{"id":2687,"date":"2026-05-03T16:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T16:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2687"},"modified":"2026-05-03T16:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T16:03:48","slug":"world-snooker-championship-final-halted-due-to-protester-as-bbc-apologise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2687","title":{"rendered":"World Snooker Championship final halted due to protester as BBC apologise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_5f510e\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">The World Snooker Championship final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize at the Crucible Theatre had to be stopped on Sunday afternoon due to a protester<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">14:34, 03 May 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 15:10, 03 May 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37104970\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A protester halts the World Snooker Championship final match between Wu Yize and Shaun Murphy\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104970.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2274289453.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104970.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_GettyImages-2274289453.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104970.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_GettyImages-2274289453.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104970.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2274289453.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"A protester halted the World Snooker Championship final match between Wu Yize and Shaun Murphy\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">A protester halted the World Snooker Championship final match between Wu Yize and Shaun Murphy<cite aria-label=\"Image: (George Wood\/Getty Images)\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: (George Wood\/Getty Images))<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The World Snooker Championship final had to be halted after a protester attempted to make her way to the table. A female protester shouting &#8216;nobody pay their TV licences&#8217;, jumped on to the arena floor before being apprehended by referee Rob Spencer as both Wu Yize and Shaun Murphy watched on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The time of stoppage came during the third frame, with Wu leading 2-0 at the time. And although Wu was forced to step back while first Spencer and then security staff dealt with the protester, it wasn\u2019t long before he was back playing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">One member of the crowd could be heard saying, \u201cWell done, ref!\u201d while those in attendance applauded the efforts of Spencer and the security staff. On BBC commentary of the match, John Parrott said: \u201cYeah, sorry for that minor disturbance. It is all sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The &#8216;minor disturbance&#8217; comes just 24 hours on from another member of the crowd being ejected from the venue for shouting &#8216;never forget the Epstein Files&#8217; before the deciding frame between Wu and Mark Allen. Their semi-final was similarly halted and referee Marcel Eckardt addressed the crowd and proclaimed: &#8220;Can you get this person out please, now please.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Once they were removed, TNT commentator Philip Studd said: &#8220;That&#8217;s person seen the last of snooker for quite a while, I think.&#8221; Wu booked his place in today\u2019s final, having played out a Crucible classic against Allen on Saturday night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MirrorSport#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_0548ba\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Ronnie O&#8217;Sullivan&#8217;s financial gesture speaks volumes after World Snooker Championship exit<\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_0548ba\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Crushed BBC stars react as Mark Allen suffers World Snooker Championship heartbreak<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Allen missed a simple black to book his place in his first World Snooker Championship final before falling 17-16 to Wu in one of the most dramatic last-four finishes in Crucible history. The 40-year-old Antrim man had the match at his mercy when he got on top of an error-strewn 32nd frame and required just the black off its spot to wrap up a 17-15 win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Speaking after his defeat, Allen said: \u201cYou don\u2019t deserve to be in a world final if you\u2019re missing balls like that. It was just pure pressure, to be honest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cEven though I\u2019m devastated to lose that match I think the right person\u2019s in the final. The way he plays is great for the game, he scores heavily and pots some ridiculous long balls. He\u2019s going to win many world titles.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37104594\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37104594\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.4\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mark Allen missed looks on \" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104594.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Halo-World-Snooker-Championship-2026-Day-Fifteen-The-Crucible.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104594.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Halo-World-Snooker-Championship-2026-Day-Fifteen-The-Crucible.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104594.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Halo-World-Snooker-Championship-2026-Day-Fifteen-The-Crucible.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37104594.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Halo-World-Snooker-Championship-2026-Day-Fifteen-The-Crucible.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mark Allen missed out on the 2026 World Snooker Championship final in devastating fashion\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mark Allen missed out on the 2026 World Snooker Championship final in devastating fashion<cite aria-label=\"Image: Richard Sellers\/PA Wire\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Richard Sellers\/PA Wire)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">While Murphy booked his place in today\u2019s final after twice overturning a two-frame deficit in the final session to beat John Higgins 17-15. Murphy was forced to dredge up his best form to see off the 50-year-old Scot in a titanic tussle that looked nailed-on for a decider until Higgins fluffed a black on a break of 50.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Higgins\u2019 miss gave Murphy a chance, and despite a rare miss with the rest, he seized on a second chance to clear the black and give himself a shot at a first title since his solitary win in 2005. And he said: \u201cI just came out today knowing if I got my chances I could score.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;At the interval I was just saying to myself, \u2018you\u2019ve done it before, now you can do it again\u2019. But John Higgins \u2013 what a player and what a man.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The harder it gets out there, the tougher he gets and the better he plays. If I\u2019m half the player when I\u2019m in my 50s, I\u2019ll be very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article33404045.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside <!-- -->Formula 1, darts and golf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Snooker Championship final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize at the Crucible Theatre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}