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Ronnie O'Sullivan highlighted the difficult conditions at the Crucible after organisers at the World Seniors Championship were forced to switch one match to a practice table. The Rocket advanced to the final of the tournament on Saturday with a 7-5 victory over Robert Milkins in front of a sell-out crowd.

There were moments of quality from the seven-time world champion, but it was a scrappy affair overall. While he enjoyed the occasion in front of a packed Crucible crowd, O'Sullivan admitted the conditions were not ideal. He said: "The conditions are really tough. None of the players would make excuses, and we're not making excuses. I thought me and Milkins were cueing well. But sometimes, you can fall out of position, chasing the ball. It's hard to keep potting, especially under pressure. So I thought we did well under the conditions.

"I'm messing around with different types of cue actions, so it's a good experience for me. I'm enjoying that kind of process."

Organisers were forced to take emergency action on Thursday when one of the two tables was deemed unplayable after a floor slate had dropped. The match between Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale, who had been playing on the affected table, had to be paused.

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It eventually resumed on the other table after the conclusion of the tie between Ali Carter and Roger Farebrother. That meant the match between Alifie Burden and Igor Figueiredo - the last two winners of the tournament - was shifted to a backstage practice table.

The Brazilian swept to a 4-0 whitewash, meaning a devastated Burden didn't get to defend his title in front of a Crucible crowd, although family and friends were allowed backstage to watch.

Jason Francis, the boss of World Seniors Snooker and O'Sullivan's manager, has issued apologies to the players affected. He told Express Sport: "You can't rectify a table instantly, it requires time. There are mitigating factors around the access we were given to the Crucible.

"We were only given five hours to set up four snooker tables [including two in the practice area]. The fitters who have done the World Snooker Tour for 20 years are here, so there's no lack of expertise. But the reality is that tables need time to settle."

After the floor was repaired, the tournament resumed as normal on Friday. Francis added: "Anyone who knows the Crucible knows it hasn't got a solid floor. There's a void underneath, so it's a challenge everyone has. We're not the first people to have a problem with a table at the Crucible.

"But that doesn't take away any of the responsibility we have. We feel disappointed that we were unable to complete all the matches on table two, meaning Alfie and Igor had to play in the practice room. I understand people's disappointment and we apologise."

Meanwhile, O'Sullivan was left underwhelmed by his performance against Milkins. When interviewer and MC Rob Walker tried to talk up some of his pots, like a left-handed blue, a deadpan Rocket said: "Yeah, yeah." After laughter from the crowd, Walker added: "Well, we enjoyed it!"

O'Sullivan replied: "I know but a lot of balls you think are fantastic, I expect to get. So when you say, 'A fantastic blue,' I'm like, 'What one?'

"There's not many shots I played today that I feel shocked by, so sorry not to be excited. I see it one way, you see it another. Sorry about that."

O'Sullivan will play the winner of Saturday night's semi-final between Craig Steadman and Joe Perry. Sunday's best-of-19 final, which begins at 12.30pm, will be broadcast live on Channel 5.