Selby stunned by close friend Woollaston as family rivalry erupts at Crucible

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Ben Woollaston’s victory over Mark Selby at the World Snooker Championship sent shockwaves through the Crucible, as the four-time champion was toppled 10-8 by the world No.44 in a gripping contest that finished after midnight.

This marked Selby’s second straight first-round exit to a fellow Leicester player, following last year’s defeat to Joe O’Connor, and added a new chapter to the rivalry between two close practice partners whose families share strong ties. Woollaston’s wife, Tatiana, a leading snooker referee, and their son Edward were in the audience, witnessing the dramatic upset unfold.

After the match, Tatiana took to social media, beginning her post with a ‘can’t look’ emoji and sharing, “That was me all evening… Wonderful words of congratulations from both Mark and Vikki to me and Edward after the match.” Selby showed humility in defeat, acknowledging, “It was tough from start to finish. I didn’t play anywhere near where I can play and probably didn’t deserve to win. Ben played some good match snooker and his safety was second to none. I threw a lot of frames away. I came here with a bit of confidence, but didn’t expect to play like that.”

For Woollaston, who has battled a persistent fatigue-like illness since a Covid jab four years ago, the win was monumental, saying, “I’m in shock really. I never thought this day would come, winning a match at the Crucible, and against Mark, who except for Ronnie O’Sullivan is probably the king of the Crucible in recent times.

It’s an amazing win for me.” If both prevail in their next matches, Woollaston could face O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals, while Tatiana, as per tournament rules, will not officiate any of her husband’s matches, explaining, “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.”

Tatiana’s other duties at the Crucible remain unchanged as long as Ben continues in the tournament, and with the two-table format in place until the semi-finals, it’s unlikely she’ll referee while Ben is playing, though the possibility technically remains.