Ronnie O'Sullivan: If Stephen Fry offends people, what chance have I got?

The five-times world champion O'Sullivan opted against making a 147 in a 4-1 win over Barry Pinches in the Welsh Open first round on Monday preferring to declare on 146 when he heard that the prize was only worth £12,000 - £10,000 for the maximum and £2,000 for the highest break.

While O'Sullivan said the stunt was a joke, he has been castigated by World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn and fellow player Ali Carter, who has battled cancer and Crohn's Disease, who accused the Masters champion of an act of 'selfishness' when he could have made the maximum and donated the money to charity.

Snooker fan Stephen Fry quit Twitter for the abuse he was subjected to over a joke he made while hosting the BAFTA film awards on Sunday night.

O'Sullivan - who made three centuries in a 4-0 win over Tian Pengfei in only 39 minutes at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff - believes that when somebody as intelligent as Fry is receiving abuse for his sense of humour, he is always going to split public opinion.

"I don’t see what’s wrong in just bringing a form of entertainment and making it a little bit light hearted because it can be a serious game. Once I step over that line when I’m ready to play, I go into a mindset that I have to be myself," he said.

"Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it wrong, but over the course my career I’d like to think I get it right more times than wrong. I’ve already had 13 maximums, five world titles, six Masters, five UK Championships and hold the record for the most centuries. I think I’ve done some good things.

“If I was to go out there and think about charities, mums, dads, my children, what my cleaners are doing, whether I’ve paid my bills, what Barry Hearn wants me to do, what the public wants me to do I wouldn’t be able to perform. I’d be too worried. When you cross that line you have to back yourself, you need to grow shoulders deal with whatever is put in front of you."

O'Sullivan will face Jimmy Robertson in the third round of a tournament he has won three times.

“I was really happy with that," he said. “I was just trying to play the balls the way I like and it’s always nice to take them."

Liang Wenbo (Chn) 4-1 Gary Wilson (Eng)

Michael White (Wal) 4-3 Tom Ford (Eng)

Shaun Murphy (Eng) 4-3 Mitchell Mann (Eng)

Leo Fernandez (Ire) 1-4 Kurt Maflin (Nor)

Dechawat Poomjaeng (Tha) 4-1 Robert Milkins (Eng)

Yu De Lu (Chn) 4-3 Ricky Walden (Eng)

Jimmy Robertson (Eng) 4-1 Michael Holt (Eng)

David Gilbert (Eng) 3-4 Ken Doherty (Ire)

John Higgins (Sco) 4-0 Sam Baird (Eng)

Peter Ebdon (Eng) 2-4 Michael Georgiou (Eng)

James Cahill (Eng) 1-4 Mark Davis (Eng)

Robbie Williams (Eng) 3-4 Barry Hawkins (Eng)

Luca Brecel (Bel) 4-3 Mark King (Eng)

Matthew Selt (Eng) 4-1 Sydney Wilson (Eng)

Judd Trump (Eng) 4-1 Rory McLeod (Eng)

Allan Taylor (Eng) 2-4 Anthony Hamilton (Eng)

Ding Junhui (Chn) 4-3 Joe Swail (NI)

Ross Muir (Sco) 3-4 Graeme Dott (Sco)

Daniel Wells (Wal) 1-4 Marco Fu (HK)

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Tha) 1-4 Anthony McGill (Sco)

Allister Carter (Eng) 3-4 Fergal O'Brien (Ire)

Tian Pengfei (Chn) 0-4 Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)

Alan McManus (Sco) 4-1 Mark Joyce (Eng)

Matthew Stevens (Wal) 4-2 Martin O'Donnell (Eng)

Mike Dunn (Eng) 3-4 Ryan Day (Wal)

Stuart Carrington (Eng) 1-4 Neil Robertson (Aus)

Mark Williams (Wal) 4-2 Rod Lawler (Eng)

Joe Perry (Eng) 4-2 Li Hang (Chn)

Robin Hull (Fin) 3-4 Mark Allen (NI)