World Snooker have defended under-fire referee Marcel Eckardt after the longest frame in Crucible history took place on Friday. The second session of Mark Allen and Wu Yize's semi-final clash was marred by a 14th frame which lasted 100 minutes and 21 seconds. The match descended into a farce after eight red balls were left covering the black over a corner pocket. German official Eckardt faced calls to restart the frame but allowed play to continue, as the crowd in Sheffield grew impatient. Not