It is a surprisingly quiet final Saturday at the World Snooker Championship, with the afternoon session not required thanks to Zhao Xintong’s rampant win over Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Cyclone beat the Rocket 17-7 on Friday night in the semi-finals, meaning Saturday’s fourth session at the Crucible was not needed.
That means the other semi-final between Judd Trump and Mark Williams is being played in the morning and evening sessions as planned, but there is a substantial gap in the middle of the day.
The Crucible is sold out in every session of the tournament and obviously there were no tickets going spare for the blockbuster semi-final between O’Sullivan and Zhao.
Those fans who were heading to the Sheffield theatre on Saturday afternoon will have been very disappointed to see the Chinese star rush to victory.
Instead of watching World Championship action, there will be other entertainment on offer at the Crucible.
However, that is all they will get as refunds are not offered if there is no play.
What happens at the Crucible when there is no play?
As per the Crucible: ‘A scheduled final session of a match will be deemed completed if four or more frames are played.
‘At the sole discretion of the Event Promoter, alternative entertainment will be available:
- If the scheduled final session of a match is completed before four frames are played and is less than 2 hours duration, or
- If the scheduled final session of the match does not take place.’
What is the alternative entertainment on Saturday?
A World Snooker Tour statement confirmed: ‘Fans with tickets to the Halo World Championship for the 2.30pm session on Saturday May 3rd will be treated to an exhibition featuring Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor as they look back on the 1985 Crucible final.
‘It’s 40 years since Taylor beat Davis 18-17 in the famous ‘black ball final’ and the two all-time legends will celebrate that extraordinary moment in British sport.
‘The exhibition will start at 2.30pm and run until approximately 4pm, including a short interval. For fans with hospitality tickets including Century Club, all timings remain the the same.’
The WST statement added: ‘As explained in our box office terms and conditions, we are unable to offer ticket refunds or exchanges.’
The In those terms and conditions, it reads: ‘We regret that tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase, except in the case of a materially altered or cancelled performance/event.’
The Ts&Cs also read: ‘Players appear circumstances permitting.
‘The Event Promoter reserves the right to amend or make alterations to the published details of the event as shall become necessary.’
On the specific situation on Saturday, and in response to fan disappointment of no refunds being offered, WST stated: ‘We are putting together a fantastic exhibition this afternoon featuring all-time snooker legends. We realise that fans come from all over the world to enjoy the Crucible experience so our intention is to provide the best possible entertainment in these circumstances. This is the first time in over a decade that a semi-final has finished a session early so it is a very rare occurrence and unfortunately beyond our control.’