After making history at the Crucible, Michaela Tabb still had another World Snooker Championship final ahead of her—and one of the sport’s most unpredictable geniuses standing at the table.

In the concluding episode of our four-part Legends of the Cue conversation, Michaela reflects on refereeing the 2012 World Championship final between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter and explains why her earlier experiences managing Earl Strickland helped prepare her for the unique challenges of working with Ronnie.

She also talks candidly about the family sacrifices behind an international refereeing career, with husband Ross McInnes caring for their sons while Michaela traveled around the world for tournaments—including one brutal stretch that took her from the Philippines to Scotland and almost immediately on to Brazil.

Michaela then discusses the most difficult chapter of her career: her 2015 departure from the main professional snooker tour, the emotional toll it took and why it was years before she could comfortably watch major snooker events again.

But another chapter was waiting.

She explains how she and Ross built their family cue-sports business, On Cue World, how son Morgan joined the company, and why working for the family has brought a different kind of satisfaction.

Michaela also revisits some unforgettable refereeing moments—including accidentally picking up the cue ball during a World Championship match—before tackling Alli’s Rapid Rack and our traditional final questions.

And when asked how she wants to be remembered, Michaela’s answer captures her career perfectly:

Honest. Hardworking. A good referee.

Not a good female referee. A good referee.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

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Getting into professional snooker was one thing. Proving she belonged there was another.

In Part 3 of our Legends of the Cue conversation, Michaela Tabb reveals how difficult her early years on the professional snooker tour really were. Hired without the traditional referee apprenticeship, she learned almost everything on the job while navigating resentment from some established officials and the pressure of being the only woman in the room.

Michaela remembers the referees who supported her, the extraordinary concentration required to officiate professional snooker, and even why she initially avoided wearing perfume because she didn’t want players to feel their familiar competitive environment had changed.

Then came 2003.

After working tirelessly to establish herself, Michaela was unexpectedly released during cost-cutting measures. She describes the anger and devastation of losing the role—and why being invited back months later ultimately meant even more than being hired in the first place.

From there, her career accelerated.

Michaela recounts walking through the famous Crucible Theatre curtains for the first time, the overwhelming atmosphere inside snooker’s most iconic venue and the constant feeling that, as the only female referee, every mistake would receive additional scrutiny.

Finally, she takes us inside the defining assignment of her career: the 2009 World Snooker Championship final between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy.

After spending an entire season worried that one mistake might cost her the assignment, Michaela became the first woman ever to referee a World Championship final—and walked away on “Cloud Nine.”

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LegendsoftheCue-MLG

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join A...

Michaela Tabb never planned to become a professional referee. In fact, her extraordinary career began when husband Ross McInnes told a tournament organizer that Scotland already had a referee—and Michaela suddenly needed to become one.

In Part 2 of Legends of the Cue, Michaela tells the remarkable story of creating a referee CV despite never having officiated American pool, studying two pages of nine-ball rules and arriving at Matchroom’s St Andrews Cup hoping she knew enough to survive.

She did—and soon found herself refereeing some of the biggest personalities in professional pool.

Michaela recalls being thrown almost immediately into matches involving Earl Strickland, learning how to manage his volatile personality and discovering the difference between appearing calm and actually feeling calm. She describes the Mosconi Cup as a “Colosseum of Death,” remembers referees being caught between Team Europe, Team USA and passionate fans, and explains why the Mosconi Cup remains her favorite event.

She also talks about the player she most loved refereeing: the incomparable Efren Reyes, whose creativity left even Michaela unable to predict what shot was coming next.

Her success in televised pool eventually caught the attention of World Snooker. But being recruited directly into professional snooker—without the traditional referee training or examinations—created an entirely new challenge.

This episode ends with Michaela recounting her painfully difficult first ranking-event assignment and the act of kindness from Ken Doherty that helped convince her to keep going.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LegendsoftheCue-MLG

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join A...