Tabb To Referee Second World Final

Top referee Michaela Tabb was given the news recently that she will be officiating her second Betfred.com World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield next month.

Ever since being recruited by the WPBSA in 2001, the professional Pool and Snooker referee Michaela Tabb has been on the fast-track to the top echelons of the sport, having officiated many major finals before, the first being Neil Robertson's 9-8 victory over Andrew Higginson at the 2007 Welsh Open.

Two years later the she would get to fulfill one of her greatest ambitions to referee the final of the 2009 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship where fellow Scot John Higgins beat Shaun Murphy 18-9 to capture his third world title.

It was announced today by World Snooker that the popular referee would now be refereeing her second world final at the Crucible Theatre on the 6th & 7th of May next month.

"I was absolutely elated when I found out I was doing it again this year," she said. "I loved it when I did the final in 2009. It went really well for me without any mistakes so I just hope it will be the same this time.

"It's such a huge tournament with a lot of history and potentially hundreds of millions of people watching on television. And there's no venue like the Crucible in terms of the atmosphere. When it falls silent it is so intense.

"The good thing about the Crucible is that once you get to the semi-finals and the one table set-up, you breathe a sigh of relief because there is so much more room to move around. In the early rounds it's really difficult because it is so tight for space.

"Sometimes you have to stand in the wrong place because you've just got no choice, otherwise you'd bump into a wall or one of the cameramen. Once you get to the one table set-up it's much easier to concentrate on the match as you have to think less about your position."

Tabb is one of the most successful female officials in sport, and has paved the way for more female snooker referees, including China's Zhu Ying who has established herself on the pro circuit this season.

"It's amazing to see the difference between now and how things were when I started, when refereeing was dominated by men, and I'm very proud of the part I have played in that," Tabb added. Quotes - World Snooker

Tickets for selected sessions are still on sale - BOOK NOW by calling 0844 6565 147 or visiting sheffieldtheatres.co.uk