Ronnie O'Sullivan Players Championship controversy and reason referee had to apologise
Ronnie O'Sullivan was once at the centre of controversy at the Players Championship in an incident that forced an official into awkward territory.
Seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will be happy to have avoided more Players Championship controversy this week. That's after his past actions at the Telford International Centre led to one referee having to apologise to him and his opponent.
'The Rocket' is absent from the billing this week after a series of recent withdrawals at the start of this year meant he failed to qualify for the Players Championship. O'Sullivan hasn't played since snapping his cue at the Championship League in January. And it's perhaps just as well he's not reminded of last year's antics in Telford, where he lost 6-0 to Mark Selby in the quarter-finals. And it was there he made the unorthodox decision to smash up a pack of reds in the opening frame
O'Sullivan, 49, was trailing 12-0 early on when he sought to avoid a foul by breaking up a mass of balls. And it led to match referee Desislava Bozhilova apologising to both him and Selby, having failed to warn O'Sullivan following a second missed effort when he had sight of a red.
The hit-and-hope attempt conjured laughter from those in attendance at the time, but not all snooker fans were impressed. In fact, many took to social media at the time to criticise O'Sullivan for a lack of effort
The Rocket found himself at the centre of similar controversy in the 2020 World Snooker Championship semi-finals, where he deployed the same scattergun tactics against Selby. He pulled through to win en route to the title back then and explained the methodology behind his madness.
You want to hit it as hard as you can and hopefully get a fluke, otherwise I could give 40 points away," he told BBC Sport at the time. "Don't blame me, blame the miss rule. If I was as good as Mark Selby at getting out of snookers, I could maybe get the balls safe.
O'Sullivan also responded to Selby taking umbrage with his tactics at the time, adding: "I haven't got a clue. He [Selby] is just feeling a little bit sore I suppose, he has just lost a semi-final of the World Championship. I understand that."
While he may have contested he didn't have a clear sight at red on either occasion, O'Sullivan is widely considered the greatest snooker player of all time for a reason. And on both occasions, there was room to argue he could have made a more refined attempt at finding his target.
That being said, Bozhilova was reminded the hard way it's her responsibility to enforce such standards. And hers was a reminder that even the best in the world will chance their arm if handed the opportunity, O'Sullivan included
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