List of snooker referees

This article contains a list of professional snooker referees and indicates those who have officiated at the World Snooker Championship finals. John Williams presided over the most (eleven) finals, nine of those at the Crucible Theatre, including the 1985 final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis.^[1]

All of the World Snooker Championship finals from the start of what is known as the "modern era"^[2] in 1969 are included in the list, with the exception of 1970 and 1971. The referees for these two years are currently not known. Some earlier years have also been included where the information about referees is available.

Lists of referees

Current referees

Name	World finals	Ref.
Junaid Ahmed (IND)		[3]
Gergő Almási (HUN)		[3]
Erik Amberg (GER)		[4]
Andrew Barklam (ENG)		[3]
Julian Bell (ENG)		[3]
Desislava Bozhilova (BUL)	2025	[5][6]
Terry Camilleri (MLT)		[7]
James Chambers (ENG)		[3]
Greg Coniglio (ENG)		[4]
Alex Crișan (ROU)		[3]
Kevin Dabrowski (POL)		[3]
Robin Dalgliesh (SCO)		[8]
Nico De Vos (BEL)		[3]
Deng Shihao (CHN)		[9]
Rod Eaton (ENG)		[3]
Marcel Eckardt (GER)[a]	2020	[5]
Sami Erkkilä (FIN)		[3]
Garry Evans (ENG)		[3]
David Ford (ENG)		[3]
Markus Freitag (GER)		[3]
Natalia Gradinari (MDA)		[3]
Nick Harry (ENG)		[3]
Colin Humphries (ENG)		[5]
Hristo Ivanov (BUL)		[3]
Kim Ivett (AUS)		[3]
Mark Jacob (GER)		[3]
Małgorzata Kanieska (POL)		[3]
Maike Kesseler (GER)		[5]
Mark King (ENG)		[3]
Luise Kraatz (GER)		[3]
Marzena Łagowska (POL)		[3]
Nigel Leddie (ENG)		[4]
Peggy Li (CHN)		[3]
Lyu Xilin (CHN)		[10]
Olivier Marteel (BEL)	2015 and 2022	[5]
Graham Mason (ENG)		[3]
Rudy Mathues (BEL)		[3]
Radosław Matusiak (POL)		[3]
Hilde Moens (BEL)		[3]
Robin Moors (BEL)		[3]
Thorsten Mueller (GER)		[4]
Peter Ogburn (ENG)		[3]
Miłosz Olborski (POL)		[4]
John Pellew (WAL)		[3]
Erich Pließnig (AUT)		[3]
Eva Poskočilová (CZE)		[3]
Martyn Royce (ENG)		[4]
André Santos (PRT)		[3]
Jan Scheers (BEL)		[3]
Ingo Schmidt (GER)		[3][11]
Leo Scullion (SCO)	2019	[5]
Marek Sedmak (SVK)		[3]
Rob Spencer (ENG)[b]		[5]
Monika Sułkowska (POL)		[3]
Glen Sullivan-Bisset (ENG)		[3]
Agnieszka Thomson (SCO)		[3]
Bart Tournel (BEL)		[3]
Anastasiya Tuzikava (BLR)		[3]
Proletina Velichkova (BUL)		[3]
Jan Verhaas (NED)[c]	2003, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2017	[5][12]
Ian Wagstaff (ENG)		[3]
Wang Haitao (CHN)		[9]
Wang Wei (CHN)		[9]
Carl Whitby (ENG)		[3]
Ben Williams (ENG)		[5]
Tatiana Woollaston (BLR)		[5]
Xie Yixin (CHN)		[9]
Andy Yates (ENG)		[13]
Robert Zabłocki (POL)		[14]
Zhang Tao (CHN)		[15]
Zheng Weili (CHN)		[9]
Zhu Ying (CHN)		[9]

Former referees

Name	World finals	Ref.[12]
Lawrie Annandale (SCO)	1998	[12]
Stuart Bennett (ENG)		[4]
Colin Brinded (ENG)	1999	[12][16]
Bill Camkin (ENG)	1927[d]	[17]
Alan Chamberlain (ENG)	1997	[18]
Charles Chambers (ENG)[e]	1937	[19][20][21]
Paul Collier (WAL)	2004, 2016, 2021 and 2024	[12][22]
S.A. De-Gruchy (JEY)	1957	[23]
Bruce Duncan (SCO)		[4]
Len Ganley (NIR)[f][g]	1983, 1987, 1990 and 1993	[12][25]: 36
Sydney Lee (ENG)[h]		[26]: 68
Willie Leigh (ENG)	1934	[27]
T. B. Leng (ENG)	1946, 1947	[28][29]
W. Malkinson (ENG)	1929	[30]
Michael Montalto (MLT)		[7]
Brendan Moore (ENG)[i]	2014, 2018 and 2023	[12][31]
Patricia Murphy (IRL)		[32]
John Newton (ENG)	2000	[33]
Johan Oomen (NED)		[34]
David Palmer (ENG)		[11]
Harold Phillips (ENG)	1969	[35]
Fred Smith (ENG)	1928	[36]
John Smyth (IRL)	1977 and 1982	[12][25]: 92
John Street (ENG)	1980, 1986, 1989, 1992 and 1995	[25]: 100
Michaela Tabb (SCO)	2009 and 2012	[12][37]
Jim Thorpe (ENG)	1972 and 1984	[12][38]
Bill Timms (ENG)	1973, 1974 and 1976	[39]
Martin Webb (ENG)		[4]
Eirian Williams (WAL)	2001, 2005, 2007 and 2010	[12]
John Williams (WAL)	1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1996 and 2002	[12][25]: 122
Peter Williamson (ENG)		[40]

Notes

1. Marcel Eckardt has refereed nine 147 breaks.^[4]
2. Rob Spencer has refereed twelve 147 breaks, more than any other referee.^[4]
3. Jan Verhaas has refereed eight 147 breaks.^[4]
4. 1927 was the inaugural event.
5. Charles Chambers was the referee in the match that led to the rule about minimum cue length. (see cue stick)
6. Len Ganley was the referee for the fastest ever 147 break made by Ronnie O'Sullivan at the 1997 World Snooker Championship. (see fastest 147)
7. As of 11 September 2023^[update] Len Ganley's son Mike Ganley is the WPBSA Tournament Director.^[24]
8. Sydney Lee refereed Pot Black, but was not an officially qualified referee.^[26]: 68
9. Brendan Moore has refereed ten 147 breaks.^[4]