Michaela Tabb shows her true colours after officiating last ever frame at The Crucible
Michaela Tabb refereed her final frame of snooker at the Crucible Theatre on Sunday, with the 57-year-old bringing an end to her traditional snooker career in Sheffield
Michaela Tabb, the legendary snooker referee, has hung up her gloves from the traditional form of the game following her final match at the Crucible Theatre.
The pioneering 57 year old called time on her illustrious career after officiating the first five frames of the World Seniors Snooker Tour (WSST) final between Alfie Burden and Aaron Canavan this past Sunday, closing a chapter on her significant contribution to the sport.
Tabb made history as the first woman to referee a world ranking tournament and further cemented her legacy by becoming the first female to oversee a World Championship final at the renowned Crucible in 2009.
After the initial frames of the WSST final, she handed over duties to Proletina Velichkova. Tabb's decision to retire was influenced by her desire to give room for the next wave of female referees to emerge.
Ahead of her final appearance in Sheffield, Tabb shared her thoughts: "I'm excited to hang up my gloves if I'm being honest, for traditional snooker. I think I've done my time.", reports Wales Online.
She expressed her readiness to step aside and enjoy watching others take the lead, particularly in light of another female referee taking charge of the main World Championships final: "I'm getting to an age where it would be nice to watch other people doing that, especially after seeing another female coming up now and refereeing the final at the main World Championships."
Reflecting on the progress made, she added: "It's been like 15 years that we've been waiting for that to sort of happen. So I'm happy now to let the young guns do it.
"I will still work with Snooker Legends and I'll still do the 900 but for traditional snooker, my day will be finished. I feel emotional even just talking about it to be honest."
She reflected on her accomplishments with heartfelt sentiment: "Honestly, it could make me cry, and I was so lucky to have two finals and so many other matches as well."
Having been fast-tracked onto the ranking circuit back in 2002, Tabb made her mark by refereeing the 2009 and 2012 Crucible finals. The Scots ref from Somerset decided to part ways with the World Snooker Tour (WST) in March 2015 after a commendable 14 years of dedication.
Her standout officiating skills and tenure have opened doors for more women in the sport, inspiring the likes of Desislava Bozhilova, 32, who took charge of the recent World Snooker Championship final between Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams.
As Tabb ran the rule over her final competitive frame on Sunday, legendary voice Dennis Taylor remarked: "She's been a wonderful referee and she's encouraged so many ladies to come forward. There's now up to 10 from around the world and it's all down to Michaela."
Tatiana Woollaston, responsible for refereeing the 2024 UK Championship final, took to social media to share her appreciation following Tabb's departure announcement: "For all women, which now have an opportunity to get involved in the sport they love, there had to be THE FIRST and that was Michaela Tabb."
Woollaston expressed endearingly: "Inspiration, history maker and an amazing person! Thank you and enjoy the retirement!".