Category: Ronnie O’Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan has hit out at the officials over a controversial incident in his World Snooker Championship quarter-final against Stuart Bingham.

But the big talking point came in the 12th frame, when referee Desislava Bozhilova was trying to re-spot the black, only for it to keep rolling off.

O’Sullivan was sure that the ball was in the wrong position, because it meant he had no path through to pot a red he had played for.

After asking for black to be re-spotted, The Rocket opted against taking the pot, saying it was down to his “principles”.

“Some of the referees, I think they’ve got it in for me,” he exclusively told Eurosport. “So I just want to prove to her that she’d got it wrong.

“Then I didn’t feel good about having to pot the ball after that, but I just want to make a point. The point was made.

“I’m not that hungry to win in that way. I’m more of a principled person. So the principles been made. I can sleep at night.”

The Rocket eventually lost the frame, which lasted a marathon 47 minutes, as they closed at 8-8 after two sessions.

He is attempting to win a record eighth crown, which would move him one clear of Stephen Hendry.

Former winners Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and Luca Brecel – who lifted the title last year – have also made early Crucible exits.

Indeed, The Rocket is the only one of the world ranked top 10 players still in the event.

And he also insists he was not bothered by having less than two hours between the afternoon and evening sessions of his match against Bingham, adding: “It doesn’t matter, it’s just a normal day for me. A bit of snooker, a bit of food, chill out.”

Speaking of the incident, Eurosport pundit Alan McManus believes O’Sullivan made the correct decision not to take on the red.

“The sportsmanship is exemplary from Ronnie and it always is the case,” he said. “He plays a safety shot there.

“But what any referee I think should do is never mind what the players think or see or feel, they can have a conflab about it on their own, you take out our ball marker and if it overlaps then it doesn’t spot. It’s definitive.

“You don’t need a ball to see if it spots, you use the width of the ball marker. Then you figure out a way to get it on because you definitively know that it spots and that’s the key to it.

“Once you know whether it does or whether it doesn’t, then you can say to the guys, ‘Look, I’ve measured it on the middle of the cross’. Because there’s an indentation, so the ball will roll in because it’s been spotted 312 times over the last couple of days.

“It’s not an easy job, it’s just the way you go about it. There are complexities to it but use the marker and have a look. It goes, that’s the first thing. Let’s find the best way of getting it on the spot.”

Jimmy White added: “When Ron first pots the black he thinks he’s on the red and he asks for the ball to be re-spotted. She re-spots it and he is a bit more where he can pot it [but] he still doesn’t believe she’s putting it right on the spot, so what happens then, eventually it goes on the spot and Ronnie can pot it.

“But he doesn’t. He goes to Stuart Bingham and Stuart Bingham says, ‘Whatever you say Ron I believe’.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan has hit out at the officials over a controversial incident in his World Snooker Championship quarter-final against Stuart Bingham.

But the big talking point came in the 12th frame, when referee Desislava Bozhilova was trying to re-spot the black, only for it to keep rolling off.

O’Sullivan was sure that the ball was in the wrong position, because it meant he had no path through to pot a red he had played for.

After asking for black to be re-spotted, The Rocket opted against taking the pot, saying it was down to his “principles”.

“Some of the referees, I think they’ve got it in for me,” he exclusively told Eurosport. “So I just want to prove to her that she’d got it wrong.

“Then I didn’t feel good about having to pot the ball after that, but I just want to make a point. The point was made.

“I’m not that hungry to win in that way. I’m more of a principled person. So the principles been made. I can sleep at night.”

The Rocket eventually lost the frame, which lasted a marathon 47 minutes, as they closed at 8-8 after two sessions.

He is attempting to win a record eighth crown, which would move him one clear of Stephen Hendry.

Former winners Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and Luca Brecel – who lifted the title last year – have also made early Crucible exits.

Indeed, The Rocket is the only one of the world ranked top 10 players still in the event.

And he also insists he was not bothered by having less than two hours between the afternoon and evening sessions of his match against Bingham, adding: “It doesn’t matter, it’s just a normal day for me. A bit of snooker, a bit of food, chill out.”

