Michaela Tabb: Snooker’s Leading Female Referee

Source: http://www.worldsnooker.com/about_referees-6.htm

Michaela Tabb is snooker’s leading female referee. A former nine-ball pool player and referee, she swapped the blue baize for the green in 2001 and is now a regular on the Tour.

The mother-of-two from Dunfermline in Scotland became the first female to referee at the World Championship when she took charge of the match between Mark King and Drew Henry at the Crucible in 2003. She has also refereed at the Masters.

Date of birth: December 11, 1967
Born: Bath
Lives: Dunfermline
Highest break: 26
Qualified as Referee: Class 3 in September 2001.
First Pro match: Main Tour, it was Ken Doherty against James Wattana at 2002 Welsh Open.
Most memorable match: Got to be my first match at the Crucible – Drew Henry v Mark King in 2003 – though last season’s Grand Prix semi-final between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Paul Hunter was up there as well.
Most embarrassing moment: Cleaning the cue ball for Ken Doherty at the UK Championship in York, walking away from table and leaving ball marker on it.
If you weren’t a referee what would you do: Anything to do with sales.
Which is the toughest rule to apply: Replacing the balls correctly after a foul. I’m all for using television replays if it helps speed up the game and gives confidence to the players everything has been replaced correctly. But it must be at the referee’s discretion.
Which Rule would you scrap: Push shot.
What do you carry in your pockets: Hankie, two ball markers and a coin – the largest I have in my purse at the time!
Where do you get your gloves: Sudbury’s of Torrington – have to have them made because of my smaller fingers.
Interests: Most things to do with Pool, the family and playing poker.

Source: http://www.worldsnooker.com/about_referees-6.htm

Michaela Tabb: Biography

Photo by: Rey Nocum
Rey/at/nocum.net

Michaela Tabb (born 11 December 1967 in Bath, England) is the world's leading female snooker and pool referee, and made her Snooker World Championship debut by refereeing a match between Mark King and Drew Henry at the 2003 Crucible event. Tabb was the head referee at the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Championship, Mosconi Cup, World Cup of Pool, and World Pool Masters Tournament events, and has refereed in some capacity at every Matchroom Sport-sponsored pool event since 1997.[citation needed]

Her first ever competitive snooker match saw her refereeing at the 2002 Welsh Open in a match between Ken Doherty and James Wattana. Michaela now resides in Dunfermline, Fife with her two children.

Prior to making her snooker debut, Michaela Tabb had already become one of the world's most respected referees in nine-ball, and has been head referee at every world championship since 1999. On numerous occasions, she has garnered respect from players and fans alike for making controversial decisions which, after television replays and slow motion analysis, have proven to be correct.

Her no-nonsense attitude has seen her become involved in several notable controversies, such as with American Earl Strickland. The two were at loggerheads for much of the America's 2003 World Nine-ball Championship match against Steve Davis to the extent that when the two met for Strickland's next round the American presented Tabb with a bunch of flowers as an apology for his behaviour the previous evening.[citation needed]

On 18 February 2007, Tabb made history by becoming the first female ever to preside over a world ranking event final at the Welsh Open in Newport between Andrew Higginson and Neil Robertson.