World Seniors Snooker Championship 2025 | Semi-Finals Preview and Order of Play

Jonathan Davies in World Seniors Championship 10 May 2025

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Comeback king Burden downs Drago to reach World Seniors semis

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Comeback king Canavan downs Dale to reach World Seniors final

Dale has been the standout performer so far this week (Cody Froggatt/News Images)

Dominic Dale looks to remain on course for the World Seniors Snooker Championship title when he faces Aaron Canavan in the semi-finals at The Crucible on Saturday.

The Spaceman, who recently retired from the professional tour, is the favourite to get his hands on the trophy in Sheffield this weekend.

Dale has certainly underlined that tag with two impressive performances against Craig Steadman and Joe Perry.

The two-time ranking event winner hit a top break of 107 to complete his 4-2 victory over European Seniors champion Steadman. He then had contributions of 97, 99 and 128 as he breezed to a 4-1 success against Perry – before which he entered the arena donning an overcoat and trilby – apparently in tribute to the late Alex Higgins.

Standing in his way of a place in the final is the only former champion still standing in World Seniors number one Canavan.

The 2018 winner opened with runs of 89, 72 and 51 on the way to a 4-1 victory over Andrew Norman, before battling past fellow Crucible debutant Wayne Townsend 4-2 in the quarter-finals.

The other semi-final showdown pits 2023 runner-up Alfie Burden against Sheffield first-timer Hassan Kerde.

Burden remains on course to go one better from two years ago, following a pair of contrasting victories on his return to The Crucible.

The Londoner hit a top break of 92 in a 4-1 win over four-time champion Jimmy White, but appeared set to exit the tournament at 3-0 down against Tony Drago in the quarter-finals.

Burden had lost two of those frames on a re-spotted black, but dusted himself down to recover and force a decider, in which he prevailed on the final pink.

Kerde, meanwhile, has taken no time to settle at The Crucible. The Asia-Pacific Seniors champion had runs of 53, 62, 66 and 59 in a 4-0 whitewash of former world number two Tony Knowles.

He then recovered from 2-1 down against Charl Jonck, who ousted Ken Doherty in the opening round, reeling off the last three frames, while completing victory with an 85.

Play breaks off at 12.15pm BST on Saturday with both matches contested over the best of 11 frames at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

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