‘I’ve never seen that before,’ says baffled BBC commentator after ref changes his mind during World Snooker Championship
BBC commentator Dennis Taylor was left stunned by a referee at the World Snooker Championship.
There was a controversial incident during the first round match between Ding Junhui and Jack Lisowksi.
With Ding leading 3-2 the pair exchanged shots in the sixth frame, and Ding’s safety ended up in the pack of reds.
Referee Ben Williams judged the cue ball to not be touching a red, meaning Lisowski had to make contact with a red with his next shot to avoid making a foul.
However the Brit believed Williams had made the wrong call as he argued the white was touching a red.
The referee agreed but decided the ball had moved, so he rolled the cue ball back into its original place.
That shocked Taylor who admitted he had never seen such a sequence of events in all his years playing and commentating on the sport.
Williams confirmed his decision to Lisowski saying: “It is now [touching] but it wasn’t before.
Taylor echoed the ref saying: “Oh it is now but it wasn’t before.
“That’s interesting. That’s unusual, I’ve never seen that before. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.
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“Wasn’t touching and then it wasn’t touching and then the referee moved it. I have never seen that done before.”
Co-commentator Ken Doherty explained why the referee had to move the ball back to its original spot.
He said: “Yeah well sometimes maybe when he looked at it first it wasn’t touching, that’s why he has put it back.
“Because sometimes it can move a little bit. Because when he checked it first it wasn’t touching and then he has to go by that.”