World Championship 2021: 'Draped all over it' – Ronnie O’Sullivan fouls after waistcoat touches ball

ByBen Snowball

Updated 23/04/2021 at 21:46 GMT

An incredible match full of twists and turns saw O’Sullivan suffer an untimely concentration lapse in the World Championship second round. Ultimately, he wasn’t punished by Anthony McGill in the frame but it highlighted the perils of not keeping an eye on your waistcoat… You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk.

Ronnie O’Sullivan gifted Anthony McGill a huge opportunity in their showdown at the Crucible after accidentally touching a ball when leaning over the table.

The pair were locked at 11-11 in their thrilling World Championship second round match when O’Sullivan was forced into an unnatural position, chest slumped over the table as he reached for the cue ball.

But referee Jan Verhaas spotted that his waistcoat had brushed another red stationed underneath his body and awarded a foul, with O’Sullivan letting an audible groan as he realised what he had done.

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"Jan Verhaas was well placed. It wasn’t even close and that was most certainly the correct decision," confirmed Phil Yates on Eurosport commentary. "Draped all over it."

"How important is that going to be?" wondered Joe Johnson out loud.

Had McGill been handed this chance in the second session of their best-of-25 encounter, he would have undoubtedly gobbled it up such was his confidence. But on Friday evening, he could only grab a handful of points before ceding the advantage back to O’Sullivan.

And O’Sullivan won the frame to move one away from victory after edging a nervy finish - only to lose the next two and crash out of the tournament as defending champion in dramatic circumstances.

'One of the best shots you will ever witness' from on-fire O’Sullivan

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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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