World Seniors Championship star pulls out of tournament as he’s left ‘gobsmacked’ | Other | Sport
Alfie Burden has withdrawn from the World Seniors Snooker 900 after being left ‘gobsmacked’ over what happened on Thursday night. Burden, who won last year’s World Seniors Championship, was knocked out of the tournament by Igor Figueiredo in a 4-0 whitewash. It saw the Brazilian player advance to the quarter-finals at the expense of the defending champion.
Stevens attempted to pot a red, only to see both red and white jump off the baize. They were forced to wait until the conclusion of Ali Carter and Roger Farebrother’s match to resume their clash on the other table.
As a result, Burden and Figueiredo were relegated to a backstage practice table and the defending champion wasn’t happy about it.
Snooker Goths, a pair of dedicated long-time fans who attend most major tournaments, said they spoke to Burden after the match and that he was left ‘somewhere between heartbroken and gobsmacked’.
They also said that he had pulled out of the 900 and that he had tried to refuse to play against Figueiredo on the backstage table but was forced to carry on.
Burden wasn’t the only one to have been left frustrated, with a number of fans voicing their displeasure on social media.
@Martin_Cleary1 wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “You’d have to feel for Alfie Burden and Igor Figueiredo, having to play their match back stage in the practice area on account of the unplayable table two.”
@Guinness1968 added: “Held over until tomorrow once table issues resolved would have been the correct thing to do. Relegating the current champion to a practice table is very poor.”
@MattA233, meanwhile, said: “Surely the reigning champion should have been on the main table this evening?”
@PLTheLegend fumed: “Alfie Burden is meant to be the defending World Seniors Champion. His shouldn’t be a match being played in the practice room.”
In a statement, the World Seniors Tour confirmed the faulty table would be replaced by a fresh one in time for Friday’s matches.
