World Snooker Championship - 'He hid!' - Mark Selby reveals bizarre distraction on final black
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Updated 04/05/2021 at 07:24 GMT
Mark Selby is now a four-time world champion after beating Shaun Murphy in the 2021 World Snooker Championship final, but he had a bizarre distraction just before potting the winning black. Selby won the final 18-15 against his friend Murphy in front of a sold-out crowd at the Crucible Theatre to move level with John Higgins on four titles.
'He hid round the corner' - Selby reveals distraction on final black
Mark Selby has revealed what made him suddenly pull back from the winning black as he won the World Snooker Championship for a fourth time at the Crucible.
Selby sealed his fourth World Championship with an 18-15 victory over Shaun Murphy in front of a packed crowd in Sheffield on Monday night.
Having won in 2014, 2016 and 2017, Selby ended his four-year wait to move level with John Higgins on four world titles when halting a late Murphy fightback in a thrilling final session.
But there was some late drama as the Jester from Leicester had to stand up and withdraw from the winning black due to a strange distraction, which added to the tension.
Eventually, Selby was able to re-gather his composure and sink the final ball to wrap up the win, but he later told Eurosport what had happened.
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'Selby stopped Murphy from playing' - White on what decided final
"I was playing the black and, just as I was about to play it, in the walkway where we go out to go to the toilet, a cameraman just ran," Selby explained to Eurosport.
"He ran and just tried to get a picture, just as I'm on my backswing, so I had to get up and tell him to get out of the way.
Then he hid round the corner! But he was still darting round the corner trying to get a picture!
"I was thinking, 'that's the last thing I need'. I know you shouldn't miss the black, but it's for the world title and there is a lot of pressure.
"Thankfully I managed to pot it and pull myself together."
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'Selby is willing to wait longer than everyone else' - Murphy
Eventually, the 37-year-old cleared up before roaring out to the Crucible crowd despite the untimely distraction.
"It’s absolutely incredible," Selby said. "Every time you get to a world final you always try your hardest – it’s such a tough tournament to get there and you never know whether it’s going to be your last.
"I thought Shaun played fantastic all the way through the match. He’s a great, great player, a great ambassador for the game. I truly believe he’s back to where he was."
Selby picked up a £500,000 winners’ cheque in the process, and now has only Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Ronnie O’Sullivan ahead of him in terms of Crucible triumphs.
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