World Snooker Championship 2021 – Ronnie O’Sullivan asks for cue ball to be changed after one shot
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Updated 17/04/2021 at 10:20 GMT
One of the immortal lines of snooker commentary is John Virgo’s ‘where’s the cue ball going?’ Well, the cue ball went to a very unlikely destination during the opening match at the 2021 World Championship during Ronnie O’Sullivan’s clash with Mark Joyce… in the bin. You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk.
'I can see a mark on it' – Ronnie asks for cue ball to be changed after one shot
There was drama during the opening moments of the World Championship when Ronnie O’Sullivan asked for the cue ball to be replaced after his first shot.
O’Sullivan was confused when his break-off to open the tournament only trickled to the baulk line.
His opponent Mark Joyce immediately potted a fine long red before playing safe, allowing O’Sullivan to return to the table and ask the referee to examine the cue ball.
“He’s feeling the cue ball is not quite reacting properly,” said David Hendon on Eurosport commentary, before suggesting green fibres off the table surface could be responsible.
O’Sullivan stressed his point: “I can see a mark on it”. When the referee agreed, the Rocket added: “I think you might want to change it”.
After consulting Joyce, the referee asked for the ball to be changed – but not before holding it up to a TV camera to give viewers at home a close-up of the microscopic fault.
“I can see the white ball,” quipped Joe Jordan.
O’Sullivan eventually won a nervy opening frame against debutant Joyce after both players had missed big openings.
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You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.
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