World Snooker Championship star loses match after bizarre punishment | Other | Sport

Sam Craigie was docked a frame due to tardiness during his World Snooker Championship qualifier against German potter Umut Dikme. The Englishman went on to lose the match 10-9.

Craigie and Dikme duelled in what was the second round of Crucible qualifying. As the fifth frame approached, the scores were level at 2-2 and players were allowed a break. However, referee Nico De Vos adjudged that Craigie took too long to return to the table and handed the frame to his opponent. The clash continued, with Craigie at one stage holding a 9-7 lead in the race to 10. Alas, the Newcastle-born cueist fell in a deciding frame and his hopes of qualification were squashed.

Dikme, who mustered both a 103 and 96 break in this win, now faces a tall order in Jack Lisowski in his next match. If he is victorious, he would have to play one final qualifier on Judgement Day to make it to the Crucible. Elsewhere, Stuart Bingham progressed through to the final round, as did David Gilbert and Aaron Hill, who will now face off against one another.

China’s Chang Bingyu, who broke new ground when making the final of the Scottish Open in December, started off qualifying in the best possible manner by demolishing Prin Ratmukda 10-2.

However, unlike some of these stars, Craigie won’t get the chance to compete for a place at the tournament proper in Sheffield. The 32-year-old continues to recover from a severe neck injury. Craigie said in June: “For around a year, I had been in and out of the GP for shoulder pain. In June 2024, I was sent for an X-ray and MRI where I found I had a tear.

“From around then the pain became almost permanent. Once the season finished, I decided to see an orthopaedic surgeon who informed me the pain in my shoulder was most likely coming from my neck, which was confirmed by an MRI, showing I had a slipped disc.

“I then decided to go forward with the surgery in July as the pain was unbearable. I was discharged the following day, thinking I would be back to full health a few weeks after the surgery. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“The following months, I couldn’t do much at all. I wasn’t sure if I’d even play snooker again. Around January 2025, I started thinking about snooker seriously again and slowly started having a few hours of practice.

“It was hard to commit to it due to still being in some pain while playing. A couple of months ago I started taking it seriously again. My Tour Card has been confirmed so now I can get my head down and look forward to what the future holds.”