A husband and wife will both be part of the show at the UK Championship as Judd Trump looks to defend his title
A leading snooker referee is prevented from officiating matches for one player at the UK Championship due to being married to him. Tatiana Woollaston, 38, will serve as one of the officials at the opening Triple Crown tournament of the season, which kicks off on Saturday.
Another Woollaston will also feature at York Barbican, spouse Ben, who secured his spot in the 32-player field after successfully navigating the qualifying rounds earlier this week.
He is now anticipating a first-round match against three-time UK champion John Higgins on Saturday night. But there is absolutely no possibility of Tatiana overseeing the encounter, not that she would want to.
She told the Mirror before last year’s UK Championship that they attempt to keep their snooker careers completely apart. She said: “He’s on the circuit as a player, I’m on the circuit as a referee. We’ve never really mix that. I’m obviously not allowed to referee his games and I wouldn’t want to, to be fair.”
READ MORE: Snooker star’s wife gets seal of approval for Judd Trump and Mark Selby interventionREAD MORE: World Snooker Championship’s star’s wife is Crucible referee who works full-time for Next
No additional limitations exist on Tatiana’s tournament responsibilities while Ben remains in the event. Given the two-table arrangement remains until the semi-final stage, she could theoretically referee while Ben competes, though she’s unlikely to find herself in such a position. Tatiana is also permitted to oversee matches in her husband’s section of the draw.
She enjoyed the privilege of officiating last year’s UK final between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins. Ben, the world number 37, arrived in York on a high after a thrilling final qualifying round triumph over fellow Leicester potter Joe O’Connor, battling back from 4-1 down to clinch a 6-5 victory.
Following a marathon 67-minute final frame that concluded past midnight, Ben said: “That was probably the craziest match I have ever been involved in.
“I played really well from 4-1 down but it felt everything was going against me. Then Joe had me in a lot of trouble when he needed snookers at the end. I have lost a lot of deciders this season so it’s nice to win one like that.”
World number one Trump kicks off his title defence against Stephen Maguire on Saturday afternoon. World champion Zhao Xintong, the 2021 UK champion, launches his campaign against fellow Chinese star Long Zehuang on Monday.
Eight-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Zhou Yuelong on Tuesday. The Rocket, who relocated to Dubai earlier this year, is making his first appearance of the season in the UK, having only played in Saudi Arabia and China events so far. The final will take place on Sunday, December 7, two days after O’Sullivan’s 50th birthday.
