Fans slam ‘hugely unfair’ moment snooker star Michael Judge is denied crucial pot by faulty POCKET
SNOOKER star Michael Judge was left baffled after he was denied a pot by a faulty pocket.
Judge was attempting to mount a comeback in the fourth frame of his World Senior Snooker Championship tie with Tony Drago.
Trailing 36-24, he went to pot the blue in the left middle pocket – a simple shot.
And he hit the shot perfectly, sending the ball into the centre of the pocket.
But instead of the ball sinking into the pocket it bizarrely bounced out, leaving Judge bewildered.
He quickly glanced at the referee before leaning over to inspect the pocket amid groans from the crowd.
Commentator Dennis Taylor reacted saying: “What happened there? That blue jumped straight out. He didn’t hit it that hard.
“That is something there that it caught. You see that little bit of leather there.”
His co-commentator Lee Richardson pointed out a piece of wood sticking out in the pocket, which possibly caused the ball to bounce out.
The incident had a big impact on the match too as Drago went on to win the frame and the match, defeating Judge 3-1.
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The rules of snooker
THE aim of snooker is to clear the table of all balls - and achieving it in an incredible 147 break is the ultimate goal.
The rectangular table features green baize, a baulk line and semi-circle, known as the D.
It has six pockets, four in each corner and two midway down both long sides.
There are 15 red balls which are arranged in a triangular shape.
There are also six colour balls, and the white cue ball.
Each colour sits on its own designated spot at the start of the game.
While red balls are worth one point when potted, the colours all have a different value.
In ascending order these are:
- Yellow – two points
- Green – three points
- Brown – four points
- Blue – five points
- Pink – six points
- Black – seven points
The first player will cue off and must hit at least one of the red balls in the triangle.
If they pot a red, they can then continue by potting a colour.
However, if no red is potted then their opponent will play the next shot – going for a red first.
Each player must first pot a red ball when it’s their turn to play. If nothing is pocketed it is the other player’s turn at the table.
After each red is potted they must then follow with a colour, then a red, then a colour, and so on.
Whilst there are still red balls on the table, the potted colour balls are returned to their designated spot.
Once all the red balls are pocketed, the player at the table must pot the colours in the order as outlined above.
If they miss then their opponent will have the opportunity to clear the table.
A 147 is a maximum break when all reds are potted by one player in one stint at the table.
In order to achieve 147, the player must pot all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points.
They must then clear all the colours, concluding with the black for 27 points.
During play the rules state that the cue must only touch the white cue ball.
The cue ball also must hit the correct colour ball – reds or colours in order.
If it hits the incorrect colour then a foul is called.
If the cue ball fails to hit any ball or is pocketed it is also a foul.
The player’s turn at the table ends if they play a foul shot.
Players are also penalised if they touch any ball on the table with their person.
Fans were shocked by the incident with one saying: “I’m sorry but I wouldn’t expect that to happen in a club never mind at the Crucible. Little bit ridiculous if you ask me.”
Another added: “That’s a hell of a mistake from the table fitters. Hugely unfair on Mick. Wow!”
And a third wrote: “How on earth…”