Shot clocks, slow play and toilet breaks. At least the aftermath of the Graeme Dott-Peter Ebdon trial of stamina was more entertaining than the contest itself.
While the match lurched on into a third session, it stopped mercifully short of going into a third day - finishing 30 minutes before midnight with Dott recording a 10-6 victory.
Thankfully, 438 minutes of tedium at an average of over 27 minutes per frame did not dull Dott’s irritation at the go-slow tactics of his opponent.
Nap time: Graeme Dott rests his eyes during his win over Peter Ebdon which lasted for more than seven hours
Dott said: ‘If anybody tags me for that match being slow, I’ll sue them. I don’t know what my average shot time was but it would probably have been half of what Peter’s was. He must have taken a minute for each shot.
‘I like Peter so I want to choose my words carefully, but there should be a rule brought in for slow play. He’s not cheating. He’s well within his rights to take as long as he wants but because he was taking that long, I actually spent some of my time out there trying to think up a rule.
‘You can’t say to somebody “We’ll give you a minute to play a shot” because Peter will take a minute. He’ll run the clock down and take a full minute so that wouldn’t solve it. And for some shots even Ronnie O’Sullivan would need more than 30 seconds, for example.
‘But it’s killing the game and it’s not just Peter. He gets tagged with it but there are other players who are high up the rankings who I think take liberties, which I think is wrong.’
Dott was also upset with Ebdon’s habit of taking a toilet break between frames, including one that lasted four minutes and 15 seconds just one frame before a scheduled 20-minute interval. Referee Terry Camilleri said nothing to Ebdon.
Notorious: Ebdon is renowned for his slow play but was knocked out
Dott added: ‘The problem is, referees back in the day would have said: “Listen, Peter, you need to hurry this on a bit here.” The referees nowadays don’t say anything. I know they warned Dean Reynolds in the past and they warned Chris Small. I’ve never seen anybody in this day and age get warned. It doesn’t happen.
‘I asked the referee when he went to the toilet: “How long is he going to be in the toilet?” and he went: “Yeah, I know, It’s bad isn’t it?”
‘There isn’t a rule for toilet breaks so Peter isn’t breaking any rules. But there should be a rule. Referees back in the day were harder. I remember John Williams saying to Quinten Hann: “No, play on. You’re not going to the toilet. You’ve just been to the toilet.” Or Len Ganley would have said something.
‘That wouldn’t happen nowadays. The referees nowadays don’t want any controversy.
‘Or maybe they are not experienced enough to know when somebody is taking too long to play a shot. If a player refereed, he would say: “Listen, you’ve taken 40 seconds here, there’s nothing to think about."
Get a move on? Dott looks on as Ebdon takes his time over a shot during their match
Those hardy souls who stayed on at The Crucible to witness the third session of the match were grateful in the end for a 100 break by Dott, which clinched victory in the quickest frame (16 minutes) of the contest.
Belying his turtle-like movement around the snooker table, Ebdon’s reply was sharp and laced with quick-witted repartee.
He said: ‘Personally I think Graeme went for some crazy balls against me. Maybe he took the criticism after our 2006 final too much to heart and has changed his game. If that has happened then that is very sad - and probably to his detriment.
‘A shot-clock at the Crucible would be ridiculous. They would be treading on very dodgy ground and affecting a professional’s livelihood.
‘I am just out there trying for my life. If fans don’t want to see people trying their heart out at the World Championships then they should go and watch something else. Or play themselves and see if they can do better.’
Prevailed: Dott. in the end, saw off Ebdon 10-6 to move through to the second round
Not my fault: Dott claimed he would sue anyone who blames him for the match being slow
What will happen remains to be seen. Snooker supremo Barry Hearn suggested that changes will be minimal.
‘We would be opposed to a shot-clock in the World Championships on a matter of principle. I don’t think it requires that,’ said Hearn.
He added: ‘However I do agree with a lot of what Graeme Dott is saying and it is something we have to take up with the referees who are the custodians of the game during play. We don’t want slow play.
‘If the referees are not interpreting the rules correctly, or if the right rules aren’t there, it is up to us to put it right. I heard about the very long toilet break as well and that is disgraceful.’