Judd Trump urges snooker bosses to stamp out ‘darts atmosphere’ at top events

Judd Trump has urged snooker's authorities to act immediately to stamp out rowdy fan behaviour and avoid fostering a "darts atmosphere" at the sport's biggest events.

Trump was visibly annoyed after a spectator shouted "can't miss that Judd" during a crucial phase of his World Snooker Championship semi-final defeat by Mark Williams at the Crucible.

The world No 1 was trailing 14-11 when he potted a superb long red and an incredibly thin brown to get back into prime position, only to miss a relatively simple red to allow Williams to make another frame-winning contribution.

"We don't really want the darts atmosphere," Trump said when asked about the incident following his 17-14 defeat.

"It's something we need to stamp out immediately. It's a little annoying and hopefully we can stamp it out."

Trump made no excuses for his defeat and was full of praise for the performance of his 50-year-old opponent, who will aim to become the oldest world champion in tournament history when he faces China's Zhao Xintong in the best-of-35-frame final on Monday and Tuesday.

Williams typically had a more relaxed attitude to the subject of fans shouting out during play, insisting: "It makes no difference to me.

"I play in a club which is loud and noisy. I used to play in a club donkey's years ago where they're fighting around my table at 10, 11 o'clock in the morning.

"They can shout whatever they want when I'm at the table, makes no difference to me."

PA