Update: Why World Snooker Championship referee is banned from officiating one player at the Crucible News

Tatiana Woollaston made her Crucible debut in 2020 – and remains one of the top referees in snooker – but she’s banned from officiating in her husband Ben’s matches.

A top World Snooker Championship referee, Tatiana Woollaston, is prohibited from officiating matches involving a particular player – her husband. Tatiana, who is among the elite officials in snooker, made her first appearance at the Crucible during the pandemic-impacted 2020 tournament.

In last year’s championship, the 38-year-old Belarusian presided over a single-table match at the Crucible for the first time, taking charge of the semi-final clash between Kyren Wilson, who went on to win the title, and David Gilbert. However, with her husband Ben Woollaston, ranked 44th in the world, qualifying for the Crucible, Tatiana is barred from refereeing his games – a rule which she agrees with.

Ben faced Mark Selby in the opening round, marking his first World Championship showing in over a decade.

Speaking before last year’s UK Championship final, which she officiated between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins, Tatiana 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.”

However, referee Tatiana doesn’t face further restrictions while her husband Ben is competing in the tournament. The current layout at the iconic Crucible allows for two tables to be in use up until the semi-finals, meaning she could hypothetically officiate while he’s playing, although such a situation is unlikely to arise, reports The Express.

Tatiana also remains eligible to oversee fixtures within the same section of the draw as Ben.

Ben finds himself just behind four-time world title holder Mark Selby with a score of 5-4 after the opening session in the first round, aiming to conclude on a positive note Thursday night.