With celebrities aplenty in attendance and a protester bursting on to the hallowed Crucible floor, at one stage on Sunday there threatened to be more headlines off the baize than on it during the opening half of snooker’s two-day extravaganza to crown its world champion.
But by Sunday evening and as the halfway point of the final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize approached, both competitors ensured all the talk will be about what is to follow on Monday afternoon and evening inside one of sport’s most famous buildings.
