World Snooker Tour bosses have been forced to defend their staff after Barry Hawkins sensationally moaned the hallowed Crucible conditions resembled a chaotic ping-pong table.
The response follows the 46-year-old’s scrappy 10-4 victory over Welsh qualifier Matthew Stevens on Saturday.
Despite his first main-draw win since 2021, the No 11 seed bizarrely claimed "fresh air" ruined the cloth.
Refusing to ignore the veteran’s explosive outburst, a WST spokesperson said: “There are always challenges in providing the best possible conditions for players as there are many factors which affect this.”
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Standing behind their crew, they added: “Our dedicated team of table fitters work tirelessly in delivering the best possible conditions and they are constantly monitoring the tables.
“We have systems in place where players can give feedback after every match.”
Neither managed a century, with Hawkins peaking at 99. Infuriated by bouncy cushions, he said: “I don’t like slating the conditions, really, because the fitters do a great job.
Barry Hawkins defeated Matthew Stevens at the World Snooker Championship
|PA
“I don’t know if it’s their fault or not, but the cushions for day one, they’re just coming off so much quicker than they’re going on.
“It’s obviously hard to control the cue ball then, especially if you’re not cueing well and stuff. You lose the cue ball a bit more often.
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Elaborating further, he added: “It does take a bit of time. The best person who gets used to the table quickly that I’ve ever seen is Ronnie [O‘Sullivan]. He can adapt so quickly.
“When the balls are coming off fast, I mean I’ve seen a lot of players play shots and they’ve stopped in their tracks. They can’t believe where the white’s gone.
“So, it knocks your confidence a little bit and then, all of a sudden, you start second-guessing yourself how to play the shots.
“One minute you’re in position and the next minute you’re out of position. End of break.
“When you start getting in a flow and knocking breaks in and getting confidence and that’s when you see the big breaks going in.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be like when people are coming in on Tuesday when they’ve had four days’ play. It’s going to be like a ping-pong table.
“Maybe they’ll change the cushions. I don’t know. Sometimes they do. They have a spare set and a few days in, sometimes they’ll change.”