Steve Davis brands record-breaking Crucible frame at the World Snooker Championship as an 'embarrassment'

In what would be the final frame in the second session of their semi-final match, Wu and Allen were locked on the baize for a unprecedented 100 minutes.

This smashed the existing record of 85 minutes 'set' by Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao at the 2022 Championship.

The record-breaking frame was the conclusion to an eventful session that saw Allen go in front having been four behind, before being pegged back at the end.

Starting the day 6-2 up after a brilliant display on Thursday night, Chinese youngster Wu - appearing in his first World Championship semi-final - missed an opportunity to stretch his lead further in the first frame of the day and Allen eventually capitalised after several chances beforehand.

Wu was left even more frustrated in the next as Allen pinched the lengthy frame having required a snooker.

That steal seemed to be a positive catalyst for Allen after a scrappy, protracted start to the session, as he fashioned a run of 145 in frame 11 - the highest break at the Crucible this year - before levelling at 6-6 heading into the mid-session interval.

The former world number one then went in front for the first time with a 121 - his ninth century of the Championship.

But the main talking point came in the 14th frame which was ignited when Allen missed a black off its spot and left it near the bottom right-hand corner pocket.

Gradually, reds found their way towards the blocked pocket with the situation appearing to be almost hopeless as that area of the table got more congested and messy.

After more than three-quarters-of-an-hour without a ball being potted - and the crowd getting impatient with ironic cheers as Wu predominantly rolled the cueball towards the reds with no other shot to play - tournament director Rob Spencer emerged from backstage to speak to referee Marcel Eckardt to deal with the impasse.

Eckardt informed both players that he would soon be enforcing a limit of three shots each to resolve the situation, otherwise a rerack would be called.

Allen - who was 34 points ahead at this stage - appeared aggrieved by the call. It eventually concluded with him subtly potting the black deliberately so that the frame could continue; the first pot in approximately 55 minutes.

However, he left reds on into the previously clogged pocket and Wu - who probably had a chance to reset after a dreadful afternoon for him during which the wheels started to come off - made a break of 41 to take the lead with two reds left.

After another passage of safety play - although considerably shorter than before - International Champion Wu sank a long red followed by pink, and then the final red with a black before potting the yellow to leave his opponent needing a snooker.

But yet more drama was to be delivered a little later on when Wu - who was 28 points up with just the final three colours remaining - carelessly sent the blue colliding into the black near the same corner pocket as before, potting it, and gifting his opponent seven foul points.

It opened the door for Northern Irishman Allen who later conjured up arguably the 'Shot of the Championship' to snooker Wu behind the black with the object ball pink in the middle of the table.

Number ten seed Wu averted calamity, though, by hitting the pink before later going on to finish a frame that we have never seen the like of before at the Crucible.

Because the frame took so long, the players were pulled off two frames early to make way for the evening session, meaning only six of the scheduled eight were completed.

Stopping the rot and levelling the match will be a big relief for Wu who can now regroup heading into tomorrow morning's session.

Pundits not happy with how situation was handled

After the marathon frame was completed, six-times world champion Steve Davis - who was on punditry duties for BBC Sport - was clearly not happy with the way the situation was handled.

Davis said: "In a nutshell that frame is an embarrassment to snooker, and the referees' and the players' association need to try to work out a way so that never happens again.”

Fellow former Crucible conquerors John Parrott and Stephen Hendry were in the commentary box, and they felt that referee Eckardt should have stepped in quicker, so too did 2024 World Champion Kyren Wilson who also said on the BBC: "I think Marcel Eckardt should've called that a lot earlier."

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 World Snooker Championship, visit our tournament information centre here.