Play suspended at Crucible after protester jumped on table mid-match and threw an orange substance everywhere; Just Stop Oil immediately claimed responsibility for the protest on their social media account; Mark Allen says “two idiots disrupted what should have been nice night of snooker”
Last Updated: 18/04/23 9:06am
Table one was deemed unplayable for the rest of Monday night after a protestor dumped an orange substance on the cloth at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield
Mark Allen said “two idiots disrupted what should have been a nice night of snooker” after a pair of protestors paused play at the World Championship in Sheffield on Monday evening.
A man wearing a ‘Just Stop Oil’ T-shirt threw an orange substance on the table as Robert Milkins and Joe Perry were about to play, while a woman was prevented from doing similar on the second table as Allen faced Fan Zhengyi after being tackled by referee Olivier Marteel.
Perry and Milkins were unable to resume their match on the night and will now recommence on Tuesday evening, but Allen completed a 10-5 victory over Fan after a delay of around 45 minutes.
Mark Allen clinched a 10-5 win over Fan Zhengyi once play resumed at The Crucible
Speaking afterwards, the world No 3 said of the protestors’ actions: “I don’t quite get it – I don’t know enough to have a valid opinion but I’d say there are better ways of going about it than disrupting a major sporting event.
“I feel like talking about it now is giving them airtime they don’t deserve, because it is two idiots disrupting what should have been a nice night of snooker.
“I’ve got to be honest, I was completely oblivious to what was going on, but fair play to Olivier (Marteel) and the security staff who were totally on the ball. It could have been a lot worse.
“You saw what happened on the other table and how much disruption it caused. I was quite chilled, I just waited in my dressing room and had a cup of tea.”
A 30-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were arrested
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, who was analysing for the BBC, said of the disruption: “I have never seen that before at a snooker event. It’s a first. It is scary – wow!”
South Yorkshire Police later confirmed a 30-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman had been arrested.
Just Stop Oil issued a statement which read: “At around 7:20pm, two Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, interrupting play.
“The pair proceeded to cover the tables in orange powder paint before being removed by security and arrested.
“They are demanding that the government immediately stop all new UK fossil fuel projects and are calling on UK sporting institutions to step into civil resistance against the government’s genocidal policies.”