World Snooker Championship 2023 protest: Just Stop Oil activists invade the Crucible and throw powder on table

Updated 17/04/2023 at 21:42 GMT

An invasion by Just Stop Oil activists at the World Snooker Championship caused play to be suspended on Monday night. During the early stages of the 19:00 session, a man jumped on Table 1 and threw orange powder on the table. At the same time, a woman tried to get onto the baize of Table 2, only to be pulled away by referee Olivier Marteel. Play was stopped on both tables.

Shocking scenes as 'Just Stop Oil' protestor covers table with orange powder

Just Stop Oil protesters invaded the Crucible at the World Championship on Monday evening, with a man climbing on to the table during the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry and covering it in orange power.

On the other table, where Mark Allen was playing the final session of his match against Fan Zhengyi, a woman tried to get on the baize but was pulled away by referee Olivier Marteel. Both matches were immediately suspended, with the players leaving the arena.

Milkins had just fouled when potting the green early in the first frame when a man jumped on the table and threw the powder.

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Just Stop Oil confirmed they caused the incident in a statement: "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."

Play resumed in the Table 2 match between Allen and Fan just before 20:00 BST with the players getting a standing ovation from the Crucible crowd, with MC Rob Walker saying "this great event stops for no one". Table 1 was covered, with Eurosport expert Dominic Dale suggesting the cloth would need replacing.

The divide was lifted between the two tables so the fans could watch the Allen v Fan match. Allen joked to the crowd "I don't know what the fuss was all about" after potting the first ball on resumption. He then went on to make a century which was, technically, the longest in Crucible history.

WST later confirmed that the match between Milkins and Perry would now begin on Tuesday at 19:00 BST, at the time their second session was originally scheduled.

The second session of the Milkins v Perry match will take place on Thursday at 09:30 BST, when no morning play was originally going to be held.

Referee Marteel wrestles Just Stop Oil protestor off table

'Shocking' incident at the Crucible

“That table is damaged, it’s going to take a few hours to re-cloth that, to get that table back to playing condition,” said Eurosport expert Jimmy White. “It’s going to mess up the whole schedule. Shocking."

Alan McManus added: “First of all they will have to assess is it a liquid or dust? They will have a 5-10 minute assessment of what it is.

“If it requires a new bed cloth and new cushions, it will be at least a couple of hours. Maybe they would have cushions that have been re-covered and ready to go."

Watching the incident, Eurosport commentator David Hendon reacted: "We’ve never seen the like of this before. There’s orange powder all over the table. Play will have to be suspended.

"It's an unprecedented incident. We've been coming to the Crucible since 1977, we've never seen anything like this before."

Dale added: "I don’t know how they are going to sort this out. I think they will have to start this whole match again now, what can you do?

"I honestly don’t think they can continue the match this evening. For me, they are going to have re-cloth this table. I don’t think you could ever play on this cloth anymore.

"Look at the state of the table, that would have gone inside the cloth, under the cloth, in the slate, cushions will have to be removed. You’re going to have to replace the cloth, there’s no doubt about that.”