Ronnie O’Sullivan has been knocked out of the World Snooker Championship by amateur player James Cahill. The 23 year-old from Blackpool is the first non-professional player to qualify for the Crucible and he beat the world number one by 10 frames to 8. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Cahill after the match.
Reigning World Snooker Champion Mark Selby retained his title after beating former title-holder John Higgins. Snooker fans witnessed a spectacular final at the Crucible, with a controversial decision over the black ball in the 31st frame. Selby goes into the book of legends alongside the likes of Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry who have also won back to back titles. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Higgins and Selby after the match.
Commentator, coach and former world champion Terry Griffiths looks back on 40 years of World Snooker in Sheffield. Griffiths won the World Snooker Championship in 1979 at one of the earliest tournaments at the Crucible. He is coach to 2017 semi-finalists Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui. Sheffield Live reporter Azz Mohammed spoke with Terry Griffiths about how the game has changed.
The head of World Snooker Barry Hearn has defended himself against charges of bullying aired by snooker star, Ronnie O’Sullivan. Hearn responded at a press conference in which he rejected the allegations, adding “I don’t like being called a bully”. Discussing the future of the game, he predicted Europe as well as China will have a big say in shaping its direction. Hearn also announced that the the prize fund for the World Snooker Championship is set to increase again in 2018, with the winner to receive a whopping £425,000, an increase of £50,000 on 2017. Hearn spoke to Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake.
Aussie snooker star Neil Robertson was edged out of the World Championship in a closely fought battle with Marco Fu. Before the match Robertson spoke to Sheffield Live! about his Aussie temperament, the buzz of The Crucible and which players he believes pose the strongest challenge. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Bookies favourite Judd Trump faced a surprise challenge from world number 54 Rory McLeod in the World Snooker Championship 2017. In an interview with Sheffield Live! on the eve of the tournament, Trump reflected on being the poster boy for the next generation, nights out in Sheffield, and the challenges of a big tournament. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
This year, John Higgins won his third ‘World Snooker Championship’ in front of an excited audience at the Sheffield Crucible. A few days later he spoke to Paul Gregory and Kevin Resley from our flagship news program ‘Communities Live’ and discussed the challenge of winning a third world title and why Sheffield is so important to the sport of snooker.
You can listen back to the full recording now by visiting our brand new interview section.