Fergal O'Brien became the final player to qualify for the World Snooker Championships when he beat David Gilbert on Wednesday evening.
The Dubliner won the match 10-9. The deciding frame was a remarkable one lasting a little over two hours. The match finished a little shy of midnight.
Longest frame in snooker history
At two hours three minutes and 41 seconds, the 19th frame of the match was the longest in the history of the game. It beat the previous mark by 23 minutes and 17 seconds. That was set two years ago by Alan McManus and Barry Pinches.
QUALIFIER | After a record-breaking 2h03m deciding frame, O'Brien clinches the last place at the Crucible in 2017! #ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/VUPcV0tn5U
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) April 12, 2017
Speaking on World Snooker's live coverage of the match, O'Brien called it a 'mad game'.
When I looked at the clock and it said about 10 minutes after an hour and a half, I said, 'the clock's not even working at this stage.' It was just a mad game.
It is the first time in seven years that O'Brien has qualified for the World Championships.
The 45-year-old has been drawn against world number one Mark Selby in the first round.
The tournament gets underway on Saturday.