Speaking of the incident, Eurosport pundit Alan McManus believes O’Sullivan made the correct decision not to take on the red.

“The sportsmanship is exemplary from Ronnie and it always is the case,” he said. “He plays a safety shot there.

“But what any referee I think should do is never mind what the players think or see or feel, they can have a conflab about it on their own, you take out our ball marker and if it overlaps then it doesn’t spot. It’s definitive.

“You don’t need a ball to see if it spots, you use the width of the ball marker. Then you figure out a way to get it on because you definitively know that it spots and that’s the key to it.

“Once you know whether it does or whether it doesn’t, then you can say to the guys, ‘Look, I’ve measured it on the middle of the cross’. Because there’s an indentation, so the ball will roll in because it’s been spotted 312 times over the last couple of days.

“It’s not an easy job, it’s just the way you go about it. There are complexities to it but use the marker and have a look. It goes, that’s the first thing. Let’s find the best way of getting it on the spot.”

Jimmy White added: “When Ron first pots the black he thinks he’s on the red and he asks for the ball to be re-spotted. She re-spots it and he is a bit more where he can pot it [but] he still doesn’t believe she’s putting it right on the spot, so what happens then, eventually it goes on the spot and Ronnie can pot it.

“But he doesn’t. He goes to Stuart Bingham and Stuart Bingham says, ‘Whatever you say Ron I believe’.”

Stuart Bingham hit back with two superb breaks to ensure his World Championship quarter-final with Ronnie O’Sullivan is all-square heading into the final session.

The Rocket looked destined to take a lead into Wednesday’s evening session after opening up an 8-6 advantage.

But his opponent responded with visits of 125 and 92 to level at 8-8.

O’Sullivan was far from convincing from the start of the session as he missed a black off its spot.

Bingham made the most of the chance with a break of 108 to move into the lead.

The Rocket soon responded, levelling at 5-5 despite the fact he was still failing to find his best form, missing a yellow at 26-0 ahead and then a red at 56-8.

The next frame saw further missed opportunities as Bingham could not close out from 60-0 up, and again when presented with frame ball, after O’Sullivan left a red over the pocket.

As such, the world No. 1 came back to the table and cleared up to win the frame, giving him a 6-5 lead.

The referee was asked to check it had been correctly replaced on several occasions, with the eventual positioning of the ball meaning O’Sullivan did not attempt to pot the final red.

That brought an untimely end to his break, with Bingham eventually bringing winding up a 47-minute frame as the contest headed to the mid-session interval all square.

The hiatus seemed to come at the perfect time for the seven-time champion, who was much more fluent after the re-start, notching up an excellent 79, enough to take the frame despite going in-off when sinking the blue.

He then opened up a two-frame cushion, once more taking advantage of Bingham not cashing in when being first at the table.

But the 2015 world champion hit back, accumulating an excellent 125, meaning he had a chance to level up ahead of the concluding session this evening.

And he did just that, this time compiling a terrific 92 to level at 8-8.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stuart Bingham are locked at 4-4 after both players surrendered the lead in an even opening session to their World Championship quarter-final.

World No. 1 O’Sullivan, bidding for a record eighth Crucible title in Sheffield, got off to a sloppy start and trailed 3-1 before a run of three straight frames edged him in front.

But 2015 world champion Bingham claimed the final frame of the session to level things up and leave the tie finely poised ahead of its resumption on Wednesday.

Bingham made an ideal start with an impressive clearance of 55 after some fine potting, leaving O’Sullivan trailing for the first time at this year’s World Championship.

He followed that up with an even better break of 75 in the second, getting off the mark after landing a red off the cushion into the yellow pocket.

O’Sullivan hit back in the third and left Bingham needing one snooker with just the pink and black balls remaining.

The world No. 1 halved the deficit by superbly landing the pink to the top pocket, as the Rocket worked his way into the contest.

However, O’Sullivan was left with plenty to ponder as Bingham re-established his two-frame advantage with a 79 clearance after the Rocket missed a black to open up the table.

