World Snooker Championship final ref apologised to Ronnie O'Sullivan during match

 

Desislava Bozhilova will referee this year's World Snooker Championship final

The Rocket was involved in an awkward moment with this year's World Championship final referee (Image: GETTY)

Ronnie O'Sullivan once received an apology from a World Snooker Championship referee in a controversial moment at the Players Championship. The man from Essex is hunting an eighth Crucible crown, which would make him the most decorated player in the history of snooker. His current tally of seven is shared with fellow legend of the game Stephen Hendry.

O'Sullivan is rarely far from controversy but has been relatively quiet at this year's World Snooker Championship. He breezed through the first round with a one-sided victory over his old rival Ali Carter last week. The 49-year-old has the advantage over Pang Junxu in the second round as things stand, with that match set to be concluded on Monday.

Desislava Bozhilova has been selected to officiate next week's Crucible final

It is probably best that O'Sullivan is not reminded of his tendency to cause a stir as he seeks Crucible glory over the coming days. He will be hoping to avoid a repeat of his antics at the Players Championship two years ago, when he raised eyebrows with an unorthodox decision.

During a heavy defeat to Mark Selby in the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan chose to smash the pack of reds in the opening frame. He was trailing by 12 points early on when he sought to avoid a foul by breaking up the mass of balls.

The controversial tactic led to an apology from referee Desislava Bozhilova, who will officiate this year's World Snooker Championship final. She had failed to warn O'Sullivan following a second missed effort when he had sight of a red.

The hit-and-hope attempt drew laughter from the crowd, but others accused O'Sullivan of lacking the required level of effort. He was involved in a similar row at the Crucible in 2020, deploying the same scattergun tactics against the same opponent

O'Sullivan pulled through to win the match on his way to the title and later explained why he chose to smash up the reds despite the reaction he knew it would bring.

"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 issue with his divisive tactics, saying: "I haven't got a clue. He is just feeling a little bit sore, I suppose. He has just lost a semi-final of the World Championship. I understand that."