Legendary snooker referee Michaela Tabb has retired from the traditional form of the game after officiating her last match at the Crucible Theatre.
The trailblazing 57-year-old retired after overseeing the first five frames of the World Seniors Snooker Tour (WSST) final between Alfie Burden and Aaron Canavan this past Sunday, marking her departure from the sport she has significantly impacted.
Tabb was the first woman to referee a world ranking tournament and etched her name in the history books by going on to become the first female to take charge of a World Championship final at the iconic Crucible in 2009.
She passed the baton to Proletina Velichkova after the first five frames of the WSST final. And she displayed her class by saying her decision to walk away partly stemmed from wanting to allow the next generation of female referees to come to the fore.
Tabb explained ahead of her last ever final in Sheffield: “I’m excited to hang up my gloves if I’m being honest, for traditional snooker. I think I’ve done my time.
“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.
“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.
“Honestly, it could make me cry, and I was so lucky to have two finals and so many other matches as well.”
Tabb burst onto the snooker scene after being fast-tracked onto the ranking circuit in 2002 and going on to referee the 2009 and 2012 Crucible finals. The Somerset-born Scot left the World Snooker Tour (WST) in March 2015 following 14 years of service
Her excellent refereeing and longevity has paved the way for other women to follow in her footsteps. One such example is Desislava Bozhilova, 32, who officiated the recent World Snooker Championship final between Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams.
As Tabb refereed her last competitive frame on Sunday, legendary commentator Dennis Taylor said: “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.”
Following Tabb’s retirement announcement, Tatiana Woollaston, who took charge of the 2024 UK Championship final, expressed her gratitude on social media: “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.
“Inspiration, history maker and an amazing person! Thank you and enjoy the retirement!”
