World Snooker Championship Sets Unwanted Record with Nearly 2-Hour Single Frame
A World Snooker Championship semi-final in Sheffield set an unwanted record when a single frame took over 100 minutes due to balls clustering around a pocket, forcing players into cautious play for nearly an hour.
The 2026 World Snooker Championship semi-final between Mark Allen of Northern Ireland and Wu Yize of China at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on May 1 produced an unwanted record. During frame 14, with Allen leading 43-13, eight remaining red balls clustered around a single pocket, while a black ball sat at the pocket entrance. This forced Allen and Wu to alternate cautious shots for 55 minutes to avoid hitting the black ball, with referee Marcel Eckardt declining to restart the frame. After Allen finally potted a red into the black ball, Wu won the frame 88-66, but it took a record 100 minutes and 19 seconds to complete—breaking the previous championship record of 85 minutes and 22 seconds set by Mark Selby and Ding Junhui in 2022. The match ended the second session tied 7-7 at just 14 frames total instead of the scheduled 16, prompting criticism from various parties who called the situation embarrassing and called for rule improvements. The World Snooker organization responded by defending the referee's application of the rules, confirming that procedures were followed correctly.