O’Sullivan earned his second frame in style with an elegant 116 break, the first century of the match giving the Crucible crowd a reminder – as if they needed one – of his remarkable break-building prowess.

Momentum stalled somewhat in a stuttering, cagey, 35-minute sixth frame, but O’Sullivan eventually got the better of Bingham to level things up at 3-3.

Despite his fightback, Ronnie’s frustration from a sluggish start showed when he slapped his cue off the table after missing a simple red early in the following frame.

He pounced on a later opportunity to put together a run that all-but secured the frame, Bingham requiring four snookers and eventually conceding to go behind for the first time.

But Bingham ended the session on a high by landing a couple of superb long reds to build the score to 72-0 and force a concession from O’Sullivan.

On the other table, Kyren Wilson took a 5-3 lead over four-time world champion John Higgins after making a blistering start.

Wilson rattled off four straight frames before the mid-session interval, but the Scot dusted himself down and battled his way back into contention.

Kyren got off to a dream start with two resounding frames in a row, Higgins potting just 12 points as his opponent put together breaks of 70 and 95.

The mesmerising momentum continued with 93 and 71 clearances as Wilson stormed into a 4-0 lead at the interval to take firm control of the tie.

Wilson responded admirably, finding his first century of the match with a 121 clearance to restore a four-frame lead.

But that was cut back to three as Higgins made a 73 break, before the Scot rattled off his second century of the match to make it a two-frame game heading into Wednesday’s completion.

The pair will return to the table at 10:00 UK time on Wednesday for the second session and 19:00 for the third.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stuart Bingham are locked at 4-4 after both players surrendered the lead in an even opening session to their World Championship quarter-final.

World No. 1 O’Sullivan, bidding for a record eighth Crucible title in Sheffield, got off to a sloppy start and trailed 3-1 before a run of three straight frames edged him in front.

But 2015 world champion Bingham claimed the final frame of the session to level things up and leave the tie finely poised ahead of its resumption on Wednesday.

Bingham made an ideal start with an impressive clearance of 55 after some fine potting, leaving O’Sullivan trailing for the first time at this year’s World Championship.

He followed that up with an even better break of 75 in the second, getting off the mark after landing a red off the cushion into the yellow pocket.

O’Sullivan hit back in the third and left Bingham needing one snooker with just the pink and black balls remaining.

The world No. 1 halved the deficit by superbly landing the pink to the top pocket, as the Rocket worked his way into the contest.

However, O’Sullivan was left with plenty to ponder as Bingham re-established his two-frame advantage with a 79 clearance after the Rocket missed a black to open up the table.

O’Sullivan earned his second frame in style with an elegant 116 break, the first century of the match giving the Crucible crowd a reminder – as if they needed one – of his remarkable break-building prowess.

Momentum stalled somewhat in a stuttering, cagey, 35-minute sixth frame, but O’Sullivan eventually got the better of Bingham to level things up at 3-3.

Despite his fightback, Ronnie’s frustration from a sluggish start showed when he slapped his cue off the table after missing a simple red early in the following frame.

He pounced on a later opportunity to put together a run that all-but secured the frame, Bingham requiring four snookers and eventually conceding to go behind for the first time.

But Bingham ended the session on a high by landing a couple of superb long reds to build the score to 72-0 and force a concession from O’Sullivan.

On the other table, Kyren Wilson took a 5-3 lead over four-time world champion John Higgins after making a blistering start.

Wilson rattled off four straight frames before the mid-session interval, but the Scot dusted himself down and battled his way back into contention.

Kyren got off to a dream start with two resounding frames in a row, Higgins potting just 12 points as his opponent put together breaks of 70 and 95.

The mesmerising momentum continued with 93 and 71 clearances as Wilson stormed into a 4-0 lead at the interval to take firm control of the tie.

Wilson responded admirably, finding his first century of the match with a 121 clearance to restore a four-frame lead.

But that was cut back to three as Higgins made a 73 break, before the Scot rattled off his second century of the match to make it a two-frame game heading into Wednesday’s completion.

The pair will return to the table at 10:00 UK time on Wednesday for the second session and 19:00 for the third.