Mark Allen and Wu Yize have secured the dubious honour of playing the longest frame in Crucible history, with the epic tussle labelled an ’embarrassment to snooker’ by Steve Davis.
The 14th frame of the lasted just over 100 minutes, comfortably beating the previous record of 85 minutes and 22 seconds, set by Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao in 2022.
The Northern Irishman was 7-6 ahead in the second session, having won all five of the frames on Friday afternoon to that point.
He was ahead 39-1 in the 14th frame when things started getting sticky as the black sat just by the right corner pocket and reds started to gather around it.
Both players nudged reds towards the black until there were eight of them surrounding the black, which was extremely close to going in.
There were 75 safety shots played in the lengthy exchange, with referee Marcel Eckhart eventually stepping in to say the players had three shots each to end the stalemate.
Are you snooker loopy?
You’re in the right place. I’m Phil Haigh, and I cover the game we all love for Metro.
In my new newsletter, The Table, I analyse the biggest talking points, pull back the curtain on the sport and crown the biggest winners and losers every week.
The next edition will look back on what has been a great World Championship yet again, so there’s no better time to sign up.
Allen was not happy because he had a significant lead, which was 43-13 by this point, and did not want to be forced into a re-rack.
He tried to develop the reds, but then chose to knock the black in, giving away seven points, but feeling like it was a necessary decision.
Wu didn’t win the frame from his next visit, but he did win it, levelling up the match at 7-7, but the frame had taken so long that the session had to end two frames early.
Before the frame ended, BBC presenter Hazel Irvine said: ‘It is the most tortuous frame I think we have ever seen at the Crucible. We are imprisoned by frame 14.’
John Parrott said on commentary: ‘The most remarkable frame ever played at the Crucible You have to say it was pretty farcical at the start of it, but what a finish!’
Both Parrott and Stephen Hendry felt the referee should have stepped in earlier than he did, but the right decision was eventually made.
Six-time world champion Steve Davis felt it was an embarrassing episode which should be avoided in future, if possible.
‘In a nutshell that frame is an embarrassment to snooker, and the referees’ and the players’ association need to try to work out a way so that never happens again,’ Davis said.
The final two sessions of the match are played on Saturday morning and evening.
It is not the longest frame in the history of snooker, with Dave Gilbert and Fergal O’Brien owning that accolade.
The two men reached a deciding frame at 9-9 of the final round of World Championship qualifying in 2017 and history was made.
That final frame, eventually won by O’Brien, lasted 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 41 seconds.