In a unique twist at this year's UK Snooker Championship, a leading official is prevented from refereeing one specific player for a very personal reason: she's married to him.
Tatiana Woollaston, a 38-year-old top snooker referee, will be on duty at the prestigious tournament in York. However, she is officially barred from overseeing any matches involving her husband, professional player Ben Woollaston, who successfully qualified for the 32-player main event.
The Woollaston Rule: Keeping Professional and Personal Lives Separate
This situation highlights a clear and sensible protocol within World Snooker. With Ben set to face three-time UK champion John Higgins in his first-round match on Saturday night, there is absolutely no chance of Tatiana being in the referee's chair for that encounter.
Speaking before last year's championship, Tatiana explained their approach to the Mirror. "He's on the circuit as a player, I'm on the circuit as a referee. We've never really mix that," she said. "I'm obviously not allowed to referee his games and I wouldn't want to, to be fair."
This professional separation is strictly maintained, ensuring complete impartiality and avoiding any potential conflicts of interest. Despite this specific restriction, Tatiana faces no other limitations on her tournament duties while Ben remains in the competition.
Tournament Dynamics and a Dramatic Qualification
The tournament structure, which uses a two-table setup until the semi-finals, means Tatiana could theoretically be refereeing on one table while Ben plays on another. However, given the circumstances, this is considered an unlikely scenario. She is also permitted to officiate matches in the same section of the draw as her husband.
Tatiana is a highly respected official who had the honour of refereeing the 2024 UK Championship final between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins.
Her husband, world number 37 Ben Woollaston, arrives in York on a high after a dramatic qualifying victory. He battled back from 4-1 down against fellow Leicester player Joe O'Connor to win 6-5 in a nail-biting final frame that concluded after midnight.
"That was probably the craziest match I have ever been involved in," Ben said following the 67-minute decider. "I played really well from 4-1 down but it felt everything was going against me... I have lost a lot of deciders this season so it's nice to win one like that."
A Star-Studded Field Kicks Off in York
The UK Championship begins on Saturday at the York Barbican, featuring the sport's biggest names. Defending champion and world number one Judd Trump opens his title defence against Stephen Maguire on Saturday afternoon.
World champion Zhao Xintong, who won the UK title in 2021, starts his campaign on Monday against Chinese compatriot Long Zehuang. Meanwhile, the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan, an eight-time winner of this event, makes his first UK appearance of the season against Zhou Yuelong on Tuesday.
The Rocket, who now resides in Dubai, has only competed in events in Saudi Arabia and China so far this season. The tournament final will be held on Sunday, December 7, two days after O'Sullivan's 50th birthday.
