Alfie Burden was compelled to play on a observe desk regardless of being the reigning champion.
Alfie Burden was compelled to play his match in opposition to Igor Figueiredo out of sight (Picture: Getty)
Alfie Burden has withdrawn from the World Seniors Snooker 900 after being left ‘gobsmacked’ over what occurred on Thursday night time. Burden, who received final 12 months’s World Seniors Championship, was knocked out of the match by Igor Figueiredo in a 4-0 whitewash. It noticed the Brazilian participant advance to the quarter-finals on the expense of the defending champion.
The match was performed behind closed doorways in a backstage observe space as a result of one of many predominant tables being in an unplayable situation. It got here to the eye of organisers when a weird incident happened throughout Matthew Stevens’ match in opposition to Dominic Dale, when the pair had been compelled to cease due to a fault with the desk.
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Stevens tried to pot a crimson, solely to see each crimson and white soar off the baize. They had been compelled to attend till the conclusion of Ali Carter and Roger Farebrother’s match to renew their conflict on the opposite desk.
In consequence, Burden and Figueiredo had been relegated to a backstage observe desk and the defending champion wasn’t glad about it.
Snooker Goths, a pair of devoted long-time followers who attend most main tournaments, mentioned they spoke to Burden after the match and that he was left ‘someplace between heartbroken and gobsmacked’.
Burden wasn’t the one one to have been left pissed off, with plenty of followers voicing their displeasure on social media.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Resulting from a fault with Desk Two, there will probably be no additional play on it this night.
Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale will conclude their match on Desk One following Ali Carter v Roger Farebrother.
Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo will play at 9pm BST in a personal… pic.twitter.com/mtJoU45Ka4
— World Seniors Snooker Tour (@WorldSeniors) Might 7, 2026
@Martin_Cleary1 wrote on X (previously Twitter): “You’d should really feel for Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo, having to play their match again stage within the observe space on account of the unplayable desk two.”
@Guinness1968 added: “Held over till tomorrow as soon as desk points resolved would have been the right factor to do. Relegating the present champion to a observe desk could be very poor.”
@MattA233, in the meantime, mentioned: “Absolutely the reigning champion ought to have been on the principle desk this night?”
@PLTheLegend fumed: “Alfie Burden is supposed to be the defending World Seniors Champion. His should not be a match being performed within the observe room.”
In a press release, the World Seniors Tour confirmed the defective desk would get replaced by a contemporary one in time for Friday’s matches.
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