Judd Trump’s match was bizarrely interrupted by a fire alarm as chaos reigned over the first day of the English Open.
The alarm sounded during Trump 's match in the Brentwood Centre on a damaging day for the sport as snooker bosses suspended another player in an unprecedented match-fixing probe.
Snooker was reeling after Yan Bingtao became the seventh player suspended over match-fixing allegations upon his arrival in Brentwood. Former Masters champion Yan joined Chinese compatriots Lu Ning, Li Hang, Chang Bingyu, Bai Langning and Zhao Jianbo to be barred from competitions by the WPBSA governing body in recent days, amid the sport's biggest ever ongoing match-fixing investigation. The bans came after Liang Wenbo was also suspended back in October over a probe into unspecified "allegations of misconduct"
And in surreal scenes on Monday, Yan's table was left empty as York's Ashley Hugill was given a walkover into the next round. Later, players and spectators endured bitterly cold conditions as the opening day descended into a freezing farce.
Four-time world champion Mark Selby was seen desperately trying to warm up his hands after the heating stopped working at the venue - as the biting outside temperatures hit the arena.
Leicester's Selby was clearly perturbed by the conditions in his 4-3 victory over Noppon Saengkham - asking referee Tatiana Woollaston: “Will it be like this all day?” Members of the audience were left shivering in the crowd and Selby clutched hot drinks during his match in an attempt to keep his hands warm.
But in perhaps the most unusual incident of the day, Trump's opponent Jackson Page was left bewildered as a loud alarm went off as he played his shot in the deciding frame of the first round match.
Welshman Page was over his shot as the alarm went off, causing huge confusion amongst players and fans. Spectators were heading for the exit just before the piercing noise finally stopped.
Trump edged past his spirited opponent Page 4-3 to seal his spot in the next round. But the day will be most remembered for the chaos that ensued both on and off the table in Essex. Jimmy White lamented a dark day for the sport after top-16 player Yan became the most high profile player to be suspended from the tour amid the ongoing match-fixing investigation.
"It's a really bad day for snooker," White told Eurosport. "We obviously have to wait for the inquiry. This has to be out of the game, it has to be gone. You cannot have any crooked business in any sport, it has to be ironed out and I'm sure it will be."
