shanghai Masters, the International Championship and World Open will now be played at a later date due to the Covid 19 pandemic. This means that UK tournament and European have been brought forward. The Championship League will be played now across three legs in September and October and will become a ranking event.

The European Masters will now take place in January. The Shoot Out will take place between October 29th and November 1st. This was held in February previously. The Champion of Champions competition will then run from November 2nd to November 8th. All events in the UK will remain as normal apart from the Welsh Open which will take place before the turn of the year. The UK Championship will remain as scheduled with the final on December 8th.

Of course with the pandemic still ongoing the venues have to be confirmed due to the  uncertainty over when spectators will be permitted to return. The Chairman of World Snooker Barry Hearne said, “In recent months there has been uncertainty for all sports in terms of future events, but we have worked alongside all of our partners to find solutions”. “Our players and fans will be thrilled to see that we have a packed schedule for the first half of 2020-21”.

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Carty beat former World Number 1 and world champion Roberston 3-1 in Sunday’s opening match. He then drew with Kurt Maflin 2-2. Neil Robertson drew with Doherty 2-2, which then set an intriguing battle between Doherty and Carty to see who would progress to phase two. Ken needed a win, although a draw would have been good enough to see Carty through.

Carty won the first two frames of the match. However, the former 1997 World Champion, Doherty stormed into the games with a break of 90 to pull it back to 2-1. So, it came down to the final frame, a win for Doherty would see him through on a 2-2 draw, but a win for his opponent would obviously mean he would go through. Carty was 21 ahead with one red left on the table, Doherty needed a snooker and the remaining colours to sneak the frame. However, luck wasn’t to be on the Ranelagh man’s side as Carty fluked a brown which put the match beyond reach.

Speaking after the match, Carty said, “I got off to a really good start against Neil, quite surprisingly beat him. I know I am capable on my day but fortunately for me he struggled”. He continued, “I should have beaten Maflin really, I had a few good chances, and then against Ken I was in shreds towards the end. I don’t know how I missed the green but fortunately for me it didn’t matter.”

Barry Hawkins topped group 16. The English man advanced to the winner’s face which includes Judd Trump, Ryan Day and Dave Gilbert. Hawkins won his opening two games 3-0, he would also beat Anthony McGill 2-1.

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Strict guidelines will have to be adhered to. Players, match officials and contractors will be tested before entering the venue. Moreover,  they will be kept in isolation until results of those tests were known. BBC Report that players will have to give a negative test in order to fulfil the event. The main reason behind the choice of venue is because there is on site accomodation. This of course means the 64 players who are competing in the tournament could be contained there if something was to occur.

BBC Report that six other measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of all players, staff and officials. Social distancing methods will be in place right across the venue. Furthermore, players will be seated at least 2m apart at games, while handshakes will not be permitted. In addition, players will be required to use hand sanitiser before matches. Referees will also try to keep the 2m distance between themselves and players where possible. There will no access for guests of players and finally first aid personnel will be onsite at all times. The prize for the winner of the tournament is £30,000. The total prize fund is £200,000. . The winner will secure a place in the Champion of Champions in November also.

Barry Hearn has said that player safety will be a top priority when snooker returns. He said, “Players who have any doubts about their own welfare can rest assured that all precautions are being taken,”. Hearn continued,”I am confident that there is no other major sport which can meet health and safety criteria on isolation and social distancing as stringently as snooker can, so we are able to return more quickly than others.”

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Snooker’s biggest tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic but following discussions with key stakeholders including Sheffield City Council, the BBC, Eurosport and Sheffield Theatres, new dates for the World Snooker Championship have been agreed.

WST’s preference is to stage the event with a full crowd inside the iconic Crucible Theatre, which seats an audience of just under 1,000 spectators. If that is not possible, based on British government advice at the time, WST will consider the following options:

Playing the event with a reduced crowd.

Playing the event behind closed doors.

Postponing the event to a later date again.

WST Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are delighted to confirm new dates for this huge global sporting event which has an international television audience of 500 million people. The world is going through a very challenging period but live sport can be a massive inspiration for the public and can boost morale. This gives fans of top class sport something on their calendar to look ahead to and enjoy for 17 days.

“Our sincere hope is that we are able to play the tournament with a full crowd as usual. This event means so much to the fans who have a golden ticket for the Crucible experience, and to the people of Sheffield. The players will desperately want to compete in the atmosphere that only a packed Crucible can generate.

“However if that is not possible then we will give careful consideration to each scenario.”

The top 16 seeds earn an automatic place at the Crucible, and they will be joined by the 16 players who come through the qualifying rounds, with the dates for those qualifying rounds yet to be confirmed.

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The qualifying rounds of snooker’s biggest event were due to run from April 8 to 15 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, followed by the final stages from April 18 to May 4 at the Crucible Theatre.

WST has announced that it intends to host the final stages at the Crucible on rescheduled dates in July or August. This will be preceded by the qualifying rounds.

When new dates are confirmed, following consultation with the BBC, tickets for the final stages will be automatically transferred and the organisers will then outline the policy for refunds.

WST Chairman Barry Hearn said: “These are tough times for everyone but we are determined to get through it. Fans around the world – as well as the 144 players involved – are anxious to know if and when the World Championship will go ahead. I can assure everyone that we are doing all we can alongside our broadcasters, the venues and other partners to confirm new dates as soon as possible.

“Snooker players are self-employed, they need opportunities to earn prize money so we have a responsibility to them. We are currently exploring the potential to stage tournaments behind closed doors to keep the circuit alive, with more details to follow next week.

“Live televised coverage of the biggest sporting events can be an inspiration to people around the world in these challenging times so it is important that we strive to find solutions for our tournaments.”

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The event was due to run from today until Sunday, with action being televised by ITV4.

Following Monday’s announcement from the UK government that the public is advised to avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues, organisers liaised with ITV Sport and came to the decision to postpone the event, with new provisional dates of July 21st to 26th this year at the same venue.

While admitting the decision was taken at very short notice, organisers stated the assessment could only be made at short notice after yesterday’s announcement from the British government which came at 5pm.

Announcements on future events including the World Championship will be made in due course, with all scenarios to be considered depending on further government advice.

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