Next year’s World Snooker Championship final in Sheffield will not be on a bank holiday

The sport's showpiece event has traditionally finished on the Early May Bank Holiday but the Government has announced that the 2020 bank holiday will move from Monday, May 4 to Friday, May 8 in order to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

World Snooker said that following discussions with host broadcaster the BBC, World Snooker will keep the dates of the tournament at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield the same, and the television coverage will not be affected.

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World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “It’s a very disappointing decision by the UK government to change the date of the bank holiday at such short notice. To commemorate VE Day is an admirable principal, but why couldn’t this decision have been made years ago to give all affected parties enough time to plan?

“Tickets for the World Championship final are like gold dust, and no doubt we have many fans who have been lucky enough to get hold of them who now may have their plans scuppered because they have work commitments on the Monday.

“That’s why we will be offering them a full refund if they cannot be in Sheffield on that day. With more notice we could have planned for this change long before the tickets went on sale. It is a decision which will affect many businesses and individuals across the events industry.”

Fans who wish to request a refund should contact the Crucible box office on 0844 65 65 147 or if the booking was made with See Tickets, they should call 0871 620 7052.