The Betway UK Championship quarter-final between world No1 Mark Selby and the in-form John Higgins delivered on each stage – and in addition sparked a brand new storm over how reside snooker is roofed on the BBC.
Beginning at simply after 1pm the gamers, together with an interval and breaks between frames, had held the viewers spellbound for nearly 5 hours at York’s Barbican Centre.
Reigning world champion Mark Selby surged right into a 3-0 lead, earlier than letting Higgins off the hook and permitting the latest China Championship and Champion of Champions winner to claw his manner again.
So profitable was Higgins, a three-time UK winner, at this he took the lead at 4-3 and 5-4, earlier than the 33-year-old Selby, the 2012 UK champion, compelled a decider.
This gripping, gruelling denouement lasted over 46 minutes however with two reds left on the desk and Selby seemingly getting ready to victory the BBC2 protection left the motion, to go to the schedule Strictly: It Takes Two programme hosted by Zoe Ball.
The truth that it was in spite of everything Musicals Week on the smash hit gentle leisure present lower little ice with livid snooker followers who took to social media to voice their ire.
Feedback corresponding to “BBC reducing away from the snooker actually two seconds earlier than Selby performs the matchwinning shot at 5-5. Take all the game off them”, and “BBC You might be an absolute joke reducing off the snooker at this second” lit up Twitter.
Now this isn’t the primary time this has occurred, with protection beforehand disappearing for an eclectic mixture of programmes together with Coast, Eggheads and The Bushy Bikers.
And it needs to be identified that the on-site manufacturing firm IMG, who present in my very own view glorious protection and manufacturing values, wouldn’t have needed this to occur. If you work as exhausting as they do on the bottom for 9 days in York, you don’t need the match of the event taken off air with minutes to go along with so many viewers gripped.
Finally although it’s not their name, however that of the community bosses and schedule controllers at BBC2, and for them this determination seemed to be a no brainer. Replying to 1 offended viewer on Twitter, BBC presenter Jason Mohammad mentioned: “By no means simple Chris however we needed to go away for Strictly. Thanks for writing.”
But it surely isn’t what Jason needed, what IMG needed, what the commentators needed, or the tv viewers needed. Everybody has been let down.
It needs to be famous protection continued on the crimson button, however not everybody watching has entry to that.
And one key query is, in fact, would the identical factor have occurred if it had been an Andy Murray match in tennis. I believe not.
A fuller response was requested from the BBC press workplace by this correspondent and one other colleague.
When it arrived it shed little gentle on the choice. A BBC spokesperson mentioned: “We’re clearly upset that we weren’t capable of present the conclusion of this match on BBC Two however after extending protection for a couple of minutes we needed to swap to the scheduled reside Strictly It Takes Two so we continued protection of the snooker on the crimson button.”
Again to the match and Higgins was in no temper to speak afterwards, replying sarcastically to 1 query and noting: “I’d reasonably have misplaced 6-0 than 6-5 like that. How do you suppose I really feel after that finish to the match? Who cares if I confirmed combat, I nonetheless misplaced.”
Selby, who now performs Shaun Murphy on Saturday afternoon, mentioned: “John could be upset, however I’m unsure I’d be too upset in his place if I had received nicely over £300,000 within the final month as he has.
“I don’t learn about 33, I really feel about 53 after that. And admittedly if I had been the BBC I feel I’d have taken it off after that lengthy!”
