RONNIE O’SULLIVAN produced an amazing bit of sportsmanship in his World Snooker Championship clash against Stuart Bingham.
With the 12th frame of the quarter-final tie in the balance, O’Sullivan decided against extending his break of 28.
Ronnie O’Sullivan asked for the black ball to be re-spotted after it rocked forward
The black was positioned very close to the cue ball
O’Sullivan felt uncomfortable despite receiving the green light from the referee
He discussed the situation with opponent Stuart Bingham
The Rocket then decided to play safe when a pot was on
That is because the world number one felt the black ball was not put back on its spot accurately.
Referee Desislava Bozhilova ruled that the ball was in its proper position, but O’Sullivan was unsure and even called on his opponent to inspect.
O’Sullivan, 48, appeared concerned with how the black was rocking forward despite assurances from the referee that it had stayed in position, with commentator John Parrott describing it as a “horrible situation”.
After a consultation Bingham gave The Rocket the go-ahead too, but O’Sullivan still felt uneasy about the situation so decided to play a safety shot when a pot was on.
Co-commentator Neil Robertson reacted saying: “It’s unbelievable. If he plays safe here this will be probably the greatest bit of sportsmanship I’ve ever seen in ever sport.
“Unbelievable. Incredible. He could have potted that red. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Parrott echoed Robertson’s sentiment as the pair compared O’Sullivan’s act to Paulo Di Canio catching the ball instead of scoring because the opposing goalkeeper was down injured in a game between West Ham and Everton.
O’Sullivna went on to win the match
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Pundits Steve Davis and Ken Doherty provided a different take on the incident with Davis saying: “If he could then pot it if Desislava actually physically moved it away from the spot then it was nice of Ronnie to play it.
“But he wouldn’t have gone through that scenario if he didn’t fancy that it was a potable ball.
Doherty added: “I think he was also self concious that if he did pot it it would be a controversial situation. He probably didn’t want that in his own head and that’s why he decided to play safe.
“It was a very difficult situation for both player and referee.”
Fans also praised O’Sullivan with one saying: “Just seen Ronnie O’Sullivan with some of the greatest piece of sportsmanship I have ever seen in world sports ”
Another added: “Ronnie O’Sullivan is a class act above absolutely everything else. Say what you will about him but he absolutely a true competitor in the purest sense of the world.”
And a third said: “Ronnie O’Sullivan playing safe when he was clearly on the red to not gain an advantage? Ronnie has been a nightmare to refs in the past but he was exemplary there.”
Bingham went on to clear up and win the frame which tied the match at 6-6.
O’Sullivan and Bingham have played each other 21 times previously and have practised together on occasion, and their mutual respect for one another was on full display at The Crucible.