The English referee will take charge of the biggest match in world snooker at the Crucible on Sunday but was forced into an apology earlier in the tournament
World Snooker referee Rob Spencer(Image: Getty Images)
Top referee Rob Spencer will take charge of Sunday’s World Championship final, but earlier in the tournament he was forced into an awkward on-table apology after a small blunder at the Crucible.
After World Snooker Championship got underway at the iconic Crucible Theatre with 32 players chasing the sport’s biggest prize, Spencer found himself at the centre of an early talking point.
The incident came during Zhao Xintong’s opening-round clash with qualifier Liam Highfield, as the defending champion began his bid to retain the title he won 12 months earlier.
Their match, a best-of-19 frames contest, required 10 frames for victory, with nine scheduled for the opening session. But confusion arose ahead of frame eight when Spencer mistakenly announced it would be the last of the session.
“Thank you, the final frame of the session,” he told the Crucible crowd – only to quickly realise his error.
After a brief pause, the experienced official corrected himself.
“Oh, hang on. No. No, it isn’t. No. Sorry,” he said.
“I’m stuck from the other week, aren’t I? Correction – the eighth frame. Liam Highfield to break.”
The slip appeared to reference Spencer’s recent officiating duties at the Tour Championship in Manchester, and it drew a warm reaction from the crowd, who saw the lighter side.
Highfield, making his first Crucible appearance in four years, was quick to point out the mix-up before play resumed.
The tournament has since built to its climax, with Spencer now handed officiating duties for Sunday’s final – a sign of the high regard in which he is still held despite his early-tournament slip.
Speaking ahead of the tournament after being granted the final, Spencer said: “It is a massive personal achievement. Anything you do, you always strive to get to the top.
“The World Championship final is always the top refereeing match. When you start it is a dream, you don’t expect to do it, as that would be like a footballer saying they want to play in the Premier League the first time they kick a ball. It is what you aspire towards.
“You always have nerves around every single match, which is a good thing. Anybody who says they aren’t nervous, I don’t believe them. There is adrenaline building before you go out there. It will be the realisation that I’ve achieved it and it won’t seem real until I’m stood there and announced into the arena. That is when it will become reality. I can’t wait.
“I first came across snooker at 13 years of age. My friend and I walked into a snooker club in Stockport and it was like going through to Narnia in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was like this magical place. It was full of all these people playing this game. We just sat in there and watched, then went back the next week to have a game ourselves. I fell in love with the sport there and then.”