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World Championship referee banned from one snooker player's matches at the Crucible

Tatiana Woollaston is one of the top referees in snooker and has been taking charge of matches for the last few years - but she is banned from officiating in one player's matches

[Tatiana Woollaston looks on with Kyren Wilson at the table during last year's Crucible semi-final]

Tatiana Woollaston looks on with Kyren Wilson at the table during last year's Crucible semi-final(Image: Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images)

World Snooker Championship referee Tatiana Woollaston has been barred from officiating matches involving her husband, player Ben Woollaston.

Tatiana, a leading figure in snooker officiating, made her mark at the Crucible in 2020 during the pandemic. In a groundbreaking moment for her career at the 2024 World Championship, she refereed a semi-final on a single table for the first time, overseeing a battle between Kyren Wilson and David Gilbert.

Yet, with her other half and world No. 44 Ben Woollaston qualifying for his first World Championship in over a decade, organisers have understandably drawn a line to prevent any conflict of interest. Ben defeated four-time champ Mark Selby in the opening round, under the watchful eyes of someone other than his spouse.

Although it's part of the rules, Tatiana herself expressed during a prior UK Championship a final she officiated between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins that mixing their professional roles isn't something they usually do or she would want.

She said: "He's on the circuit as a player, I'm on the circuit as a referee. We've never really mix that. I'm obviously not allowed to referee his games and I wouldn't want to, to be fair."

[Ben Woollaston]

Tatiana's husband Ben plays snooker(Image: Getty Images)

Tatiana won't face any restrictions on her refereeing duties at the Crucible, even as her husband competes in the tournament.

She could potentially officiate while Ben plays, thanks to the two-table set-up used until the semi-finals, but it's unlikely she'll be placed in such a scenario, reports the Express.

Moreover, Tatiana is allowed to referee matches on the side of the draw where Ben is playing. For the 37 year old, simply making it to the Crucible is an achievement, given his struggle with a chronic-fatigue-like condition.

Despite concerns over his tour card, Ben has managed to maintain his professional status and, with improving health, aims to climb the snooker rankings.

[Tatiana Woollaston]

Tatiana Woollaston admits she wouldn't want to referee her husband's matches(Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

Reflecting on the challenging period, Tatiana expressed last year: "It's been a tough, tough time. It's taken a long time.

"At the start of this, he would always complain about the way he felt, then he went through a period where he thought people were fed up of hearing about him being ill and kept it to himself.

"But I knew he wasn't right, even though he wasn't mentioning it. But now he feels better in himself, he can practice longer hours, he can play with the kids more.

"It's been slow progress but he is definitely getting there. We can see that from his results."

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