Ronnie O’Sullivan bows out after being praised for ‘greatest bit of sportsmanship ever’

Ronnie O’Sullivan requested for the black ball to be re-spotted against Stuart Bingham – Getty Images/George Wood

Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed some referees “have got it in for me” en route to a shock exit at the World Snooker Championship and missing a wonderful chance to become the first eight-time winner at the Crucible.

With Judd Trump losing earlier on Wednesday, the odds on a record-breaking O’Sullivan triumph had narrowed hugely but Stuart Bingham produced his best sustained performance since winning the title in 2015 to prevail 13-10 in their quarter-final.

There were two moments of notable controversy, first in the afternoon when O’Sullivan questioned how the black had been re-spotted, and then when he told referee Desislava Bozhilova to “chill” after play was disturbed by fans entering the arena mid-frame.

Bingham was in tears at the end of a dramatic match during which O’Sullivan was praised by former champion Neil Robertson for what he called “the greatest bit of sportsmanship I’ve ever seen in any sport”. That incident occurred in the 12th frame when O’Sullivan created an excellent chance to lead 7-5 before Bozhilova re-spotted a black that left him without a clear shot at the next red.

O’Sullivan, however, had noticed that the black had rolled off its spot. After several attempts, Bozhilova managed to re-spot the black so that it did not move but O’Sullivan then refused a relatively straightforward pot before going on to lose the frame.

“If he plays safe here, this will probably be the greatest bit of sportsmanship I’ve ever seen in any sport,” Robertson said, commentating for BBC.

O’Sullivan said that he had stayed true to his “principles” and had a clear conscience. “Some of the referees, I think they’ve got it in for me,” he told Eurosport. “So I just want to prove to her that she’d got it wrong. Then I didn’t feel good about having to pot the ball after that.”

There was further tension in the evening when fans streamed in for the match on the other side of the arena between John Higgins and Kyren Wilson while O’Sullivan had a chance to level at 11-11 (see below).

With the spectators in his line of sight for a crucial red, O’Sullivan refused to play until they were seated. When Bozhilova encouraged O’Sullivan to continue and said that the door had been shut, O’Sullivan told the referee to “chill” to which she replied, “I’m chilled”.

O’Sullivan was generous in defeat, saying that Bingham had deserved his victory. Bingham will now play the Welsh qualifier Jak Jones in one semi-final while Wilson faces David Gilbert in the other.

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