Hearn issues apology to Crucible duo as showdown heads towards tense finish

SNOOKER supremo Barry Hearn has apologised to Graeme Dott and Neil Robertson after their World Championship final was caught up in the John Higgins frame-fixing storm.

The pair cued off their Betfred.com World Championship final on Sunday with the sport in turmoil after allegations defending champion Higgins, along with his manager Pat Mooney, had agreed to lose four frames in tournaments later this year.

They were filmed by undercover News of the World reporters in a meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, last Friday allegedly agreeing to the shady deal, but Higgins has since denied he has done anything wrong and feared for his safety from the Russian mafia.

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Locked at 9-7 overnight, the pair came out yesterday and shared six frames in a gruelling session to finish 12-10 ahead of the final evening session, before Robertson eventually won 18-13.

Dott, who is also managed by Mooney – who has resigned as a World Professional Billiards Snooker Association director in the aftermath of the allegations – finally compiled a century break in the 22nd frame for the first 100-plus score of the final.

But WPBSA chairman Hearn apologised to the duo for having their showcase final ruined by off-the-table headlines.

Speaking before yesterday's action to a packed media conference, Hearn said: "There is no place in our sport for the sort of behaviour which is in question at this time.

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"It is with sadness that this has happened at all, but especially so when we are at our blue riband event, the biggest final in our game.

"Out of respect for Graeme Dott and Neil Robertson, who are contesting an excellent final, I am very sorry this has happened which in any way takes away some of the glory away from those players that they deserve so richly. And more importantly, the respect that their ability on the snooker table has shown they have earned.

"I would like to congratulate both players that they have kept their resolve and are providing excellent entertainment for millions of fans around the world."

The final was a landmark moment for both players.

It was Australian Robertson's first Crucible final, while Dott – a former World Champion – had to battle through the qualifiers to reach the televised stages after slipping out of the elite top-16 rankings.

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Only two other qualifiers, Terry Griffiths (1979) and Shaun Murphy (2005) had ever triumphed at the Crucible.

The players traded the first two frames of the evening session to go 13-11, Robertson - whose mother was in the audience after flying over from Australia for the match - knocking in breaks of 55 and 51.

The match had developed into a cat-and-mouse affair, Dott unable to win successive frames so the two-frame deficit remained.

The 32-year-old 2006 champion took frame 25 with a 57 break, only for Robertson to scramble back with a 55 effort to move into the mid-session interval 14-12.

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Twenty-five years ago Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor's final dragged on until 1.10am and this marathon contest looked to be heading for a similar climax.

Grand Prix champion Robertson, 28, needed just four frames when they resumed to become the first overseas player since Cliff Thornburn in 1980 to be crowned world champion.

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