When is an embargo not an embargo…
The announcement that the World Championship is to stay at its spiritual home of the Crucible Theatre was greeted with delight from most quarters outside China – and probably even some from within that country who have sampled the atmosphere first hand.
A press release with a strict 7pm Sunday night embargo had been prepared in advance with quotes from World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn and Sheffield City Council leader Julie Dore proclaiming the decision to extend the deal by two years to 2017, the year that marks the 40th anniversary of the first staging.
A formal press conference was planned for 7pm at Alexandra Palace but the information surfaced on the ITV web site, presumably leaked from the Sheffield end, and that prompted Hearn to then go on the BBC mid-afternoon to confirm the news.
With journalists having also elicited the views of notable greats such as Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis, by the evening, there wasn’t much new information to be had.